ITT Technical Institute is a system of private, post-secondary colleges that offer a variety of programs for students interested in pursuing a technology related field. The ITT system is operated by its parent company, ITT Educational Services, which has been based in Carmel, Indiana, since 1969. There are more than 100 ITT Technical Institutes scattered throughout the United States, and some of them have nearby learning sites where classes are taught off campus to offer more convenient locations to students.
ITT Technical Institute was originally marketed as a trade school, but a desire to change its public perception led to the offering of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a wide variety of areas. In 2000, it chose to begin heavily marketing its information technology program and further expand its school system to more than 100 schools in an effort to fill an employee gap in the information technology industry.
ITT Technical Institute is divided into six schools where a student may take classes toward the completion of a degree. Classes are offered in the School of Criminal Justice, School of Information Technology, School of Health Sciences, School of Business, School of Electronic Technology and School of Drafting and Design. In addition, the original ITT location in Indiana offers online degree programs in multiple areas geared toward working students.
All of the programs offered at ITT Technical Institute strive to combine traditional degree programs with work-life experience, also called applied learning. This approach promotes practical study in a lab for a more hands-on experience. ITT Technical Institute includes local businesses in its processes by inviting them to be on advisory committees. The committees are responsible for assessing and updating equipment, curricula and laboratory design.
ITT Technical Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). National accreditation is more common for technical and career schools, where the style of teaching and type of information taught is often very different from "traditional" colleges and universities. As a nationally accredited institution, however, some students who begin at ITT and find that they would like to transfer to a regionally accredited institution may find that they will not get any transfer credits from courses taken at ITT. The school has made efforts to secure regional accreditation as well.