Technical colleges are typically divided into additional areas of study. ITT Tech, a two-year school based in Carmel, Ind., offers six schools of study: School of Information Technology, School of Drafting and Design, School of Electronics Technology, School of Business, School of Criminal Justice and School of Health Sciences. Four-year universities generally offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees in similar areas of study. However, programs vary by school. Michigan Technological Institute, for example, has a School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.
Many technical universities have strong research programs. Students are able to work with professors with the goal of developing something life-changing. Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has led to many historical achievements. For example, MIT students achieved the first chemical synthesis of penicillin and vitamin A. In 2008, The Georgia Institute of Technology devoted about $525 million dollars to research. The school says one of its focal points is improving life through science and technology.
Like many other colleges and universities throughout the United States, technical schools offer online courses. At ITT Technical Institute, students can take six or 12 one-week modules, where they can access the curriculum as their time permits. Typically, students spend 12 to 15 hours per week per credit hour completing online courses, which can be accessed 24 hours a day.
While technical universities are often perceived as small schools, students living on campus are also privy to experience some universal characteristics of college life. This is because several technical universities offer Division I college athletic programs. For example, Michigan Technological Institute has a Division I hockey team that plays in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, offers Division I athletics in football, basketball, golf and baseball.