Technological University Dublin (Irish: Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) or TU Dublin[5] is Ireland's first technological university, established on 1 January 2019,[6][7][8] and with a history stretching back to 1887 through the amalgamated Dublin Institute of Technology which progressed from the first technical education institution in Ireland, the City of Dublin Technical Schools.[9] It is the second-largest third-level institution in Ireland, with a student population of 28,500.[6]
TU Dublin has its origins in the City of Dublin Technical Schools, with a Technical College founded at Kevin Street in 1887 by poet, songwriter and novelist Arnold Felix Graves.[15][16] In 1978, with the formal amalgamation of the College of Technology, Kevin Street, and five other specialised colleges in Dublin under a federalised arrangement, the Dublin Institute of Technology was formed.[17]
From 1976 to 1998, the Institute of Technology had a relationship with the University of Dublin, the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, for the sharing of facilities, equipment and staff, joint research seed funding, research partnerships, and for the University of Dublin to award Dublin Institute of Technology degrees under their own name in return for academic oversight;[17] this partnership was credited for a 22 times increase in research output in the Institute of Technology in 1992 compared to 1975, and a significant increase in the institute's status.[17] With the improved status, staff experience from the partnership, increased course demand, and success of Dublin Institute of Technology graduates in employment compared to university graduates, politicians and university academics sought greater autonomy for the institute,[17] with Fine Gael higher-education spokesperson Theresa Ahearn saying "The colleges, in particular the DIT, at this stage rightly claim to have long experience of teaching to degree level ... I suggest that now is the time to give the colleges this power to award their own degrees". On 10 July 1992, Minister for Education Séamus Brennan stated that "The DIT will be given degree awarding powers",[17] and these powers were ultimately granted in 1998 under the Dublin Institute of Technology Act, 1992.[18][19]
Institute of Technology Tallaght
Institute of Technology Tallaght was established in 1992,[20] at its dissolution offering courses through the School of Business & Humanities, the School of Engineering, and the School of Science & Computing.[21]
Institute of Technology Blanchardstown
Institute of Technology Blanchardstown was established in 1999, and at its dissolution offered courses through the School of Business, the School of Humanities, and the School of Informatics and Engineering.[22]
The Dublin bid, proposed by the three institutes, eventually coalesced into a move, in 2014, to seek designation as a technological university under the project title "Technological University for Dublin Alliance" / "TU4Dublin".[5][27][29] A final application was submitted in April 2018, following the enactment of the Technological Universities Act 2018.[30]
The formation of Technological University Dublin was approved in July 2018, and the university was formally established on 1 January 2019,[7][8] on which date the preceding institutions were dissolved.[10]
In April 2019, TU Dublin sold its Kevin Street campus to York Capital and Westridge Real Estate for €140 million.[31] The Kevin Street campus was vacated in March 2021 and demolition works began on the site in April 2021.
In March 2020, TU Dublin put the Aungier Street campus up for sale,[32] with the campus scheduled to close in 2023, after which students and staff will relocate to the Grangegorman Campus.[33]
Governance
The university is overseen by a governing body appointed under the Technological Universities Act,[34] with representation for staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, the local Education and Training Boards, along with the president of the university, an external chairperson and other external members appointed by the governing body and by the Minister. There is a regulatory requirement to have at least 40% female and 40% male membership and, by agreement with the Higher Education Authority, a suitable mix of skills and experience, considering business, law, human resources management, community organisation and others. Academic affairs, including course development and examinations, are overseen by TU Dublin's statutory academic council, as defined by the same legislative act.[30]
Academic profile
Admissions
Undergraduate admissions are made through the Central Applications Office, with applications opening in January and late applications closing early-May of the admission year;[35] course offers are made to individuals who either meet the point and subject requirements of the relevant course, or alternatively have existing QQI qualifications for most courses, with some courses requiring the QQI qualification to be in a relevant discipline.[36][37]
Faculty and Schools
TU Dublin consists of five faculties, their associated schools, and multiple research institutes and centres.[38] Courses are primarily based in one of five locations.
TU Dublin is the only institution offering courses in optometry and ophthalmic dispensing in Ireland, with both a 4-year BSc in optometry and a 3-year BSc in Ophthalmic Dispensing running from the School of Physics & Clinical & Optometric Sciences within the College of Sciences & Health.[39]
School of Enterprise Computing and Digital Transformation
School of Informatics and Cybersecurity
School of Mathematics and Statistics
Computing Learning Centre
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
School of Architecture, Building and Environment
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
School of Mechanical Engineering
School of Surveying and Construction Innovation
School of Transport and Civil Engineering
Faculty of Sciences & Health
School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences
School of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Computing
Food Science & Environmental Health
School of Mathematical Sciences
School of Physics & Clinical & Optometric Sciences
Reputation and rankings
In 2021, Times Higher Education (THE) ranked TU Dublin 801-1000th in the World University Rankings, 201-300th in impact rankings, and 251-300th in the Young University Rankings.[43] In the 2023 QS World University Rankings TU Dublin was listed 801-1000th.[44]
In 2020, U-Multirank listed TU Dublin as having the highest number of very good scores across various criteria compared to other higher-education institutions in Ireland.[45]
The university is based in five main campuses, with the Grangegorman, Aungier Street and Bolton Street campuses in Dublin City, and both the Blanchardstown and Tallaght campuses in the Dublin suburbs.[5][6] The Grangegorman campus will complete ongoing relocation of activities at Kevin Street and Cathal Brugha Street, expanding its capacity to 10,000 students, while further development is planned for the Blanchardstown and Tallaght campuses.[49][needs update]
The Grangegorman campus includes the Greenway Hub, which is a "state-of-the-art facility for research and innovation that has been developed on the new TU Dublin campus at Grangegorman". It is home to the Environmental, Sustainability and Health Institute (ESHI) and to TU Dublin Hothouse.[51]
TU Dublin Hothouse at the Greenway Hub has a 21,500 square foot start-up incubator, office spaces, conference rooms, and provides start-ups access to staff and researchers.[52] Funding is offered to start-ups from the university itself, and from partnerships with Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, and Horizon 2020, among others.[53] Assistance is provided with commercialisation, and protecting the intellectual property of start-ups in the incubator.[54]
TU Dublin Hothouse runs a funded summer program, I-Cubed, for current students and recent graduates with business ideas who wish to start and run that business.[55]
A market initiative Open Labs began in 2018 to assist start-ups and existing companies with research and development in specific technical areas, and as of February 2021 more than 150 start ups had participated in the initiative, generating over €1.5 million in research income.[56][57]
Student life
Students' Union
Technological University Dublin Students' Union (TU Dublin SU) was established by referendum in February 2019 as the amalgamation of DIT Students' Union, IT Tallaght Student Union and Institute of Technology Blanchardstown Student Union.[58]
TU Dublin Students' Union began operating on 1 July 2019.
Annually, TU Dublin Students' Union oversees the election of class representatives, in which all students in the same course and year elect a student in the same group to represent them by conveying class feedback to the Students Union and lecturers. Class representatives attend the semesterly programme committee meetings of their own programme group alongside lecturers and professors, and attend semi-semesterly class representative meetings involving Students Union officers and other class representatives from the same school.[59] Class representatives receive training from the National Student Engagement Programme.
Societies
Over 70 student-run societies exist throughout the five TU Dublin campuses, which receive a stipend from TU Dublin for activities based on membership of the society. Societies are formed by petition, requiring a total of 20 signatures from current TU Dublin students.[60]