Finding the perfect fit: What type of third level would best suit me?

What’s the biggest change to the Irish education system over the last decade?
I’ve written about education for, well, more than a decade – and, for me, the answer is easy.
When I finished in school, the options were relatively limited: you went to college in Ireland, you did a post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) course, you studied abroad, or you got a job. None of the last three were particularly tempting: PLCs were underdeveloped and underwhelming, studying abroad was expensive, and getting a job without a qualification could limit your earning potential.
Today’s school-leaver, however, is spoilt for choice. As well as the “traditional” university, they can now also opt for a course in a technological university. These technological universities also host many apprenticeships, while students can now also access many courses in both “traditional” and technological universities by first doing a PLC.
“It’s so much better that students have these choices today, as when I left school there were not as many options,” says Alice O’Connor, a guidance counsellor at Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School in south county Dublin.
“But it can be a lot for young people to wrap their heads around. We do campus tours with our fifth years, and some of the colleges come to visit us as well. We’ve gone to UCD [a university] and, ideally, would also go to TU Dublin [a technological university].”
What is the difference between the two?
“On the most simplistic level, I would say that universities are more traditionally academic in their approach to teaching and learning, whereas technological universities, on average, tend to be more practical. Technological universities can be a little more skills-based and focused on creative approaches, whereas the approach is more academic in a university.”
This makes sense. Universities have a long-standing mission to enhance learning, and a traditional focus on turning out well-educated minds that can contribute broadly to society.
The technological universities, meanwhile, are more focused on being responsive to the needs of the economy and industry.
This is changing somewhat as the lines between the two types of institutions blur and universities offer more work experience options, but the culture of each type of institution is deeply embedded.
The technological universities came about from a merger of various local institutes of technology (IoTs). I’ll spare you too much of their sometimes contentious history, but TU Dublin, for instance, came about from an amalgamation of the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), IT Tallaght and IT Blanchardstown.
It’s all about scale: the stated reason for amalgamating these was that, as larger universities working across different locations, they could offer more programmes and allow better collaboration between academics.
Instead of competing for scarce resources, they could now use their collective strength to build and consolidate links with employers and industry.
Students, both domestic and international, could also more easily understand what a technological university was, whereas “institute of technology” is a largely unfamiliar term outside of Ireland.
The process wasn’t easy, and they couldn’t just decide to amalgamate because they felt like it: they had to achieve strict targets in relation to research and teaching quality.
The proposal was initially greeted with some scepticism but, although it’s still early days, the new technological universities do seem to be finding their feet.
O’Connor explains: “There are eight universities in Ireland, and these include the University of Galway, UCC, UL, Maynooth University, DCU, the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), Trinity College and UCD.
“Then there are five technological universities. These are Atlantic Technological University (ATU), which has campuses in the west including Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny; TUS Midlands-Midwest, which has campuses in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, Ennis and Athlone; South East Technological University (SETU), which has campuses in Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow and Kilkenny; Munster Technological University (MTU), which has campuses throughout Cork and also in Tralee; and TU Dublin, which has campuses across Dublin city, in Tallaght and in Blanchardstown.”
This has opened up a world of opportunities. Previously, students who wanted a university education but didn’t live near the bigger university towns and cities faced the significant cost of having to pay for accommodation and living expenses. Many simply couldn’t afford it.
Now, however, a student in, say, Carlow, Donegal or Sligo can stay at home and still get a local university education.
The amalgamation of the institutes of technology left two outliers in their wake: Dundalk IT (DkIT) and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dún Laoghaire (IADT). But DKIT’s mission is very similar to that to the TUs and still offers valuable degrees and career paths, while IADT’s primary mission is to prepare graduates for careers in the creative arts, with courses such as animation, costume design, game design and photography among those on offer.
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While many of the traditional universities have excellent adult and continuing education offerings, their primary focus is on level-eight honours bachelor’s degrees, level-nine postgraduate degrees and level-10 doctoral (PhD) degrees. University academics are focused on research as well as teaching.
One of the key differences, according to Prof Maggie Cusack, the president of MTU, is that traditional universities have a longer ladder of opportunities. Many offer apprenticeships, where students can learn through a combination of on-campus and/or virtual classes with paid, on-the-job training. They also offer level-six/-seven (ordinary bachelor) degrees as well as level-eight degrees, plus postgraduate options at levels nine and 10.
CAO applicants are encouraged to list course preferences for level-six/-seven courses in one part of their form, and course preferences for level eight on another. Many of the level-six/-seven courses have progression routes to level eight, while a growing number of PLC courses offer the chance to move on to a university programme.
While universities increasingly offer work placement programmes and are building solid links with employers, the technological universities – dating back to their IoT days – have long had close links with companies and with industry.
So, which one should students go for?
“I think a lot comes back to the course,” says O’Connor.
“Whether a student is considering an apprenticeship or a level-six, -seven or -eight course, they need to ask themselves the same question: will this help me to reach my potential in terms of my own interests, abilities and where I want to go in my career?”
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One of the key differences between universities and technological universities is size. UCD, for instance, is a huge campus, and that can be very attractive for students who want to get away from their hometown or might find a larger university more exciting. Others, of course, can benefit from the smaller campuses and smaller class sizes at a technological university. But you won’t really know until you go, and that’s why it is so important, if you can, to attend open days.
“If you can go on campus tours, it is really helpful, as you will find specific talks and information, as well as get a good sense of what it might be like to study there,” says O’Connor.