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