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In 1965, the British government astonished the academic world by announcing that it proposed to create a sector of higher education different from but equal in status to the traditional universities. Thirty polytechnics were formed over the next few years from existing technical colleges and other institutions in England and Wales to head this new sector. In 1992, the then thirty-four polytechnics and other major colleges acquired university titles, and the polytechnic experiment can be seen as coming to an end. The development of the polytechnics was always controversial and a topic of interest in both Britain and other countries. Until now there has been no complete account of the polytechnic 'experiment'. This book attempts to compile a full record of the changing policy aims, the nature of the students and staff in the polytechnics, the distinctive courses they developed and the ways in which they were governed and funded. It asks how far did the polytechnics fulfil the aims set for them in the 1960s and what are the lessons for the future of higher education both in Britain and other countries with plural systems.

* The first full history of the polytechnics

* An analysis of the polytechnics' aims and achievements

* An exploration of the lessons for future higher education policy

This is essential reading for senior managers in all forms of post-school education and for students and scholars of higher education policy.