Polytechnic Institutes are elite technological universities many dating back to the mid 19th century. 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.
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.
Institute 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).
Carnegie Institute of Technology (now refers solely to Carnegie Mellon University's* college of engineering)
California Institute of Technology*
Florida Institute of Technology*
Georgia Institute of Technology*
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology* (formerly known as Armour Institute of Technology)
Indiana Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Michigan Technological University*
Missouri University of Science and Technology* (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla)
Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Texas Tech University*
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology*
New Jersey Institute of Technology* (formerly known as Newark College of Engineering)
New York Institute of Technology
Oregon Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
State University of New York Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology*
University of Minnesota Institute of Technology (now known as University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wentworth Institute of Technology
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Former
Case Institute of Technology (merged to form Case Western Reserve University*)
Drexel Institute of Technology (now known as Drexel University*)
Lawrence Technological University (formerly known as Lawrence Institute of Technology)
Polytechnic Universities
There are nine "true polytechnic" universities in the United States
Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus (Est. 1996)
California Polytechnic State University (Est. 1901)
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Est. 1938)
Northwestern Polytechnic University (Est. 1984)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute* (Est. 1824)
Southern Polytechnic State University (Est. 1948)
University of Wisconsin–Stout (Est. 1891)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University* (Est. 1872)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute* (Est. 1865)
(* Denotes research-intensive public or private National Universities that offer up to PhD degrees.)
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 tracked 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.