Advanced Entry - Engineering Courses

Egyptian

Anyone gone this route, and if so what course did you decide to go for, and how much did it cost?

I've seen DIT have a number of courses available, that allow advanced entry (entry into year 2 of the course), including:

DT009 Electrical & Control Engineering ( 3 year Ordinary Degree )
DT010 Electrical Services Engineering DT010 ( 3 year Ordinary Degree )
+ DT712 Electrical Services & Energy Management ( 1 Year Honours Degree )
DT021 Electrical/Electronic Engineering ( 4 year Honours Degree )
DT008 Electronics & Communications Engineering DT008 ( 3 Year Ordinary Degree )
DT002 Engineering Systems Maintenance DT002 ( 3 Year Ordinary Degree )

I have a keen interest in everything electrical, but I just can't see myself working on a building site for the foreseeable future. Any other options out there other than going back to college?

CatFromHue

A friend of mine was an electrician and did the electrical services eng course. As far as i know he just paid what a regular undergrad paid i.e. the registration fee or whatever it's called now. He had to do an AutoCAD course and then could start in second year. The AutoCAD course had to be done before college started and he paid for it himself. Possibly he got on a FAS course and didn't have to pay, I can't remember.

He's since gone on to do the energy management course.

00MARTZ00

depends what you want to do really mate. i was an electrician and went on the DT010 course. in the final year of it now but im planning on going onto the DT021 next year hopefully. if you have any particular questions ask away and ill do me best to answer.

Xrox

I Done BN039 Sustainable Electrical and Control Technology (BSc. Ord) in ITB as advanced entry through the LMA program went straight into 2nd year of a 3 year course as i'm unemployeed it was all paid for (same if your a mature student over 23).

Im now in DT712 Electrical Services and Energy Management (BSc. Hons) in DIT which is a one year add on. In with alot of DT010 Electrical Services Engineering, DT008 Electronics & Communications Engineering and DT005 Building Services Engineering all from DIT programs and DK740 Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronic Systems from Dundalk. Most of which have join these course via advanced entry.

All these course i have mentioned have alot in common but are all specialised in there own way so as 00MARTZ00 it all depends what your interested in getting into as there are alot of options available for upskilling from being an Electrician so look around.

Alot of thses courses are open to the unemployeed via the springboard/bluebrick system. If your not unemployed but are having problems finding lists of advanced entry courses have a look at the springboard and bluebrick websites as a good few of advance entry courses are listed here.

bassey

I did two years of an apprenticeship then went into 2nd year of the DT009 course after doing some bridging modules. It's a pretty good course so far and covers a lot of different things from control to power systems and some programming. It's hard enough and requires a lot of effort to get work done but it's pretty enjoyable. All in my opinion anyway.

Egyptian

00MARTZ00 wrote: »

depends what you want to do really mate. i was an electrician and went on the DT010 course. in the final year of it now but im planning on going onto the DT021 next year hopefully. if you have any particular questions ask away and ill do me best to answer.

Thanks for the reply 00MARTZ00,

What do you, or the others in DT021, plan on applying for once finished the course? The majority of the DIT Engineering Courses seem to have such a broad range of career opportunities. I'm finding it difficult to see a distinct difference between alot of them.

I've always enjoyed the design and manufacture of things. Everything from large scale power stations, to cars and aeroplanes, to mobile phones and computers. "How things work" and "Making things work". I enjoy the maths from phase 4 and phase 6, and I although ordinary/honours degree maths will be quite a bit more difficult, I feel I'll enjoy it. The PLC's were also quite interesting.

In regard to DT010, what did the majority of the course consist of?
What were the requirements (education/aplication dates/interviews) for starting the course?
And if you don't mind me asking.... how much had you to pay for the 2 years of DT010 and 1 Year of DT021?

Many Thanks

Xrox wrote: »

I Done BN039 Sustainable Electrical and Control Technology (BSc. Ord) in ITB as advanced entry through the LMA program went straight into 2nd year of a 3 year course as i'm unemployeed it was all paid for (same if your a mature student over 23).

