A handful of American universities include the phrases Institute of Technology, Polytechnic Institute, Polytechnic University, or similar phrasing in their names; these are generally research-intensive universities with a focus on engineering, science and technology.
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There are nine "true polytechnic" universities in the United States [1]
(* Denotes research-intensive public or private National Universities that offer up to PhD degrees.)
Conversely, schools dubbed "technical colleges" or "technical institutes" generally provide post-secondary training in technical and mechanical fields focusing on training vocational skills primarily at a community college level -- parallel and sometimes equivalent to the first two years at a bachelor's-granting institution. The academic level of these schools varies by course of study; some courses are geared toward immediate employment in a trade, while others are tracked to transfer into a four-year program. Some of these technical institutes are for-profit organizations (such as ITT Technical Institute) compared to most other non-profit educational institutes.