Polytechnic (United Kingdom)

Polytechnic (United Kingdom)

A polytechnic was a tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland offering higher diplomas, undergraduate degree and post graduate education that was governed and administered at the national level. After the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 they became independent universities which meant they could award their own degrees. The comparable institutions in Scotland were collectively referred to as Central Institutions. Like polytechnics or technological universities in other countries, their aim was to teach both purely academic and professional vocational subjects. Their focus was applied education for work and their roots concentrated on engineering and applied science, though soon after being founded they also created departments concerned with the humanities.

The designation "polytechnic" was also, less commonly, used by further education colleges such as Kilburn Polytechnic (later renamed as Kilburn College). The division between universities and polytechnics was known as the Binary Divide.