Technology Sector

List of Institutes of Technology

The Technological Sector encompasses fourteen Institutes of Technology and the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute (TRBDI).

The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) awards its own degrees.

The other thirteen Institutes of Technology are located in Athlone, Blanchardstown, Carlow, Cork, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick, Sligo, Tallaght, Tralee and Waterford.

These thirteen Institutes of Technology currently have delegated authority up to and including level 8.

Institute of Technology Carlow, Institute of Technology Sligo, Waterford Institute of Technology, Cork Institute of Technology and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology have delegated authority up to and including level 10*. Athlone Institute of Technology has delegated Authority up to and including level 9 research*.

Institute of Technology Tralee, Limerick Institute of Technology, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology, IADT Dun Laoghaire, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and Institute of Tecgnology Tallaght have delegated authority up to and including some taught Masters Degree level.

*Delegation at level 10 and level 9 research is confined to specified fields of learning which reflects the expertise of an Institute's research-active academic staff.

The Institutes of Technology (ITs) provide programmes on a number of levels:

• Apprenticeship/Craft Courses,

• Higher Certificates (Level 6)

• Ordinary Bachelor Degrees (Level 7) 

• Honours Bachelor Degrees (Level 8)

• Postgraduate Degrees. - Masters Degree (Level 9) Doctoral Degree (Level 10)

The Institutes provide the educational component for many industrial apprenticeship programmes under the auspices of FÁS and Fáilte Ireland's apprenticeship/craft programmes.

Graduated System of Qualifications

This system of qualifications enables a student to embark on a two year higher certificate course, move on to a one year ordinary bachelor degree, and then spend one year studying for an add-on honours bachelor degree. This ladder system of progression, which is not available in the university system, affords several benefits to those who follow it:

• Students have the opportunity to acquire marketable qualifications following a relatively short period of study, move into the workplace, and following a period of evaluation, then move back into college on a full-time or part-time basis to improve their existing qualifications. This system is attractive to students from backgrounds which have not traditionally seen third level education as being accessible to them.

• It helps lower the instances where a student may leave third level education without a qualification after three or four years of study. It also facilitates late developers who have insufficient points to graduate to a high qualification, allowing the student to develop to their own level of ability.

• The ladder system also provides flexibility by allowing individuals to transfer between Institutes of Technology. Arrangements are also in place for IOT graduates from some specific programmes to transfer to specific programmes in Dublin City University and the University of Limerick to upgrade their qualifications. The NUI Universities and Trinity College Dublin accept a number of IOT graduates every year into degree and postgraduate programmes. The institutes also have strong links with colleges in the UK and Northern Ireland. These links have proved to be invaluable to many students who have obtained transfers to these colleges to upgrade their IOT qualifications with add-on degree courses.

Higher Certificate programmes
The Higher Certificate is normally awarded after completion of a programme of two years duration in a recognised higher education institution.   A Certificate holder at this level may transfer to a programme on the next level of the framework.

Ordinary Bachelor Degree programmes
The Ordinary Bachelor Degree is normally awarded after completion of a programme of three years duration in a recognised higher education institution.   Progression routes include an Honours Bachelor Degree or progression to a Higher Diploma.

Honours Bachelor Degree programmes
The Honours Bachelor Degree is normally awarded following completion of a programme of three to four years duration in a recognised higher education institution.  Progress and transfer routes include transferring to programmes leading to Higher Diploma / Masters Degree / Post-graduate Diploma or in some cases programmes leading to a Doctoral Degree.

Post Graduate Degree programmes

Masters Degree

There are two types of Masters Degree in Ireland: taught Masters Degrees and research Masters Degrees.  The taught Masters Degree is awarded following completion of a programme of 1 to 2 years duration.  Entry to a programme leading to a Masters Degree is typically for holders of Honours Bachelor Degrees, however in some cases entry to such programmes can be permitted for those with Ordinary Bachelor Degrees.  Some of the progression and transfer routes include progression to programmes leading to Doctoral Degrees or to another Masters Degree or to a Post-graduate Diploma.

Doctoral Degree

Entry to a programme leading to a Doctoral Degree is typically for holders of Honours Bachelor Degrees.  The general model is that a holder of an Honours Bachelor degree with a high classification enters initially on to a Masters research programme, and transfers on to a Doctoral programme after one year on the Masters research programme.  Various models for Doctoral Degree programmes now exist, ranging from the traditional research doctorate to professional and practitioner doctoral programmes which have substantial taught components.