Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT ) has been delegated the authority to make its own awards up to doctoral level.
AIT is now able to award PhDs in the areas of polymer engineering, toxicology and microbiology. Previously, doctorates conferred by the institute were awarded by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC ).
HETAC, the national qualifications awarding body for higher education outside the university sector and DIT, made the decision at its September meeting.
The Council also extended delegated authority to AIT to make awards in respect of research Master’s programmes in software engineering. AIT already held delegated authority in the specific fields of life and physical sciences, mechanical and polymer engineering, and social care.
President of AIT, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, said that this was a “very significant development in terms of the maturity of the institute and AIT’s capacity to award degrees at the highest level. It underlines the excellent work which has been performed by our staff in conducting research, thereby driving the knowledge economy. This is further recognition of AIT’s standing as a provider of quality assured higher education programmes and extends the range of opportunities which is available in the region.”
Dr Joseph Ryan, academic registrar of AIT, said: “The achievement of delegated authority to make awards at the highest doctoral level is testimony to the standing of the institute and the research capacity and commitment of the staff and students. The research focus in Athlone Institute of Technology has been specifically calibrated to support the strategic priorities of the wider Midlands region. Thus this achievement can be interpreted as a signifier of the ambition and capacity of this region to respond to the challenges that currently face us.”
An evaluation group from HETAC visited AIT in January 2011, when they met with the research staff of the institute in polymer engineering, toxicology and microbiology. They also had an opportunity to examine the physical facilities available to researchers in these areas, including AIT’s new research hub.
HETAC was established under the Qualifications (Education and Training ) Act 1999. Its role and functions include the setting of standards for named awards, the validation of programmes, the agreement of providers’ quality assurance procedures and the review of the implementation and effectiveness of those procedures. The council may also, as part of its function, delegate authority to make awards to recognised institutions.
Under the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ ), 10 different levels of awards are used to describe the Irish qualifications system and to recognise people’s learning. Doctoral degrees are classified as Level 10, while Master’s degrees are at Level 9.
