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Institute of technology
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Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system. It may be any institution of higher education and advanced research or vocational education, specializing in science, engineering and technology or different sorts of technical subjects. It may also refer to a secondary education school focused in vocational training.
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Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system. It may be any institution of higher education and advanced research or vocational education, specializing in science, engineering and technology or different sorts of technical subjects. It may also refer to a secondary education school focused in vocational training. The term polytechnic comes from the Greek p??? (polú or polý) meaning "many" and te?????? (tekhnikós) meaning "arts". While the term institute of technology is often abbreviated IT, the term is not to be confused with information technology.
While the terms institute of technology and polytechnic are synonymous, the preference concerning which one is the preferred term varies from country to country.
Institutes of technology versus polytechnics
The institutes of technology and polytechnics have been existing at least since the 18th century, but became popular after World War II with the expansion of technical education, associated with the new needs created by industrialization. An exception is the Ecole Polytechnique, the oldest one in the world, which has educated French élites since its foundation in 1794. In some cases, polytechnics or institutes of technology are engineering schools or technical colleges.
Sometimes, also institutes of technology are engineering and science research intense universities when they meet conditions necessary to be formally considered a university: autonomy to offer masters and doctoral degrees and independence as research institutions. In the USA famous examples include Caltech, MIT, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology. In India, Indian Institutes of Technology are specific elite institutes which were based on a post WWII recommendation for industrialization. Those are highly regarded full chartered universities with a long history.
In several countries, like Germany, Switzerland and Turkey, institutes of technology and polytechnics are institutions of higher education, and have been accredited to award academic degrees and doctorates. Famous examples are the ETH Zurich, IYTE and RWTH Aachen, all considered universities.
In countries like Iran, Finland, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore or the United Kingdom, there is often a significant and confused distinction between polytechnics and universities. In the UK Polytechnics offered university equivalent degrees from Bachelors, Masters and PhD that were validated by the Council for National Academic awards. In 1992 UK Polytechnics were designated as universities. In Ireland the term institute of technology is more favored synonym of a regional technical college though the latter is the legally correct term; however, Dublin Institute of Technology is a university in all but name as it can confer degrees in accordance with law, Cork Institute of Technology and another of other Institutes of Technology have delegated authority from HETAC to make awards to and including Masters degree level--Level 9 of the (NFQ)--for all areas of study and Doctorate level in a number of others.
In a number of countries, although being today generally considered similar institutions of higher learning across many countries, polytechnics and institutes of technology used to have a quite different statute among each other, its teaching competences and organizational history. In many cases polytechnic were a former designation for a vocational institution, before it has been granted the exclusive right to award academic degrees and can be truly called an institute of technology. A number of polytechnics providing higher education is simply a result of a formal upgrading from their original and historical role as intermediate technical education schools. In some situations, former polytechnics or other non-university institutions have emerged solely through an administrative change of statutes, which often included a name change with the introduction of new designations like institute of technology, polytechnic university, university of applied sciences, or university of technology for marketing purposes. Such emergence of so many upgraded polytechnics, former vocational education and technical schools converted into more university-like institutions has caused concern where the lack of specialized intermediate technical professionals lead to industrial skill shortages in some fields, being also associated to an increase of the graduate unemployment rate. This is mostly the case in those countries, where the education system is not controlled by the state and everybody can grant degrees. Evidence have also shown a decline in the general quality of teaching and graduate's preparation for the workplace, due to the fast-paced conversion of that technical institutions to more advanced higher level institutions.
Australia
1970s-1990s
During the 1970s to early 1990s, the term was used to describe state owned and funded technical schools that offered both vocational and higher education. They were part of the College of Advanced Education system. In the 1990s most of these merged with existing universities, or formed new ones of their own. These new universities often took the title University of Technology, for marketing rather than legal purposes. The most prominent such university in each state founded the Australian Technology Network a few years later.
