IT vs. University

crazy angel

Ok, so following a discussion between myself and a friend and with all the hype surrounding college places, I was wondering what exactly is the difference between a University and an IT?

I know that both offer both level 7 and 8 courses, so I dont think its the level of education.

I also know that IT's are sometimes seen to emphasise 'practical' subjects, but didnt DCU and UL originate as technical institutes?

Is one perceived to be superior in the eyes of an employer?

so what is it?

gant0

apparantly employers higher people from unis over people from its but thats all just rumours.Its true that its are more practical while unis are theoretical.I guessits just Irish mentality,like look at MIT(michigan) one of the most famous an best 3rd level institutes in the world an its an it

MavisDavis

crazy angel wrote: »

Ok, so following a discussion between myself and a friend and with all the hype surrounding college places, I was wondering what exactly is the difference between a University and an IT?

I know that both offer both level 7 and 8 courses, so I dont think its the level of education.

I also know that IT's are sometimes seen to emphasise 'practical' subjects, but didnt DCU and UL originate as technical institutes?

Is one perceived to be superior in the eyes of an employer?

so what is it?

I think it depends on what course you choose to do, really.

TheManWho

gant0 wrote: »

like look at MIT(michigan) one of the most famous an best 3rd level institutes in the world an its an it

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology isn't famous enough apparently.

gant0

TheManWho wrote: »

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology isn't famous enough apparently.

Haha epic fail on my part!!!:rolleyes:

Dafydd Thomas

I'm meant to be going to DIT for architecture and I was wondering the same thing. Someone asked that question in the DIT forum.

I'm not too sure about the technicalities but some IoT's are better than others because they can award their own degrees, such as DIT and WIT (I think)

LIT and other similar institutes can not award their own degrees and are instead awarded by HETAC. I don't know why this is but apparently it puts DIT and WIT on par with other universities.

rollerball

This boils down to simple Irish snobbery.

There is no real difference bar the funding levels from the Irish Government and being able to award their own degrees. IT's must have their degrees accredited by another University. (IT-Tallaght's is NUI Maynooth).

DIT is an exception however as it has it's own legislation and funding and has the ability to award it's own degrees so it is essentially a university in everything but name.

The comment about employers hiring Uni students over IT students couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it is the opposite way around.

Universities have a reputation to produce bad "text book only" students with no real or practical experience of the subject in which they have studied while IT's tend to focus on a more practical basis. If I were you I would simply do the course you want to do. Nothing more and nothing less.

Certain people have views about society and think one place is better than the other which is simply not true. At the end of the day, a degree is a degree, no matter where you got it from.

The_Joker.

rollerball wrote: »

This boils down to simple Irish snobbery.

There is no real difference bar the funding levels from the Irish Government and being able to award their own degrees. IT's must have their degrees accredited by another University. (IT-Tallaght's is NUI Maynooth).

DIT is an exception however as it has it's own legislation and funding and has the ability to award it's own degrees so it is essentially a university in everything but name.

The comment about employers hiring Uni students over IT students couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it is the opposite way around.

Universities have a reputation to produce bad "text book only" students with no real or practical experience of the subject in which they have studied while IT's tend to focus on a more practical basis. If I were you I would simply do the course you want to do. Nothing more and nothing less.

Certain people have views about society and think one place is better than the other which is simply not true. At the end of the day, a degree is a degree, no matter where you got it from.

You are deluded.

rollerball

The_Joker. wrote: »

You are deluded.

Why don't you explain your view rather than a quick one liner? Or have you any clue at all about Irish 3rd Level Education?

The_Joker.

rollerball wrote: »

Why don't you explain your view rather than a quick one liner? Or have you any clue at all about Irish 3rd Level Education?

I'm a Trinners student.
I know everything there is to know.

You are a deluded present or past IoT loser.

I have no more time to waste on a ridiculous argument with a pleb.

rollerball

The_Joker. wrote: »

I'm a Trinners student.
I know everything there is to know.

You are a deluded present or past IoT loser.

I have no more time to waste on a ridiculous argument with a pleb.

Oh you go to a college where you are known by your number and not by your name. Aw how sad - poor you.

