SETU Waterford offers a broad range of academic programmes from levels 6 to 10 on the national framework of qualifications across Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science and Computing.
Courses Landing pageDiscover the routes into studying at SETU Waterford for school leavers, adult learners, further education students, graduates and people who have already started studies elsewhere as well as options for those interested in online courses.
Study at SETU Waterford landing PageDiscover the routes into studying at SETU Waterford for school leavers, adult learners, further education students, graduates and people who have already started studies elsewhere as well as options for those interested in online courses.
Students Landing PageSETU Waterford offers a broad range of academic programmes from levels 6 to 10 on the national framework of qualifications across Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science and Computing.
Schools Landing PageThe Office for International Relations co-ordinates the admission, administration and support for international students throughout the course of their studies at SETU Waterford.
International Landing PageSETU Waterfordis recognised as the leading research performer in the institute of technology sector with research activities that are internationally benchmarked, strategic, and economically relevant. Find out about the amazing multi disciplinary research under way
Research Landing PageDiscover the routes into studying at SETU Waterford for school leavers, adult learners, further education students, graduates and people who have already started studies elsewhere as well as options for those interested in online courses.
About Landing PageUncover the research discoveries, student and staff achievements, human stories, community spirit, global links and external engagement news at SETU Waterford
News Landing PageFrom virtual events to conferences, talks, public lectures and happenings in on-campus venues SETU Waterford is a hub of activity. Stay up to date with our calendar of upcoming events.
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Maeve Carey from Wexford now working with DoneDeal
Maeve left her position as Pensions Manager for a well-known financial company, where she had worked for five years, to travel and explore other challenges. Upon her return to Ireland, she went searching for new employment, but remained unemployed for several months. Maeve had a primary BSc degree in Physics with Theoretical Physics and was interested in IT, but lacked an IT qualification required for industry consideration. Maeve was beginning to grow despondent with her options, when a friend told her about the ICT Skills Conversion Programme at WIT. The programme offered Maeve a fast-track into the IT sector with the Department of Social Protection’s ‘Back to Education Allowance’ available to those taking the course. Maeve started the programme at SETU Waterford in March 2013 and hasn’t looked back since. Maeve found the subject matter absorbing and very current, and was delighted to be learning about the most up-to-date technologies, such as Android and Cloud Computing. Meave did her six month work placement with DoneDeal, Ireland’s largest online classifieds site. Following the placement Meave was offered a full-time job with Donedeal as a Software Developer.
“ICT is a growing, multi-faceted, exciting area. I really like the timeline of the programme, short and sweet, yet super-condensed, so I can enter the job market swiftly after graduating. The lecturers are extremely knowledgeable, thorough and approachable. The whole experience was extremely rewarding. I’m now working as a software developer with DoneDeal it’s a fantastic experience working in a very dynamic team environment.”
Declan Lawlor, Chief Technical Officer at DoneDeal said “The ICT Conversion in SETU Waterford has been a great innovation. With the current demand for Software Engineers in Ireland and the South East, SETU Waterford has succeeded in developing a programme that equips graduates from other disciplines to transfer directly into IT. The fact that graduates are already equipped with excellent problem-solving, team work and communication skills from their previous disciplines makes them very attractive to employers.”
Sean Keane from Roscommon now working with SAP
Click here to APPLY ONLINE NOW for SETU Waterford ICTSkills January 2015
Course Description
The Higher Diploma in Computer Science is an intensive, 18-month conversion course specifically designed to allow existing non-ICT level 8 graduates to acquire the industry-relevant ICT and software development skills, expertise and practical experience required to become suitable candidates for employment in the ICT domain in general and in software development in particular. It includes a 6-month work placement.
The course will comprise of 2 semesters of taught computer science modules, with a Summer School and a 6-month work placement. It includes a combination of fundamental concepts and practical exposure to problem solving, programming, and the broader software development ecosystem (“DevOps”), including system administration and security.
Semester 1
In semester 1 participants will undertake a broad immersive set of modules in the fundamentals of computing including programming, networks, systems, databases and web development.
Semester 2
Students will study network management in semester 2 and deepen their knowledge in their choice of specialist options from amongst mobile app development, enterprise software development and security & forensics.
Summer School and Placement
The programme is offered in close collaboration with partners from the ICT and Software Development industry. In semester 3 all students will have the opportunity to apply these skills and gain invaluable experience through a six-month work placement. The work placement element is designed to maximise industry – relevance and employability of the graduates.
Students will prepare for the work placement during a summer school that will be held during summer 2015. The summer school is based in the HQ of the internationally recognised Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) research group at WIT’s Carriganore research campus. During the summer school students will:
continue their programming tuition through interaction with researchers, engineers, software developers and industry partners though classroom and virtual lectures and workshops;
develop a digital profile using social media and self-publish on relevant industry topics;
tackle real world problems that require them to advance their programming skills and knowledge before entering their placement.
Develop a project proposal to be completed during work placement.
Please see more about ICTSkills Placement here.
Click here to APPLY ONLINE NOW for SETU Waterford ICTSkills January 2015
Successful applicants for this course will be existing honours graduates with the capacity and aptitude (for example numeracy skills) to complete an intensive computer science programme and work placement. No tuition fees will be charged for this course as it is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Department of Education and Skills.
Successful applicants currently in receipt Dept. of Social Protection benefiots may be able to maintain those benefits while studying ICTSkills full-time subject to terms and conditions. Further information on Social Protection Eligibility is available CLICK HERE
The Institute expects that prospective students will drawn from graduates with a Level 8 qualification in a numerate discipline. Typical disciplines which would fall into this category would be Engineering; Architecture; Mathematics and Physics.
Gained a minimum of a Level 8 qualification in a course with a significant IT component and/or significant numerate element. Typical courses that would fall into this category include Management Information Systems; Accounting; Marketing and Management.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Some applicants who do not immediately meet these requirements may wish to consider using WIT’s Recognition of Prior Learning mechanism in order to make application that can be considered for entry to this course.
For example an applicant who does not have a level 8 qualification but who does have a strong combination of previous formal learning (e.g. a level 7 award in a cognate area such as a course course with a significant IT component and/or significant numerate element) and informal learning (e.g. learning gained through relevant work experience) can submit an RPL portfolio setting out, in the prescribed format, this previous learning.
The purpose of the portfolio is to formally document the candidate’s claim that they have gained learning equivalent to a level 8 award, and therefore allow it to be formally considered by the Institute within the national regulatory framework.
Access to a Laptop
Please note that students will be required to write code and interact with software on an ongoing basis throughout this and therefore SETU Waterford recommends that all students on this course should have access to a personal laptop.
Information
Further information and application details on the RPL procedure as it applies to this programme is available from Ken McCarthy / [email protected] / 051 302875
Click here to APPLY ONLINE NOW for SETU Waterford ICTSkills January 2015
There are a large number of job vacancies in Ireland for graduates with programmer developer skills as documented by reports from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and employers bodies such as IBEC – the Irish Business and Employers Conference and the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.
The Higher Diploma in Computer Science is funded under the Higher Education Authority’s ICT Skills programme. It has in turn been designed by WIT, with collaborating colleges and its industry partners, in response to the needs of employers in order to produce graduates to fill these vacancies.
Should graduates wish to continue in education they will, on graduation from this programme, be eligible for entry into specialist computing M.Sc. programmes which are available through both full and part-time modes of delivery including SETU Waterford masters’ programmes in computing with specialisations in communications software, information systems processes and multimedia and eLearning in either full-time or part-time modes.
SETU Waterford, Cork Road, Waterford City, 
