Popular and practical selection of courses in institutes of technology

Dublin Institute of Technology

Top five courses:

1. MSc in Strategic Management
2. MSc in Creative Digital Media
3. PgDip in Accounting
4. PgDip in Law
5. MSc in Real Estate

Spotlight on . . . MPhil and PhD in Composition

DIT’s Conservatory of Music and Drama has a long track record in supervising master of philosophy (MPhil) and PhD research degrees. Staff and students at the conservatory produce a wealth of knowledge that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the performing arts, with research specialisms including musicology, performance practice, composition and pedagogy.

The conservatory is home to the Research Foundation for Music in Ireland. The composition division, which is led by renowned composer Dr Gráinne Mulvey, hosts regular composition seminars by leading and international composers and musicians. Recently, music ensemble Concorde has joined in as ensemble-in-residence.

Graduates have pursued careers in freelance composition; composition for concert hall, theatre and film or television; composition for schools; church music composition; and teaching and lecturing.

The MPhil is two years full-time or three years part-time, while the PhD takes four years full-time and six years part-time. MPhil applicants must have a minimum 2.2 honours degree and PhD applicants must have a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s degree.

Cost: MPhil and PhD €4,500 a year full-time and €2,250 a year part-time

Cork Institute of Technology

Top five courses:

1. MSc in Cloud Computing
2. MA in Art Therapy
3. MA in Human Resource Management
4. MA in Music
5. Master of Business

Spotlight on . . . MA in Art Therapy

This programme is designed to provide art therapy practitioners with the skills to work with both individual and group clients in a range of health and community settings. Students study theory and experimental art therapy training, as well as undergoing a clinical placement and professional studies.

The clinical experience of students is closely supervised in small groups at CIT’s Crawford College, and students are encouraged to experience a number of differing placement situations during their studies. All successful applicants are subject to Garda vetting. Students who complete the programme can register for the professional body, Creative Arts Therapies in Ireland.

The course is full-time over two years or part-time over three years.

Applicants should have an honours degree or equivalent, plus a minimum of one year or equivalent full-time clinical or care work in an area relevant to art therapy, whether paid or voluntary. This could include work in health or social services, special education, community care or day centres, with clients who have a mental illness, learning or physical disability.

Applicants should also have an honours degree or equivalent in visual art or a substantial and developing body or current and recent art work.

Full-time course applicants pay fees of €7,560.

Galway-Mayo IT

Top four courses:

1. HDip in Science (Computing – Software Development)
2. Postgraduate Diploma in Quality (Level 9)
3. MSc in Environmental Resource Management (replacing MSc in Environmental Systems)
4. Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting

Spotlight on . . . Postgraduate Diploma in Quality

This course, which starts in September 2015, is unusual in that it is a conversion course: anyone with a level 8 (2.2H) in business, engineering or science is eligible to apply.

It is designed to fast-track graduates who wish to pursue careers in the area of quality. Students will have the opportunity to attain high levels of competency in applying quality management principles for optimising the performance of processes and organisations of all sizes in all sectors.

Students will also be capable of working with others on modern quality approaches such as lean and Six sigma, in any organisation in any sector of the economy.

Core subjects include management systems, risk management, leadership in quality, Six Sigma management and regulatory affairs. There are no electives.

Cost: €6,000

Waterford IT  

Top five courses:

1. MA in Management in Education
2. MA in Teaching & Learning in Further Education
3. MSc in Computing (Enterprise Software Systems)
4. MSc in Business in Global Financial Information Systems
5. Master of Business – options in management, marketing, economics and finance, HRM

Spotlight on . . . MA in Teaching & Learning in Further and Higher Education

The aim of the Master of Arts in Teaching & Learning in Further and Higher Education is to provide a coherent educational course for those teaching in further and higher education. The course enables graduates to develop and improve their professional expertise, reflect on their practice and gain a theoretical and critical perspective on their educational field. Graduates are well-placed for leadership and management roles in education.

There are 51 people enrolled on the course. Students can take the course full-time or part-time (Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm).

Students explore academic inquiry, theories of multiple intelligences, adult learning, educational theory, pedagogy, blended learning, creativity in education and more. They also do an educational project and a dissertation.

Applicants should have an honours degree or equivalent, three years’ postgraduate experience and access to an educational organisation where they can carry out teaching practice.

Cost: €6,300 or €700 per 10-credit module.