Casey_81

I have experienced both, doing my undergrad in Athlone I.T. and post grad in NUI Maynooth.

There used to be a difference, but these days it is not as clear cut as it used to be. It definitely depends on the course you want to do and the type of job that you want.

Look at the courses/modules available, and see which ones will be fit better.

In the current climate, I would weight courses which include work experience over those that haven't.

The_Joker.

rollerball wrote: »

Oh you go to a college where you are known by your number and not by your name. Aw how sad - poor you.

Listen , I'll tell you this once and once only, don't you ever get cheeky with me.
I go to the most prestigious university in Ireland.

MultiUmm

The_Joker. wrote: »

Listen , I'll tell you this once and once only, don't you ever get cheeky with me.
I go to the most prestigious university in Ireland.

The_Joker. wrote: »

I'm a Trinners student.
I know everything there is to know.

You are a deluded present or past IoT loser.

I have no more time to waste on a ridiculous argument with a pleb.

Jesus, don't feed this troll people!

Fad

TheJoker banned for a week......

Fad

gant0 wrote: »

apparantly employers higher people from unis over people from its but thats all just rumours.Its true that its are more practical while unis are theoretical.I guessits just Irish mentality,like look at MIT(michigan) one of the most famous an best 3rd level institutes in the world an its an it

MIT is in Massachusetts

Also, MIT is a private university in America. It is entirely different to an IT here.

ITs tend to give a much more hands on education, ie sciences would spend more time in the lab than uni students, uni students would spend a bit more time on theory stuff. ITs tend to prepare people for industry, while Unis prepare people for research.

The Big Red Button

I did first year of Commerce in a university, then transferred to Business Studies in an IT for 2nd to 4th year.

Personally I much preferred pretty much everything about the course in the IT - much smaller class sizes, better lecturers, everything was structured much better. Our exams were of a similar standard to those in a university, but I found that the material was taught in much more depth and explained more thoroughly by the lecturers in the IT than those in the university.

In my experience, it obviously makes some difference to interviewers. In every interview I did in final year (mostly accounting firms, ranging from small local accountants to the Big 4 firms) I was asked why I chose to complete my degree in an IT rather than a university. I explained my reasons and explained what I found good about the IT course, the benefits of an emphasis on practical learning, etc. They never seemed to hold it against me, as I got offered most of the positions I applied for. One thing I noticed is that there tended to be more "snobbery" in the smaller firms, whereas the bigger firms were much more open-minded about it.

So basically it's not necessarily that one is seen as "superior" by employers ... you should go for the course that most interests you, but do be prepared to explain your choice in interviews.

RolandIRL

For undergrads
IT = Level 6/7/8
University = Level 8 only

some ITs have degrees recognised by certain institutions (eg my brother done Civil Eng in Sligo IT, recognised by Engineers of Ireland or something. same course in Athlone isn't recognised afaik)

if you stick with your degree, you're going to end up with a Level 8 Degree, regardless of where you went. places like Trinity may be "prestigious" but it doesn't lessen your degree any less.

some places do different courses better, and this is what employers look at. i know that civil in sligo is one of the best places to do it (or so my brother said :rolleyes:)
in a few years after your degree, it won't really matter tbh. once you get enough experience, that's what most employers take into account, not where you did your degree 10 years ago.
go to where you'll like the course and be happy. no point doing a course in a college you hate.

randylonghorn

rollerball wrote: »

The comment about employers hiring Uni students over IT students couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it is the opposite way around.

In my experience, both sweeping statements are true at times and equally inaccurate most of the time.

It can depend a lot on (a) the job / sector and (b) the particular college / course.

I know a senior figure in the engineering field, for example, who likes to keep a balance of graduates from both the university and IoT sector because he feels they both bring something slightly different to the table / have different strengths.

Sometimes there's good reason, at other times it's because an employer or manager has a particular personal bias (which often boils down to which college they attended themselves).

whiteman19 wrote: »

For undergrads
some places do different courses better, and this is what employers look at.

in a few years after your degree, it won't really matter tbh. once you get enough experience, that's what most employers take into account, not where you did your degree 10 years ago.
go to where you'll like the course and be happy. no point doing a course in a college you hate.

That's about it, really.