1990s-Today
Since the mid 1990s, the term has been applied to some technically minded Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. These primarily offer vocational education, although some are beginning to offer higher education. This usage of the term is most prevalent in NSW and the ACT. The new terminology is apt given that this category of institution are becoming very much like the institutes of the 1970s-1990s period.
Belgium and the Netherlands
Hogeschool is used in Belgium and Hogere Technische School (HTS) in the Netherlands. The Hogeschool has many similarities to the Fachhochschule in the German language areas and to the Ammattikorkeakoulu in Finland.
Hogeschool institutions in the Flemish Community of Belgium (such as the Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel) are currently undergoing a process of academization. They form associations with a university and integrate research into the curriculum, which will allow them to deliver academic master's degrees.
In the Netherlands, four former institutes of technology have become universities over the past decades. These are the current three Technical Universities (at Delft, Eindhoven and Enschede), plus the former agricultural institute in Wageningen. A list of all hogescholen in the Netherlands, including some which might be called polytechnics, can be found here.
Brazil
In Brazil there is only one University of Technology: Federal University of Technology, Paraná (UTFPR) and the Institutes of Technology of the armed forces: Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica and Instituto Militar de Engenharia
Canada
- British Columbia Institute of Technology, (Burnaby, British Columbia)
- Kwantlen University College, (Richmond, British Columbia) (Name changing to Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
- PAVI (Vancouver, British Columbia)
- Seneca College (Toronto, Ontario)
- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, SAIT (Calgary, Alberta) (Name changing to SAIT Polytechnic)
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, NAIT (Edmonton, Alberta)
- Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, SIAST (4 campuses: Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert)
- ETS (Montreal, Quebec)
- École polytechnique de Montréal - University of Montreal, (Montreal, Quebec). This is a engineering focussed university.
Czech Republic
Finland - Ammattikorkeakoulu - Yrkeshögskola
An Ammattikorkeakoulu is the common term in Finland, as is the Swedish alternative "Yrkeshögskola" – their focus is on studies leading to bachelor degree, particularly in technology. After January 1 2006 some Finnish institutes of technology switched the English term polytechnic to the term University of Applied Sciences in their official names. The Ammattikorkeakoulu has many similarities to the Hogeschool in Belgium and in the Netherlands and to the Fachhochschule in the German language areas.
Some Finnish polytechnics are:
a complete list may be found in List of polytechnics in Finland
French language areas - Instituts de technologie / Universités technologiques / Écoles Polytechniques
French language areas - Instituts de technologie (Grandes écoles)
Collegiate universities grouping several engineering schools or multi-site clusters of French Grandes écoles provide sciences and technology curricula as autonomous higher education engineering institutes. They include :
- Centrale Graduate School
- Grenoble Institute of Technology
- Institut national des sciences appliquées.
- Paris Institute of Technology
They provide science and technology master degrees and doctoral degrees.
French language areas - Universités technologiques/ Instituts universitaires de technologie / Polytech
France education system also includes three universities of technology:
In addition, France education system includes many Institutes of technology, embedded within most French Universities. They are referred-to as Institut Universitaire de technologie (IUT). Instituts universitaires de technologie provide undergraduate technology curricula.
Polytech institutes, embedded as a part of eleven French universities provide both undergraduate and graduate engineering curricula.
In the French speaking part of Switzerland exists also the term Haute Ecole Specialisee for a type of institution called Fachhochschule in the German speaking part of the country. (see below)
French language areas - Écoles Polytechniques
Higher education systems, that are influenced by the French education system set at the end of the 18th century, use a terminology derived by reference to the French École polytechnique. Such terms include Écoles Polytechniques (Algeria, Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland, Tunisia), Escola Politécnica (Brasil, Spain), Polytechnicum (Eastern Europe).
In French language, higher education refers to écoles polytechniques, providing science and engineering curricula:
German language areas - Fachhochschule and Technische Hochschule
Fachhochschule and Technische Hochschule are the common terms in a number of countries with German influences, these are Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland - the term Fachhochschule is now officially translated as "University of Applied Sciences" to respect their role. Polytechnic type institutions are widespread in this part of Europe. For example, Germany has 159 Fachhochschule-institutions.
