Bachelor of Technology

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009)

Bachelor of Technology is an undergraduate academic degree conferred after completion of a three or four year program of studies at an accredited university or accredited university-level institution. The common abbreviation for Bachelor of Technology is B.Tech. or B.Tech.(Hons). The degree is conferred in the Commonwealth of Nations, Republic of Ireland, the United States, South Africa and elsewhere.

In general, the degree is awarded to those who have undertaken a Bachelor of Science degree program which is additionally supplemented by either occupational placements (e.g., supervised practica or internships) or practice-based classroom courses. Due to these requirements, the degree normally takes at least four years.

In some countries the degree is awarded following completion of a curriculum which is career oriented, emphasizing practice as opposed to theory. Here, by contrast, occupational placements and practice-based courses are more heavily weighted within the program (see Cooperative education).

By country

• In Australia, the Bachelor of Technology programs are three to four years in duration. Honors degrees, abbreviated as B.Tech.(Hons), are awarded to graduates who successfully complete a four year program.

• In Canada, most programs are four years in duration. An example is the Officer Training Program of the Canadian Coast Guard College that has a placement component onboard ships, whose graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Technology in Nautical Sciences degree. The Bachelor of Technology degree was used by Ryerson University for programs with an additional laboratory component or studio component. Those taking such programs are now awarded a Bachelor of Science degree, although a Bachelor of Technology is still used for the Graphic Communications Management program. A Bachelor of Technology degree is offered by Memorial University of Newfoundland and McMaster University as diploma-to-degree bridging program for college graduates of specific accredited programs.

• Care should be taken not to confuse the B.Tech. degree with the degree of Bachelor of Applied Technology (B.A.Tech.) or (B.A.T.) offered by some Community Colleges in Canada. Community Colleges are represented by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC)[1] but are not accredited as university-level institutions by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the national accrediting body of universities in Canada.

• In India, the Bachelor of Technology degree is conferred by the nation's top ranked government and private universities of technology in various fields like Computer engineering, Electrical engineering, Civil engineering, Chemical engineering, production engineering and textile engineering, as well as a host of other prestigious institutes (both public and privately funded ) for their professional engineering programs. However most other institutions in India use the Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree.

• In Israel, the B.Tech. degree is awarded only by academic colleges in fields of engineering. The minimum duration of the B.Tech. degree is eight semesters and 160 credit hours.[2] It is also awarded to those who have upgraded from a Practical Engineering certificate to a B.Tech. degree by taking supplemental studies of minimum five semesters and 100 credit hours. [3]

• In Kenya, The B.Tech degree is awarded by Moi University and takes five years to complete. The fields offered by the university are Chemical engineering, Civil engineering, Computer engineering, Electrical engineering, textile engineering and production engineering

• In Pakistan: Bachelor of Technology (Honors) degree is a four year undergraduate degree program, including field training and course completion of two years each. The prerequisite for this program is a three year Diploma of Associate Engineer in specific fields e.g. Electrical, Mechanical or Civil Engineering etc. B.Tech Honors four years degree awarded by HEC accredited Universities is considered at par and compatible with B.Sc.Engineering from other Institutions/Universities in Pakistan (Please refer to the minutes of the 10th meeting of the Equivalence Committee of erstwhile UGC, now HEC [4]) held on November 25, 1981. Further refer to item No.9/10 on page 68 of 91, [5]stating equivalence of B.Tech. Honors and B.Sc. Engineering degree. As per Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) amendment of Pakistan Engineering Council act 1976; Pakistan engineering council will continue to accredit and register B.Tech degree holders as registered engineers and further as professional engineers.

• In South Africa, the degree is awarded by Universities of Technology and Comprehensive Universities (as distinct from Traditional Universities), and is often offered in areas to which there is no corresponding B.Sc. Although the B.Tech often carries the same amounts of points as a B.Sc. in terms of South Africa's National Qualifications Framework, the B.Tech. usually does not grant admission to the corresponding M.Sc. program; students instead pursue the Master of Technology (M.Tech.) and Doctor of Technology (D.Tech.) degrees.

• The degree is no longer awarded in the United Kingdom. Those who take such programs are more commonly awarded a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree. Care should be taken not to confuse the B.Tech. degree with the United Kingdom's Business & Technical Education Council (BTEC) designation, which is not a university degree. BTEC functions have now been overtaken by Edexcel.

• In the USA, The Bachelor of Technology degree is awarded after completion of a 4 year program. The colleges offering this degree are rare and only located in the states of Alaska (INDS), Florida, New York (New York City College of Technology ), Illinois (Chicago), Missouri (Northwest Missouri State University), Nevada, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia.

For example World College located in Virginia offers Bachelor of Technology degrees.