Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) (Irish: Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Leitir Ceanainn), formerly the Regional Technical College, Letterkenny (and still often referred to as The Regional, particularly by older citizens), is a third level institution designed in the second half of the twentieth century for Donegal and others parts of north-west Ireland.
Based at Letterkenny in County Donegal, it is one of the smaller places of third level education in the historic province of Ulster, with a lower student intake than other colleges such as Belfast Metropolitan College and the regional colleges of the North West, South, South East and South West, all of which themselves are smaller than the universities in Belfast and Belfast/Coleraine/Derry/Jordanstown.
Schools and Departments
| School of BusinessDepartment of Business StudiesDepartment of Law & HumanitiesDepartment of Design & Creative Media | School of EngineeringDepartment of Civil Engineering & ConstructionDepartment of Electronic & Mechanical Engineering | School of ScienceDepartment of ComputingDepartment of ScienceDepartment of Nursing and Health Studies | School of TourismDepartment of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Skills |
Courses
The institute offers over 130 programmes that range from one to four years in computing, engineering, design, science, the “social science” of business, veterinary practice, nursing and law. The courses are offered at levels 6 through 10 on the NQAI framework. Courses are offered in a semesterised and modularised method. Specialist courses that may be found in LYIT include the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Fire Safety Technology which is the only one of its kind in Ireland, other specialist degrees also include Bachelor of Science (Hons) In Analytical and Forensic Science. The Technical College is one of only two institutes in Ireland to offer degrees approved by the King’s Inns. The BA (Hons) in law has been approved degree status by the society. The Institute also co-operates closely on many courses and much research with Magee College, part of the University of Ulster, in nearby Derry.
The institute also offers support for businesses through specialized short-term courses, collaborative research, and the Co-Lab.