There used to be a differentiation between a Fachhochschule and Technische Hochschule (or Technische Universität) and the Diplom degree of the Fachhochschule is considered below a university degree. However, through the Bologna process, the Bachelor's, Master's degrees have been made equivalent.
The Technische Hochschule focuses more on research and can grant doctoral degrees.
The Fachhochschule, in contrast, has many similarities to the Hogeschool in Belgium and in the Netherlands and to the Ammattikorkeakoulu in Finland and can grant Bachelor's, Diplom (FH) and Master's degrees. But the Fachhochschule offers university-like education in contrast to the Hogeschool which offers more vocational education. The Fachhochschule performs research in the field of applying science.
Greece
In Greece there are 2 "Technical Universities", the National Technical University of Athens and the Technical University of Crete.
On the other hand, there are Greek technological educational institutes (???tata ?e????????? ??pa?de?t??? ?d??µata - ?TEI) which do not have full university status. After the 2001 Higher Education Reform Act (N.1416) Technological Educational Institutes constitute a complementary part of the public higher education in Greece. They confer 4-year bachelor's degrees, but in practice their graduates have still fewer rights than universities'. Among other differences they have, the technological educational institutes are allowed to run graduate programs only in collaboration with universities.
Hong Kong
- See also: Education in Hong Kong and List of universities in Hong Kong
The first polytechnic in Hong Kong is The Hong Kong Polytechnic, established in 1972 through upgrading the Hong Kong Technical College (Government Trade School before 1947). A second polytechnic, the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, was founded in 1984. These polytechnics awards diplomas, higher diplomas, as well as academic degrees. Like the United Kingdom, the two polytechnics were granted university status in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and renamed The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the City University of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a university with a focus in applied science, engineering and business, was founded in 1991.
India
Polytechnic is a technical institute which imparts technical education in India. Polytechnics are not affiliated to any university. They offer three year duration diploma courses in engineering. The courses offered in polytechnics can be said to be abridged version of degree courses offered in engineering colleges in India. The courses are designed in such a way that the students are able to perform basic engineering tasks. The diploma holders in engineering are generally employed as supervisors or junior engineers in the companies. The minimum qualification for admission to polytechnics is pass in SSLC (Standard Tenth). The polytechnics are affiliated to state technical boards. The All India Council of Technical Education is the regulating authority for polytechnics in India.
After successfully completing their diploma in polytechnic, students can gain lateral entry to engineering degree (under graduate) courses called BE which are conducted by engineering colleges affiliated to universities.
Polytechnic Equivalent Diploma
These are diploma equivalent to diploma issued by polytechnics in India. These courses are conducted by institutions like IETE [www.iete.org], IME
Popular Polytechnic's in India
- Pusa Polytechnic
- K. K. Wagh Polytechnic www.kkwpoly.org
- MSPVL Polytechnic College
- MBTS GOVT POLYTECHNIC GUNTUR. It is considered one of the best polytechnic college in Andhra pradesh. It offers courses in Civil,Mechanical and Electrical engineering
- Carmel Polytechnic College Aleppey Kerala.It offers course in Civil,Electrical,Mechanical,Automobile,Computer and Electronics.
Indonesia
- Politeknik Kesehatan DepKes Bandung
- Politeknik Negeri Bandung
- Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB)
- Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS)
- Institut Teknologi Telkom (IT Telkom)
- Politeknik Negeri Medan
- Politeknik Telkom
Iran
- Tehran Polytechnic or Amirkabir University of Technology is a Full technology university in Tehran.
- Isfahan Institute of Technology is located in Isfahan.
Iraq
Also See Iraqi Technical Colleges and Institutes
Ireland
The Republic of Ireland has an "Institute of Technology" system, formerly referred to as Regional Technical College (RTCs) system - the latter term is still the correct legal term for the colleges when used generically or collectively. These institutions have a similar number of students attending as at Irish universities, and offer subdegree and degree level studies. Some institutions have "delegated authority" that allows them to make awards in their own name, after authorization by the Higher Education & Training Awards Council.
