| Dublin Institute of Technology | |
|---|---|
| Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Atha Cliath | |
| Established | 1978 |
| President | Prof Brian Norton |
| Registrar | Dr Michael Mulvey |
| Academic staff | 1,188 |
| Students | 22,000 |
| Location | Dublin, Republic of Ireland |
| Affiliations | EUA |
| Website | http://www.dit.ie |
Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) (Irish: Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Atha Cliath) was established officially in 1992 under the Dublin Institute of Technology Act but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland. It continues to build on its long tradition of providing education from certificate to doctorate level.
The Institute currently has around 20,000 undergraduate students, and many postgraduate students both taught and research postgraduates.
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The institution is currently planning a single campus, the Grangegorman Campus, thus moving from its many city centre locations which has often been a source of criticism. In 1993 the institution was formally separated from the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee, the colleges and their original year of foundation:
By 1992, these colleges were recognised as centres of excellence in their areas of specialism and following the establishment of the Institute, their expertise formed the nucleus of the Faculty structure within DIT today and were renamed aptly:
In 1975 the University of Dublin entered an agreement whereby it conferred academic degrees at the colleges; this allowed these graduates a vote in the University of Dublin constituency for Seanad Éireann representatives. This situation continued until 1998, when the institution was granted its own degree awarding powers. The institution sought university status in 1996; although the application was declined, the institution now has powers comparable to those of a university, and its degrees are recognised as such in Ireland. The institution recently confirmed that it is applying for university status again.[1]
The institution currently offers a number of subdegree awards, including the DIT Certificate and DIT Diploma which are comparable to the National Certificate and National Diploma respectively. The institution awards Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees, and the Graduate Diploma; the institution now has to award at levels and criteria agreed with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. DIT also awards Professorships.
The Dublin Institute of Technology was named "Best Institute of Technology 2010" by the Sunday Times. The 2011 QS World University Rankings puts DIT in the 401-450 bracket worldwide.
Embedded in Dublin city centre, DIT has built strong links with its neighbours and the Community Links Programme includes a number of highly successful projects aimed at building access routes for children in secondary schools where there has been no tradition of continuing to third level education. One of these projects is ‘Pathways through Education’ – a programme aimed at supporting students making the transition into secondary school. Pictured at the presentation of certificates were Ross Kavanagh, St. Paul’s CBS, North Brunswick Street and Jessica Corcoran, Presentation Secondary School, Warrenmount.
The National Optometry Centre (NOC) at DIT Kevin Street, is a state-of-the-art facility and the only such centre in the Republic of Ireland. The main function of the NOC is to facilitate clinical training for DIT Optometry students. The Centre is developing specialised clinics in areas such as paediatrics, low vision and contact lenses. It will also offer eye examinations, spectacles and contact lenses to the general public. Free eye examinations are offered to DIT students.
DIT are partners in the Mozambique Eyecare Project. As part of the project, an undergraduate course in Optometry has been established at Universidade Lurio, Nampula. The first of its kind in Mozambique. Other parters on the project are University of Ulster and International Centre for Eyecare Education.
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