Tertiary Degree Programmes: alternative paths to third-level education

In 2023, the then minister for further and higher education, Simon Harris, announced the development of more than a dozen pilot projects in which students could commence their third-level study physically in an Education and Training Board (ETB) college and complete it in a Technological University.

An alternative to the traditional CAO points system taken by students, the move was part of a drive to create new pathways into third-level education without the pressing need to secure high points.

These courses will allow the TUs to develop level 8 programmes with regional ETB colleges as well as taking a greater role in co-development of courses at levels 6 and 7 with their local ETBs. They will also have a role to play in assisting in areas such as quality assurance.

Such a collaborative approach offers another option for school-leavers and for those considering a return to education and should help to address the reticence some might have around participation in further education, as opposed to higher education.

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This view, held by some parents and second-level schools, can obscure the very real educational opportunities offered by non-traditional universities and their potential to enhance valuable educational and career development options for school-leavers.

In the current academic year there are 40 programmes on offer.

Applications are available through the www.nto.ie website.

The courses include:

South East Technological University (SETU) and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB)

Bachelor of Business (Hons)

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology Management

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Development

Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Galway Roscommon ETB (GRETB), Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB (MSLETB) and Donegal ETB

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Sustainable Engineering Technologies

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in General Nursing

Bachelor of Business (Hons)

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Laboratory Science

South East Technological University (SETU) and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB)

Bachelor of Business (Hons)

Bachelor of Business

Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB)

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Audio and Music Production

Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Kildare Wicklow ETB (KWETB) and City of Dublin ETB (CDETB)

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Immersive Media Production

Cork ETB (CETB), Kerry ETB (KETB), and Munster Technological University (MTU) Kerry Campus

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in General Nursing

South East Technological University (SETU) and Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB)

Bachelor of Science in Applied Healthcare

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Public Health and Health Promotion

Bachelor of Business in Tourism and Hospitality Services

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology Management

Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) and the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS)

Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business

Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business

Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business with Computing

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mobile and Web Computing

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Construction Management.

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