IT Sligo  

Top five courses:

1. MSc in Biopharmaceutical Science (Online)
2. MSc (Science) by Research
3. MA in Leadership in Early Childhood Care and Education (two years)
4. MSc in Quality (two years) 5. MSc in Industrial Pharmaceutical Science (two years)

Spotlight on . . . MSc in Biopharmaceutical Science (Online)

This programme gives a comprehensive understanding of the principal scientific and engineering challenges in the manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products.

The MSc is delivered online and part-time, with elective practical placements in the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training in Dublin. On completion, students will have an internationally recognised qualification highly relevant to the biopharma industry.

The course consists of eight core industry-directed modules (40 credits), up to four elective modules (20 credits) and a research project (30 credits). Core subjects include fermentation and cell culture processing and biovalidation. Graduates from this programme may work in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical diagnostics, medical devices and pharmaceutical sectors.

The programme is open to students with an honours degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (ie engineering or life sciences). Other candidates with alternative honours degrees and relevant experience in the bioprocessing industry (typically five years in a GMP environment) may apply for consideration through the IT Sligo RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) process.

Cost: €12,000

IADT Dun Laoghaire  

Top four courses:

1. MA in Broadcast Product for Radio & Television
2. MA in Screenwriting for Film & Television
3. MA in Art & Research Collaboration
4. MSc in Cyberpsychology

Spotlight on . . . MA in Cyberpsychology

Cyberpsychology, the study of the human mind and behaviour in the context of human-technology interaction, examines the online world and its impact on human behaviour. It is an essential area of expertise for anyone who wishes to make the most of online technologies for commercial, educational, organisational or other reasons. It also considers the impact of new technologies on users, from the latest mobile devices and gaming systems to high-end virtual reality equipment.

This two-year, part-time course considers what motivates people in online settings, including online shopping, dating, gaming and more. Why do some people become “addicted” to the internet? What motivates cybercriminals? How can students learn effectively online? How can organisations best use the internet? What is the psychological basis for cyberbullying and why are certain social networking sites so popular?

Graduates have found employment with social networking websites or as usability experts and online investigation specialists. Others have improved their performance in their current employment, including journalism, marketing specialists, educators or IT professionals.

Cost: €4,000 per year

IT Blanchardstown  

Top two courses:

1. Master of Science in Computing (Information Security & Digital Forensics)
2. Master of Science in Computing (Business Intelligence & Data Mining)

Spotlight on . . . Master of Science in Computing (Business Intelligence & Data Mining)

This course is designed to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills to select, apply and evaluate business intelligence and data-mining techniques which are focused on discovering knowledge that can be acted on to add value to a company; bring both an in-depth theoretical understanding, and the practical hands-on experience, to a data exploration and mining project including implementing novel and emerging techniques; and keep abreast of current research and business intelligence related topics.

It is delivered on a part-time basis over two years. All lectures and class discussions take place in an online classroom environment. Classes are also recorded and made available online. There’s no final exam, only continuous assessment. Applicants should have a minimum of a 2.2 honours degree.

Possible career paths include jobs in computing, software development, scalable back-end operating systems and enterprise computing.

Cost: €2,000 per year

Limerick IT

Top five courses:

1. MSc in Strength and Conditioning
2. Master of Business in Management and Marketing Strategy
3. MA in Social Care Management
4. MA in Art and Design Education
5. MA in Social Practice and the Creative Environment

Spotlight on . . . MSc in Strength and Conditioning

This is a sports science course with a range of specialist modules to develop the knowledge and skills needed for the area of strength and conditioning. There’s a balance of theoretical and practical content which will examine advanced strength and conditioning methods, fitness testing and sport coaching technology, fundamental movement, entrepreneurship and management.

The course is one-year full-time or over two years through a part-time mix of online and workshops. Students explore advanced strength training and conditioning, sports management and entrepreneurship, performance testing and technology, biomedical aspects and sport nutrition and human motion and movement analysis.

Graduates will be prepared for careers including coaching, planning, managing and implementing a strength and conditioning programme in elite and amateur level strength and conditioning in sport; research and academia; education, health and the public sector.

Applicants should have a minimum 2.2 degree in strength and conditioning or a sports-science related area. Non-standard entry will be considered for applicants with a pass degree if they have a minimum of three years’ relevant experience.

The cost of the full-time course is €7,000, while the part-time blended learning course which includes a dissertation/thesis costs €8,550.

