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 (masters and PhDs) that was governed and administered at the national level by the Council for National Academic Awards. 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 (institute of technology) in other countries, their aim was to teach both purely academic and professional vocational degrees (engineering, computer science, law, architecture, management, business, accounting, journalism, town planning) etc. Their original focus was applied education for professional work and their original roots concentrated on advanced engineering and applied science (STEM subjects), though soon after being founded they also created departments concerned with the humanities. The polytechnic legacy was to advance and excel in undergraduate and post graduate degrees in engineering and technology education that now form a core faculty at most universities in the UK. While many former polytechnics have advanced their research focus many have stayed true to their original ethos by focusing on teaching for professional practice.

The division between universities and polytechnics was known as the Binary Divide in UK higher education.

While most polytechnics were formed in the expansion of higher education in the 1960s, some can trace their history back much further to the early 19th century. For instance the London Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster), emerged from the Royal Polytechnic Institution which was founded at Regent Street, London in 1838. The establishment of the polytechnic was a reaction to the rise of industrial power and technical education in France, Germany and the USA. Prior to the 1960s degrees at the London Polytechnic were validated by the university of London. The first British institution to use the name "polytechnic" was the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, which it still retains, together with the affectionate nickname "The Poly".

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