Im now in DT712 Electrical Services and Energy Management (BSc. Hons) in DIT which is a one year add on. In with alot of DT010 Electrical Services Engineering, DT008 Electronics & Communications Engineering and DT005 Building Services Engineering all from DIT programs and DK740 Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronic Systems from Dundalk. Most of which have join these course via advanced entry.

All these course i have mentioned have alot in common but are all specialised in there own way so as 00MARTZ00 it all depends what your interested in getting into as there are alot of options available for upskilling from being an Electrician so look around.

Alot of thses courses are open to the unemployeed via the springboard/bluebrick system. If your not unemployed but are having problems finding lists of advanced entry courses have a look at the springboard and bluebrick websites as a good few of advance entry courses are listed here.

Thanks for the reply Xrox,

Are mature students treated as Undergraduates regardless of previous education (only paying for registration) ?

What do you, or the others in DT712, plan on applying for once finished the course?

Thanks for the Springboard, and Bluebrick websites, I'll take some time out to have a good look at them.

bassey wrote: »

I did two years of an apprenticeship then went into 2nd year of the DT009 course after doing some bridging modules. It's a pretty good course so far and covers a lot of different things from control to power systems and some programming. It's hard enough and requires a lot of effort to get work done but it's pretty enjoyable. All in my opinion anyway.

Thanks for the reply bassey,

What do you, or the others in DT009, plan on applying for once finished the course?

What seems to be more the more popular choice for Year 3, Control Systems & Automation or Electrical Energy Systems?


Thanks for replies, all information I'm getting is really helpful.


I've contacted the Admissions office in DIT, and hopefully will be getting a few more queries answered. Maybe even organise a meeting with someone who can give me some insight into the options and routes available.

Xrox

Egyptian wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Xrox,

Are mature students treated as Undergraduates regardless of previous education (only paying for registration) ?

What do you, or the others in DT712, plan on applying for once finished the course?

Thanks for the Springboard, and Bluebrick websites, I'll take some time out to have a good look at them.

Once you are qualify as a Mature student or unemployed person you will get the course paid for like all undergraduates plus you get the regisration fees paid for also thru the grants system. Plus you will recieve "back to education" allowance which is basically the dole everyweek plus a €500 every year towards books, travel, printing getting a laptop etc.

Like all other students in the country your course is paid for once you are progressing i.e. they only pay for each year once so once youve done a level 7 course they wont pay for you to do another but they will pay for you to do a level 8 add on (they wont pay for you to repeat anything)

So in answer to your question "Are mature students treated as Undergraduates regardless of previous education (only paying for registration) ?" it all depends on how far youve gone if youve done first year, second year etc. before they wont pay for it even if its a different course (same as for all students). But if youve completed an appreticeship tand progress on to a degree they will pay for that.

As far as i know they also wont pay for masters or PHDs (i could be wrong) but there are other ways of funding those.

00MARTZ00

sorry mate i probably wasnt clear enough. what i meant to say is that i was an electrician and entered into year 2 of DT010 through advanced entry. im in year 3 at the moment so ill be finished this year. after completing this year i will be able to go into the 3rd year of DT021 in september.

the majority of DT010 consisted of designing fire alarms, cable, lighting design, stuff like that there is also an emphasis on sustainable energy which they seem to be pushing more into the course. it will feel like your thrown in the deep end at first, especially coming from a working on site situation going into a college enviroment but dont let it put you off. being an electrician will actually help you trust me. as for requirements if you have your trade cert then your grand. you will have to do an introduction to autocad course before you start though. if your unemployed ask down at your fas centre thats how i did it.

regarding paying for fees. i was unemployed at the time so the LMA paid my fees but that is gone now. this year i have applied for a grant from the VEC. still waiting to hear back from them. as Xrox said you could check out the springboard but i think they only do it part time.

as for applications just go into the office in church lane and ask them there and then thats what i did. if there is spaces they'll give you the forms.

If you enjoy designing things such as power stations, mobile phones and computers then i recommend you go for the DT021. im not too sure what you do in the first two years but in the 3rd year of the DT021 you choose your options. if i remember right the consist of the following:
Major options

• Electrical Services Engineering
• Power and Transmission
• Control Engineering

Minor Options

• Communications Engineering
• Computer Engineering

You have to choose 1 major and 1 minor option.

