Institute of technology (United States)

Institutes of technology or polytechnic institutes are technologically focused universities, many dating back to the mid-19th century. A handful of American universities include the phrases Institute of Technology, Polytechnic Institute, Polytechnic University, University of Technology or similar phrasing in their names; these are generally research-intensive universities with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Josiah Willard Gibbs was the first person to be awarded a Ph.D. in engineering from an American university in 1863.^[1]

In the lists below, an asterisk (*) denotes research-intensive universities that offer up to PhD or DSc degrees.

Institutes of technology

• Air Force Institute of Technology* (a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force)
• California Institute of Technology*
• Florida Institute of Technology*
• Georgia Institute of Technology*
• Illinois Institute of Technology* (formerly known as Armour Institute of Technology)
• Indiana Institute of Technology
• Lake Washington Institute of Technology
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
• New England Institute of Technology
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology*
• New Jersey Institute of Technology* (formerly known as Newark College of Engineering)
• New York Institute of Technology*
• Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
• Oregon Institute of Technology
• Rochester Institute of Technology*
• Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana)
• Stevens Institute of Technology*^[2] (New Jersey)
• Washburn Institute of Technology (Kansas)
• Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston)
• West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Polytechnic universities

• Arizona State University Polytechnic campus
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Florida Polytechnic University
• Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus
• Oregon Institute of Technology (officially designated as Oregon's Polytechnic University)
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*
• SUNY Polytechnic Institute
• University of Wisconsin–Stout (officially designated as Wisconsin's Polytechnic University)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University*
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute*

Technological universities

• Arkansas Tech University
• Clarkson University
• Colorado School of Mines*
• Colorado Technical University
• University of Central Florida (formerly Florida Technological University)*
• Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
• Iowa State University of Science and Technology*
• Lawrence Technological University
• Louisiana Tech University
• Michigan Technological University*
• Montana Technological University
• Missouri University of Science and Technology* (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla)
• Navajo Technical University
• New York City College of Technology
• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology*
• Tennessee Technological University
• Texas Tech University*
• Utah Tech University
• Vermont Technical College^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

Contrast to technical colleges

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. The academic level of these schools varies by course of study; some courses are geared toward immediate employment in a trade, while others are designed to transfer into a four-year program. Some of these technical institutes are for-profit organizations (such as ITT Technical Institute) compared to most other non-profit educational institutes.

Former schools

Former institutes of technology

• Carnegie Institute of Technology (merged to form Carnegie Mellon University*)
• Case Institute of Technology (merged to form Case Western Reserve University*)
• Drexel Institute of Technology (now known as Drexel University*)
• General Motors Institute of Technology (now known as Kettering University)
• Lawrence Institute of Technology (now known as Lawrence Technological University*)
• State University of New York Institute of Technology (merged to form State University of New York Polytechnic Institute)
• University of Minnesota Institute of Technology (now known as University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering)

Former polytechnic universities

• The University of Akron (formerly designated as Ohio's Polytechnic University)^[3]
• Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now known as Auburn University)
• Arkansas Polytechnic College (now known as Arkansas Tech University)
• Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (now known as Louisiana Tech University)
• Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (now known as New York University Tandon School of Engineering)
• Rose Polytechnic Institute (now known as Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)
• Southern Polytechnic State University (merged into Kennesaw State University)
• Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (now known as Tennessee Technological University)

See also

• Institute of technology
• List of schools of mines
• List of institutions using the term "institute of technology" or "polytechnic"
• List of United States technological universities

Explanatory notes

1. Technical college which offers bachelor's degrees

References

1. "Four at SEAS receive Gibbs Distinguished Staff Awards". Yale University. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
2. Stevens Institute of Technology
3. Farkas, Karen (19 May 2016). "University of Akron no longer features 'Ohio's Polytechnic University' brand". cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 13 April 2019.