Dublin Institute of Technology developed separately from the Regional Technical College system, and after several decades of association with the University of Dublin, Trinity College it acquired the authority to confer its own degrees.
See also: Community College
Israel
Italian language areas
In Italy the term Politecnico is used to refer to a university of applied sciences. Currently there are three Politecnici in the country:
- Politecnico di Milano
- Politecnico di Torino
- Politecnico di Bari
In the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland the term Scuola Universitaria Professionnale is used for the type of institution called Fachhochschule in the German-speaking part of the country. (See German language areas, above.)
Japan
See the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Imperial College of Engineering, forerunner of The University of Tokyo's engineering faculty. See also Kyushu Institute of Technology, Osaka Institute of Technology and Nagoya Institute of Technology.
See also Technical education in Japan and Colleges of Technology in Japan.
Malaysia
- Ungku Omar Polytechnic - Oldest polytechnic in Malaysia
See also: Education in Malaysia.
New Zealand
New Zealand polytechnics are established under the Education Act 1989 as amended, and are considered state-owned tertiary institutions along with universities, colleges of education, and wananga; there is today often much crossover in courses and qualifications offered between all these types of Tertiary Education Institutions. Some have officially taken the title 'institute of technology' which is a term recognized in government strategies equal to that of the term 'polytechnic'. One has opted for the name 'Universal College of Learning' (UCOL), and another 'Unitec New Zealand'. These are legal names but not recognized terms like 'polytechnic' or 'institute of technology'. Many if not all now grant at least bachelor-level degrees.
Since the 1990s, there has been consolidation in New Zealand's state-owned tertiary education system. In the polytechnic sector: Wellington Polytechnic amalgamated with Massey University. The Central Institute of Technology explored a merger with the Waikato Institute of Technology, which was abandoned, but later, after financial concerns, controversially amalgamated with Hutt Valley Polytechnic, which in turn became Wellington Institute of Technology. Some smaller polytechnics in the North Island, such as Waiarapa Polytechnic, amalgamated with UCOL. (The only other amalgamations have been in the colleges of education.)
The Auckland University of Technology is the only polytechnic to have been elevated to university status; while Unitec has had repeated attempts blocked by government policy and consequent decisions; Unitec has not been able to convince the courts to overturn these decisions.
See also: List of polytechnics and institutes of technology in New Zealand and Education in New Zealand
Pakistan
The Polytechnic institutes in Pakistan, offer a diploma spanning three years in different branches. Students are admitted to the diploma program based on their results in the 10th grade standardized exams. Main purpose of Polytechnic Institutes are to train technologists in various trades. These trades include Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Auto and Diesel Technology, Electronics, Chemical, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Textile, Instrumentation etc.
These institutes are located throughout Pakistan and are in service since early 1950s.
Philippines
Poland
Politechnika (translated as a "technical university" or "university of technology") is a main kind of technical university name in Poland.
There are some biggest Polytechnic in Poland:
- Politechnika Slaska
- Politechnika Wroclawska
- Politechnika Warszawska
- Politechnika Poznanska
- Politechnika Krakowska
- Politechnika Lódzka
Portugal
The designation "Institute of Technology" is not applied at all, being meaningless in Portugal. However, there are higher education educational institutions in Portugal since the 1980s, which are called polytechnics. After 1998 they were upgraded to institutions which are allowed to confer bachelor's degrees (the Portuguese licenciatura). Before then, they only awarded short-cycle degrees which were known as bacharelatos and didn't provide further education. After the Bologna Process in 2007, they have been allowed to offer 2nd cycle (masters's) degrees to its students. The polytechnical higher education system provides a more practical training and is profession-oriented, while the university higher education system has a strong theoretical basis and is highly research-oriented.
