Technical schools are postsecondary institutions aimed at providing specialized training in a specific field, profession, career, or trade.For this reason, they are often called trade or vocational schools. They deliver innovative learning programs that challenge students to solve problems in a real World context, students gain hands on training in dedicated fields of study, helping them prepare for their future career.
Technical Schools complement the curriculum by providing access to advanced technology, industry programs and exposure to career pathways that secondary students may not otherwise have access to.
Technical schools award students with diplomas or certificates, therefore taking less than two years to complete.
Generally speaking, technical schools are designed for those who know what they want to do for a career. Students enroll in their chosen program and take very specific classes to prepare for their field of choice, they offer an internship opportunity for students, to help them gain real experience in a relevant work setting.
If you are aspiring to acquire a technical education and might be confused the prefared school to opt in for, we have selectively picked out the best technical schools in the world for you to choose from.
1. California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a private doctorate-granting university based in California, United States, most popular for its strong focus on Science and Engineering.
CalTech is one of the few U.S. universities that primarily studies STEM subjects. Thus scholars and administrators can focus more effort and resources on major endeavors like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Caltech has six divisions which includes Engineering and Applied Science, Mathematics and Astronomy, Biology and Biological Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Physics.
Judging by its consistent position in university league tables and the record of department offerings that are provided at Caltech, it is clear that the University has earned its position thoroughly.
For example, in 1934 Caltech was elected for the Association of American Universities and has since then remained as a highly targeted research university for its expertise in STEM fields.
Caltech is an Alma mater to some outstanding and prominent men in the past, the likes of Chipmaker Qualcomm and Charles E.Wheatley as the Senior Vice President.
Stephen Hawking, well-known English Physicist worked at Caltech as a visiting professor.
2. University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is an highly remarkable school, widely recognized as an academic top research destination by a collection of performance indicators, ranging from Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Taulia QS, and the Times Higher Education.
The University has been ranked 6th in the UK for technological master’s degrees.
3. New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, NJ)
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a renown school that has produced prominent alumni, the likes of Judea Pearl, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize of Computing for his AI work, and astronaut Wally Schirra, the only person to fly in all three of America’s first three space missions. Forbes ranks the New Jersey Institute of Technology as the #1 college where the highest percentage of students come from the bottom fifth of income distribution but end up in the top fifth later in their careers.
It’s no surprise that students become so successful after getting a degree at NJIT. The public institute’s multi-million dollar Makerspace allows students to create and test their own products with state-of-the-art industrial tools. Students can 3D-print prototypes, digitize real objects, and more, taking the hands-on approach to the next level.
The NJIT Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research is a world leader in the field. Other major R&D areas include applied mathematics, materials science, and biomedical engineering.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university, ranked with a score of 98.6 percent in the ‘World’s Best Universities for Engineering and Technology, 2017, and noted as one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
For instance, the Times Higher Education ranked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2nd place for the World’s Most Prestigious Universities 2016.
MIT has five schools; Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. There is also one college known as Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology.
The Institute is considered most popular for its research and education in Engineering, Physical Sciences, Economics and Management. In particular, MIT’s School of Engineering has been ranked first for several years in numerous lists and guides such as the QS Top Universities list.
Another well-known tech leader that studied at MIT is the former president of International Production at Sony Pictures Television, Andrea Wong. Wong graduated from MIT in 1988 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Drew Houston, Founder and CEO of Dropbox is also a former student of MIT, as is astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
5. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the best schools to choose from if you are aspiring to study computer science, engineering, information technology and other field of studies, especially if you identify as a deaf or hard of hearing — RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf educates over 1,000 such students every year.
All RIT students have access to cooperative education, a full-time, paid program where students get real work experience as they complete their degree. Co-op employers include Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tesla, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, and thousands more.
A team of RIT students recently won the 2021 Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC), beating Stanford University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The CPTC is an international competition that tests participants’ hacking skills.
RIT alumni become CEOs, politicians, Pulitzer Prize winners, and pioneers in their field. One example is engineer Kate Gleason, who helped pave the way for other women in the field around the turn of the twentieth century.
6. Georgia Technology Institute (Atlanta, GA)
Georgia Tech is consistently top-rated in engineering and computer science, the school sits in Midtown Atlanta, near the city’s growing movie production hub, which one PhD student got to experience for herself.
De’Aira Bryant was chosen to program a robot for the 2020 HBO Max film Superintelligence, starring Melissa McCarthy. The robot, nicknamed Cookie, performed communicative gestures as it interacted with other characters.
There are unique opportunities like this for students in all fields of study at Georgia Tech, which prides itself on its rigorous research culture.
Former president Jimmy Carter is perhaps Georgia Tech’s highest-profile alumni.
7. Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL)
Illinois Tech is a school to be, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency (NSA) designated the school as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, due to the College of Computing’s extensive programs in cybersecurity and digital forensics.
Illinois Tech computer science professor Kai Shu won awards for his research on fake news. He developed an algorithm called dEFEND, which helps predict and explain disinformation.
Computer science isn’t the only field where IIT excels.
Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection and founder of fashion line Off-White, earned his Master of Architecture from the institute in 2006. Jack Steinberger won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics with two others for his work on neutrino beams.
8. Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
Virginia Tech is prominent to integrates technology across all disciplines and continues to innovate today.
Torgersen Hall comes equipped with high-tech auditoriums, virtual reality simulators, and state-of-the-art research spaces. The hall is connected to the university’s library, a physical bridge between knowledge of old and new.
To support its student football team and the sport at large, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has been studying head impacts since 2003. Their research has resulted in ratings for helmet safety that allow players to assess risk of concussion more transparently before purchasing a helmet.
Virginia Tech has produced not only professional athletes and decorated military personnel, but also those that went on to careers in tech, including astronaut Roger K. Crouch and Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun.