university entrance examination in connection with a revision of the content, along with the introduction of more rigorous admission requirements. At the beginning of the 1970s, about half of the Danish business colleges offered the programme. By 1982, the course was offered at all Danish business colleges. Higher Technical Examination Programme The Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) was established on an experimental basis in 1982. The reason for its establishment was a desire to contribute to a broader supply of education and training possibilities following the EFG-basic courses and a desire to create a new and relevant way of access to higher education in the technical area. In this context, it was of importance that fewer and fewer skilled workers continued at the engineering colleges, whereas the number of general upper secondary graduates increased significantly. Another reason for establishing the HTX-programme on an experimental basis was the need to strengthen the status of the technical schools. Broad education and training possibilities at the schools were to provide a broader and qualitatively better recruitment. In 1982, the HTX-experiment was carried out at the technical schools in Sønderborg, Aalborg, and Copenhagen. The pilot period lasted until the spring of 1988, after which the programme was evaluated and made permanent after minor adjustments had been made to the individual subjects. On the same occasion, the HTX-examination was granted the status of a university entrance examination, and the graduates were now in principle placed on an equal footing with those of the Gymnasium, the HF and the HHX programmes as far as access to higher education was concerned. Comparison of the three main Secondary Educations Studentereksamen: The Danish General Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (STX) General Upper Secondary Education – The General Upper Secondary Examination: The STX-education accomplishes subjects within arts, social and natural science. (HTX) General Upper Secondary Education – The Higher Technical Examination: The HTX-education accomplishes subjects within the areas of technological- and natural science in combination with general subjects. (HHX) General Upper Secondary Education – The Higher Commercial Examination: The HHX-education accomplishes subjects within mercantile, international and vocational formation perspectives. The upper secondary courses are at three levels: level C (1 year), level B (2 years) and level A (3 years), of which the following subjects are compulsories: *Technical Science includes one of the following four courses: Building & Energy, Development & Production, Digital Design & Development and Process, Food Technology