Higher Colleges of Technology
The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) (Arabic: كليّات التقنيّة العليا) is a public institute of technology with 16 campuses and facilities throughout the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1988 by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, it is the largest applied higher educational institution in the country.
كليّات التقنيّة العليا | |
| Type | Federal |
|---|---|
| Established | 1988 |
Academic staff | 1164 |
Administrative staff | 948 |
| Students | 23,000 |
| Location | 16 separate campuses across the United Arab Emirates |
| Colours |
|
| Mascot | Falcon |
| Website | www |
During the 2020–2021 academic year, there were 14,889 female and 7,333 male students enrolled at 16 campuses and six academic divisions throughout the country. More than 71,000 UAE nationals are graduates of the institution. It has issued over 92,000 credentials to graduates since 1991.
The HCT has formal alliances with a number of international tertiary education and training institutions, and corporate partnerships with local and multinational companies. Some programs have international accreditation: for example, the HCT's Bachelor of Education degree was developed with, and is certified by the University of Melbourne.
HCT is the first educational institution in the UAE to be named as an economic free zone, as declared in the Fifty-Year Charter of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai. It is one of the first six higher education institutions in the world to receive accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), UK’s global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
The CERT (Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training) is the commercial arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology, developing and providing education, training and applied technology for public and private sector clients, since 1996.
The HCT Chancellor is Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, UAE Minister of Human Resources & Emiratization. Tayeb A. Kamali was appointed as the Vice Chancellor in June 2005. Mohammed Omran Al Shamsi was made President of the Higher Colleges in 2013, an appointment that carried Ministerial rank. On March 17, 2015 Abdullatif M. Al Shamsi was appointed as HCT Vice Chancellor, by Federal Decree. He was subsequently appointed to the role of HCT President & CEO. In September 2022, Faisal Al Ayyan was appointed as HCT President & CEO.