 Currently, it is the second largest higher education institution in Oman (after SQU) catering for over 10000 students studying in various programs.Before being renamed and upgraded as such in 2001, HCT was known as Oman Technical Industrial College (OTIC), established in 1984 at the initiative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said to educate the citizens of Oman by implementing high-quality programs in various fields.There are six other Colleges of Technology which were established in 1993 except the ones in Shinas and Ibri, which were started in 2005 and 2008, respectively.