I wouldnt worry about the maths either pal. i left school when i was 15 to become an eletrician so i didnt even have leaving cert maths behind me and if you enjoyed maths in phase 4 and 6 then you shouldnt have any problem. besides if you get into trouble there is help centre in the college and the staff are sound and really helpfull.

hope that helps. anymore questions just ask.

bassey

DT009 is a joint major now, this year is the first you don't pick. You do both control and automation and energy systems. Most of us plan on going into 3rd year of DT021 I think.

Inbox

If you do 008, you can progress into 021 or 081 .

2011

i left school when i was 15 to become an eletrician so i didnt even have leaving cert maths behind me and if you enjoyed maths in phase 4 and 6 then you shouldnt have any problem. besides if you get into trouble there is help centre in the college and the staff are sound and really helpfull.

That is correct for DT010, I looked at the syllabus and talked to the department head when I was considering doing this course. I ended up doing DT009 and the maths syllabus is far more extensive and tougher. DT009 also offers a signals and systems option that is reccomended for students planning on DT021.
Having said that DT010 covers other important areas that DT009 doesn't. I am not suggesting that one course is "better" than the other, just highlighting what I found to be different.

It is possible to go from DT010 to DT021, but a bridging module for maths and signals & systems was required when I last checked.

My advice would be to do DT009 and then DT021 or do DT010 and then progress to it's level 8 ( I forget the code).

2011

I am also a qualified electrician. I found that my experience as an electrician was not as benificial as I had anticipated when I was a DT009 student. Cable sizing, selection of protective devices, earthing arrangements, lighting design, fire alarm systems etc. did not really feature at all. On the hand this is very relevant to DT010.

DT009 for me was more about control & automation, microprocessors, op amps, power electronics, with a heavy focus on programming which included Matlab, c++, MS Project, some CAD, PLC (ladder and SFC), Kepware, SCADA software (Iconics I think) etc.

I believe that this is why DT010 is typically completed by qualified electricians in 2 years and DT009 is typically (but not always) completed by qualified electricians in 3.

00MARTZ00

I agree with what 2011 said. if you do want to go onto DT021 after a previous course then DT009 is defo the way to go. In the bridging classes the lads from DT009 were well ahead of us.

ciaranmac

I'm studying in the Qualifiers Programme for Electronic Engineering in Sligo. It's mainly online, there are 4 days of labs that you have to go to Sligo for, and exams which you can do in Sligo, Dublin or Cork. It's a year long, 5 hours of lectures a week, plus projects and study time, and gets you in to the final year of the BEng. The lectures are in the evening but you can download them if the time doesn't suit. If you have a few years' relevant experience you should be eligible. I'm a software developer, others on the course are electricians, architects, printers etc.

2011

Egyptian wrote: »

Anyone gone this route, and if so what course did you decide to go for, and how much did it cost?

I've seen DIT have a number of courses available, that allow advanced entry (entry into year 2 of the course), including:

DT009 Electrical & Control Engineering ( 3 year Ordinary Degree )
DT010 Electrical Services Engineering DT010 ( 3 year Ordinary Degree )
+ DT712 Electrical Services & Energy Management ( 1 Year Honours Degree )
DT021 Electrical/Electronic Engineering ( 4 year Honours Degree )
DT008 Electronics & Communications Engineering DT008 ( 3 Year Ordinary Degree )
DT002 Engineering Systems Maintenance DT002 ( 3 Year Ordinary Degree )

I have a keen interest in everything electrical, but I just can't see myself working on a building site for the foreseeable future. Any other options out there other than going back to college?

Egyptian, have you decided what you are doing yet ?

Egyptian

2011 wrote: »

Egyptian, have you decided what you are doing yet ?

Sorry man, I've been busy studying for the phase 6 exams which are in 2 weeks time. Ideally I'll be looking to get credits in all exams as I've got all credits up to this point.

I havn't made any decisions regarding college courses starting 2012 yet, as I'm still unsure if my employer will have work to cover the 12 weeks of phase 7 before August/September.

Rather than try and rush the process of getting qulaified and registering for a course for 2012, my current plans are to allow as much time needed to complete the apprenticeship, have it finalised, and then take some time out of work for a world trip (several months), with a view to starting a course in September 2013.