Russia
See also: List of institutions of higher learning in Russia
Singapore
Singapore retains a system close to that applying in the United Kingdom from 1969–1992, distinguishing between polytechnics and universities, but also including a third component, the institute of technical education (ITE). Under this system, most Singaporean students sit for their 'O' Level examinations after a four or five years of education in secondary school, and apply for a place at either ITE, a polytechnic or a Pre-university centre (a junior college or the Millennia Institute, a centralized institute). A few secondary schools are now offering a six-year program which leads directly to university entrance.
Polytechnics offer three year diploma courses in subjects such as information technology, engineering subjects and other vocational fields. There are a total of 5 polytechnics in Singapore. They are namely:
The institute of technical education offers shorter programmes up to 2 year certificates in a wide variety of fields, ranging from beauty therapy to nursing, electronics, business and information technology. There are currently three colleges within ITE. One of them is a recently opened large campus while the other two are each composed of five smaller campuses which will be replaced in the coming years by a large campus for each college. The three colleges are:
See also: Education in Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
South Africa is in a process of transforming its "higher education landscape". Historically a division in South Africa between Universities and Technikons (polytechnics) as well between institutions servicing particular racial and language groupings. In 1993 Technikons were afforded the power to award certain technology degrees.
Beginning in 2004 former Technikons have either been merged with traditional Universities to form Comprehensive Universities or have become Universities of Technology, however the Universities of Technology have not to date acquired all of the traditional rights and privileges of a University (such as the ability to confer a wide range of degrees).
See also: List of universities in South Africa
Thailand
Most of Thailand's institutes of technology were developed from technical colleges, in the past could not grant bachelor's degrees; today, however, they are university level institutions, some of which can grant degrees to the doctoral level. Examples are Pathumwan Institute of Technology (developed from Pathumwan Technical School), King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (Nondhaburi Telecommunications Training Centre), and King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok (Thai-German Technical School).
There are two former institutes of technology, which already changed their name to "University of Technology": Rajamangala University of Technology (formerly Institute of Technology and Vocational Education) and King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (Thonburi Technology Institute).
Institutes of technology with different origins are Asian Institute of Technology, which developed from SEATO Graduate School of Engineering, and Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, an engineering school of Thammasat University.
See also: Education in Thailand
Turkey
See also: Education in Turkey
United Kingdom
Polytechnics were tertiary education teaching institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Polytechnics offered university equivalent degrees (Bachelors, Masters, PhD) validated by the Council for National Academic Awards CNAA. The comparable institutions in Scotland were collectively referred to as Central Institutions. Britain's first Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster) was established in 1838 at Regent Street in London and its goal was to popularize engineering and science knowledge in Victorian Britain.
In 1956 some colleges of technology received the designation College of Advanced Technology. They became universities in the 1960s. The designation "Institute of Technology" was occasionally used, and there were two "Institutes of Science and Technology": UMIST and UWIST of the University of Wales. Loughborough University was called Loughborough University of Technology from 1966 to 1996, the only institution in the UK to have had such a designation.
United States
A handful of American universities include the phrases "Institute of Technology", "Polytechnic Institute", "Polytechnic University", or similar phrasing in their names; these are generally research-intensive universities with a focus on engineering, science and technology. Conversely, schools dubbed "technical colleges" or "technical institutes" generally provide post-secondary training in technical and mechanical fields focusing on training vocational skills primarily at a community college level -- parallel and sometimes equivalent to the first two years at a bachelor's-granting institution.
Venezuela
Institutes of technology in Venezuela were developed in the 1950s as an option for post-Secondary education in technical and scientific courses, after the polytechnic French concepts. At that time, technical education was considered essential for the development of a sound middle class economy.
Nowadays, most of the Institutos de Tecnología are privately run businesses, with varying degrees of quality. They are widely regarded, sometimes incorrectly, as inferior to the university education.
Most of these institutes award diplomas after three or three and a half years of education. Few, if any Institutos de Tecnología have any research facilities.
Vietnam
After the communists took control of Hanoi in 1954, with support from Soviet Union, many new universities were built as:
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