LIT reports surge in science, engineering and IT courses
WITH the deadline for first round CAO acceptances passing this week and despite the increase in points, which follows the national trend for most programmes, first round acceptances look promising for the coming academic year in Limerick’s third level institutions.
“I am delighted to see that there is such a healthy level of interest in our programmes,” said, Dr. Maria Hinfelaar.
“The upsurge in practically all our courses in science, electrical and mechanical engineering and information technology is good news for the smart economy and in line with government strategy.”
The most significant increase at the institute was undoubtedly in its Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Systems. The programme, which last year increased its intake of students to just over 60 places, again this year, increased its intake with another 36 places. The increase was in response to the 1217 applications in total with 423 of these applications marked as first preferences. As a consequence of so many first preferences and the few places available for those, the Renewable Energy programme jumped by a staggering 115 points this year.
“We’re renowned at LIT for having developed the first renewable energy programme in the country; the increased interest in this sector especially in a time when so many are becoming more aware about going green and finding alternative energy sources that are cost effective and environmentally friendly.
“We’ve done our best to increase the amount of places available on this programme to facilitate as many students as possible within our teaching capacity and laboratory space.
With the increased interest across the country in specific fields, Dr. Hinfelaar cautions that we should not forget about the arts and humanities as these are equally important for the economy and for ensuring Ireland remains an attractive society and notes that the Art and Design sections of the Institute have again been warmly received countrywide.
In addition to the programmes offered on the CAO this year, LIT recently announced 11 other Direct Entry programmes on offer from September, including Craft Management, Marketing & Management, Accounting & Finance, Health & Safety Management, Environmental & Chemical Analysis, Good Manufacturing Practice & Technology, Investigation Techniques and IT Security, and more.