IT Tallaght

Top five courses:

1. Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Technology
2. Master of Science in Information Technology Management
3. Master of Science in Distributed & Mobile Computing
4. Master of Engineering in Electronic Design Engineering
5. Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering

Spotlight on . . . MSc in Distributed and Mobile Computing and the MSc in Information Technology Management

These are two complementary programmes sharing common modules. The MSc in Information Technology Management offers a chance for IT professionals to update their knowledge of the latest technologies and research activities. IT strategy, governance and risk are among the key modules; students also focus on advanced software development, business intelligence and social media analysis.

The MSc in Distributed and Mobile Computing allows IT professionals to enhance and update their knowledge of the latest technologies and research activities within the important fields of distributed and mobile computing.

Applicants must have a minimum 2.2 BSc (honours) in computing or another scientific, mathematical or engineering discipline. Candidates may be interviewed.

Both courses are part-time over 1½-2 years.

Fees are payable in three instalments: €1,500 for each bundle of 30 taught credits plus €1,200 for the dissertation (with an extension fee for dissertations not completed on time).

IT Carlow

Top three courses:

1. MA in Child, Youth and Family Studies
2. MSc in Sports Performance Analysis
3. MSc in IT Management

Spotlight on . . . MA in Child, Youth and Family Studies

IT Carlow’s most popular graduate programme is the one-year, full-time or two-year, part-time course teaching skills to work in “human services”, a broad field aiming to improve the life of individuals, families and communities.

Research methods, theoretical principles and contemporary debates are central, with core modules including issues in childhood and youth studies, applied psychology, perspectives on family and society. Elective options include addiction studies, child and family rights and adult and community education. Students learn about research methods and are expected to do a dissertation.

A minimum of a 2.2 undergraduate degree in a related area is required, but those with significant experience in social sciences and another honours primary degrees may be considered.

Cost: €5,500

Dundalk IT  

Top five courses:

1. MA in Traditional Music Studies
2. MSc in Computing
3. MSc Ageing Health and Environment
4. MSc in Renewable Energy Systems
5. MBS in Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Spotlight on . . . MSc in Renewable Energy Systems

This full-time programme over three semesters focuses on the technical and economic aspects of renewable energies: wind, solar, ocean and biomass resources and technologies. Students also undertake a research project. Dundalk IT has state-of-the-art facilities including an 850kw wind turbine and a large flow battery, a 17m wave tank, four solar water systems, four wood-pellet boilers, heat pumps, wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, lab facilities and monitoring equipment, dedicated office space and numerous commercial packages.

Graduates are well placed to work as engineers or in technical roles in the renewable energy industry.

A minimum 2.2 honours degree in a lab science or engineering discipline is needed, but those with alternative qualifications may apply.

Cost: €9,000, in two instalments

Athlone IT

Top three courses:

1. HDip in Entrepreneurship
2. MSc in Applied Polymer Technology
3. Master of Arts in Child and Youth Care

Spotlight on . . . HDip in Entrepreneurship

This HDip in Entrepreneurship, under AIT’s entrepreneurship academy, InnovAIT, is divided into two main strands, focusing on the entrepreneur as a professional and the technical skills/knowledge to enable the participant to build their business while responding to challenges. Participants are supported in developing their business idea or enhancing an existing business, through partnership with mentors, academic staff and successful entrepreneurs from the academic and private sectors.

The primary focus is on workshops on themes such as entrepreneurial strategy and business model development, innovation and creativity, marketing, operations and lean start-up, and entrepreneurial finance.

A Level 7 qualification (any discipline) is required, along with an outline of the participant’s business idea.

IT Tralee

Top two courses:

1. MA in Creative Media
2. MA in Social Studies – Advanced Professional Practice MSc in Nursing

Spotlight on . . . Master of Arts in Creative Media

This is a studio-based programme with a combination of taught modules and self-driven studio practice. Creative thinking, critical analysis and technical skills are required in today’s creative media. The MA facilitates and supports the development of media content in a technological environment. Graduates have potential to become creative leaders and initiators of change by developing creative, intellectual and practical abilities in media.

Core subjects include technology, art and society; professional practice; and technologies in context.

The creative sector has job opportunities and some graduates will set up as independent media practitioners or entrepreneurs. A 2.2 honours bachelor degree in related area and/or experience as a media practitioner needed; portfolio and interview for selection.