The Higher Colleges of Technology offers instructional programs leading to Bachelor Degrees in: Applied Media, Business, Computer Information Science, Education, Engineering Technology, and Health Sciences, while Bachelor with Diploma Exit degrees are offered in Military and Security .

The HCT Educational Philosophy
The Higher Colleges of Technology believes the best education occurs when its role has expanded beyond employment and employability of our students, to facilitating growth beyond graduation. It aspires to establish a comprehensive HCT “Education-to-employment” ecosystem providing flexible and various learner-centered career-oriented pathways.
Our Guiding Pillars
In line with the future aspirations and vision of UAE’s leadership, HCT has identified the following three pillars as part of its HCT “Education-to-employment” Strategy, which is called the HCT 4.0 Strategy. At the heart of this strategy is our students and our commitment to equip them with the values, skills and intellectual discipline that will enable them to make a positive contribution to the UAE society.

1. Technical Leaders: Build an inclusive and competitive knowledge-based economy to prepare students for the fourth industrial revolution where employers seek technical skills relevant to the new technologies. Develop Technical Leaders with required future skills in alignment with private sector requirements. Promote individual ownership of lifelong learning. Re-skill and up-skill working Emirati professionals as Technical Leaders in existing and new employment sectors in order to prepare them for new jobs. This will ensure that Emiratis are at the forefront, in future jobs, of all industries that are key to the growth and ongoing diversification of the country’s economy.

2. No Emirati Left Behind: Provide every Emirati with lifelong learning opportunities based on customized education plans that suit and develop their personal skills. Continue to develop and promote talent through an integrated student-centered learning ecosystem. It will be an ecosystem that gives every student access to the best academic practices, programs and curricula, and on-going advice and support, through structured learning and career pathways which will guarantee success in the workplace.

3. Graduate Companies: Bring together investors, business leaders, and policy-makers to encourage, recognize and support entrepreneurs. Nurture student innovation and entrepreneurship through incubation; funding startups; applied research and innovation in collaboration with industry; and government and its international universities network, aimed at solving economic and social challenges.

Accordingly, the emphasis of HCT’s education programs has shifted from merely imparting knowledge, to developing skills and competencies; from teaching students, to empowering learners to be co-creators of their own lifelong development journeys; from a focus on public sector jobs to the private sector; and from students relying solely on being employees to becoming entrepreneurs. Within HCT’s three study tracks – Academic, Accelerated and Professional – there are a range of programs that offer the flexibility, through a choice of different exit points based on the level of educational attainment.
Learning Model Framework
The HCT learning model provides a framework within which HCT students receive their education.  

Graduate Outcomes
The learning model identifies the following eight graduate outcomes:
1.Communication and Information Literacy
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Communicating information, opinions, concepts and ideas effectively in English and Arabic through the spoken and written mediums to a variety of audiences;

• Selecting, understanding, evaluating and making effective use of information from a variety of sources presented in both spoken and written form in English and Arabic; and

• Acting ethically in the use and presentation of information from a variety of sources.

2.Critical and Creative Thinking
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Evaluating and analyzing knowledge and information;

• Identifying and understanding problems; and

• Demonstrating creativity and innovation in problem-solving.

3.Global Awareness and Citizenship
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in recognizing and analyzing:

• Ethical dilemmas, and practicing ethical decision-making;

• The issues affecting the local, regional and global environment; and

• The interrelations between local, regional and global contexts and cultures.

4.Technological Literacy
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Recognizing the influence of technology upon individuals and society;

• Using technology to perform effectively in their personal and professional lives and acting ethically when using technology.

5.Self-Management and Independent Learning
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Reflecting on and evaluating their own learning;

• Working independently;

• Demonstrating a positive work attitude and effective work habits; and

• Exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit.

6.Teamwork and Leadership
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Understanding the functions and dynamics of groups;

• Contributing effectively and sponsoring innovation in teamwork;

• Acting effectively in a technical leadership role, organizing supporting and motivating other team members; and

• Demonstrating confidence and social maturity in interpersonal relationships.

7.Vocational Competencies
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Applying profession-specific knowledge required for successful employment in their chosen field;

• Applying profession-specific skills required for successful employment in their chosen field; and

• Demonstrating the specific attributes required for successful employment in their chosen field.

8.Mathematical Literacy
According to their credential, HCT graduates demon­strate an appropriate level of competence in:

• Applying relevant numerical analytical tools to solve problems in authentic contexts; and

• Analyzing and communicating mathematical concepts with confidence in authentic contexts.

Through HCT’s Learning Model, academic staff is committed to providing educational experiences that will transform school leavers into HCT students who will graduate with the knowledge, skills and attributes to effectively contribute to the nation-building process and to help them develop a sense of personal and social responsibility.
The HCT Learning Model includes the active learning methodology that HCT uses to equip students with the knowledge skills and competencies to meet the future needs of UAE industry and society. The learning approach is implemented through learning outcomes that are program- specific, informed by industry and community stakeholders, aligned to national and international accreditation standards and reflective of the applied skills required by industry.
The delivery mode of the all courses at HCT places the learner as the center of the teaching-learning process. A variety of pedagogical methods are used to reflect the applied nature of the programs and cater for the individual learning styles in a learner-focused environment. HCT students shall learn by engaging in direct application of skills, theories and models. Students apply knowledge and skills gained to hands-on and/or real-world settings, creative projects or independent or directed research, and in turn apply what is gained from this experience to their learning. Education at HCT occurs both inside and outside the classroom experience and is connected to workforce needs and application. Students are continuously challenged to connect what they learn with the world they experience and with what interests them.

Course Credit Definition

HCT course credit units are granted in recognition that a course of study has been successfully completed as per the requirements of the relevant course outline.

The number of credit units assigned to each course is based on the amount of time that students are expected to spend under supervised delivery as well as independent study of the content in order to achieve learning outcomes.

The set number of credits for each course is specified in the course catalog. Most courses are one semester long which, if completed with a passing grade, carry the number of course credit units as specified.

Graduation Requirements

The graduation requirements for any individual student are determined by the catalog that was effective when the student matriculated in the major. The student is personally responsible for meeting all graduation requirements. 

If a required course within a program changes its number of credits, then the number of credits required by the program for graduation may, at the discretion of the Faculty, change by the minimum required by CAA for the respective program and CGPA is at least 2.00. In case of substantial changes in course offerings, equivalent graduation requirements must be approved by the Executive Dean of the student’s Division. 

Disclaimer: Course information, content and prerequisites may be subject to change as a result of the HCT’s commitment to a process of continuous improvement in academic programs. Students must comply with the most up-to-date course requirements.

To graduate a student has to achieve a minimum CGPA of 2.0 for any undergraduate degree program.
A minimum of 50% of the program credit requirements must be completed at HCT. 
Students must complete the required volunteering hours to be able to graduate.

Passing Grade Requirement

The minimum passing grade requirement for a course to meet any area of the graduation requirements and to satisfy any course prerequisites and/or co-requisites is D.

General Studies Requirements

All Bachelor degree students must complete a minimum of 33 credits of General Studies (GS) with a minimum grade of D in order to graduate. Students who transfer to HCT may satisfy the General studies requirements if the course(s) being transferred meet the outcomes of a General studies area as defined by the General Studies program.

Bachelor Degree

To earn a Bachelor Degree from the HCT, a student must:

1. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the overall baccalaureate coursework.
2. Complete at least 120 credit units including:
   1. 33 credits of General Studies courses in specified areas;
   2. a minimum of 60 units in a program major.
3. Complete all required courses for a program major.

* One credit unit equals not less than 15 hours per semester.

Qualifications Framework for the Emirates (QFE)

Level	Generic Nomenclature	Vocational Education and Training (VET)1	Higher Education (HE)1	General Education (G 12-GE)1
10	Doctoral Degree	--	Doctoral	--
9	Master Degree	Applied Master	Master	--
8	Graduate Diploma	Applied Graduate Diploma	Postgraduate Diploma	--
7	Bachelor Degree	Applied Bachelor	Bachelor	--
6	Diploma	Advanced Diploma	Higher Diploma	--
5	Diploma / Associate Degree	Diploma	Associate Degree	--
4	Certificate	Certificate 4	--	Secondary School Certificate (G 12)
3	Certificate	Certificate 3	--	TBA
2	Certificate	Certificate 2	--	--
1	Certificate	Certificate 1	--	--

Source: QFEmirates handbook

1	Principal Qualification titles used in the QFEmirates (each with its own profile)

The Qualifications Framework for the Emirates (QFE)

Each Bachelor program has been aligned with the National Quality Framework of the Emirates. The QF Emirates is the UAE’s National Qualifications Framework (termed the “Qualifications Framework for the Emirates” (QFE) to distinguish it from other countries). The QFE Framework also provides detailed information on the level of knowledge, skills, and competencies required of graduates in the UAE. The specific levels of learning attained by HCT graduates are aligned with the QFE levels appropriate to their program.

The Hybrid Learning Model

Over two years ago, the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) embarked on a journey to revolutionize the applied education model, incorporating a number of applicable modes and channels for the delivery of its curriculum, including the use of online strategies. It developed and began to build out a physical and information technology infrastructure to handle the transition over a realistic timeline. Pilots in blended delivery and flipped class formats were run and as a result of their success began being implemented in the mainstream delivery of General Study’s courses.

In February 2020 the world was struck with a pandemic which led to the closure of campuses in all countries around the globe.  HCT transitioned into the on-line delivery mode for the remainder of the academic year. 

With the success of the transition to the online mode of delivery and accounting for the uncertainty of the external environmental conditions ie. regulatory, workplace and health, the time is for HCT to accelerate its revolutionary plans. The cornerstone for completing the transition is the adoption of a Hybrid Model for the Delivery.

The hybrid learning model is a combination of on-line and on-campus delivery of an academic program, where appropriate and applicable, to cover all aspects of the curriculum, theory and practical. The guiding principles for the hybrid model include:

• The combined mode of delivery will be program-course specific with fractions course dependent,
• Following the Ministry of Education/ CAA guidelines, the total of on-line delivery component for any one program  will be less than 50%,
• The on-line portion may not be campus-specific and can be system-wide.