Institutes of Technology operate a unique system in that they allow students to progress from two years (associate degree programs) through the primary degree to Masters and PhD. These institutes provide a broad range of programs in Science, Engineering and Design, Business and Social Sciences from undergraduate to postgraduate level.

The institutions’ traditional courses were National Certificate and National Diploma type courses particularly in business, engineering and science, this was very much the founding principle. During the late 1970s degrees at Bachelor’s level were introduced, later Master’s and Doctoral levels were also allowed. In recent years there has been a rapid expansion in apprenticeship and nursing type courses.

The institutions were run as Vocational Education Acts from 1970 until 1992 as special subcommittees of the Vocational Education Committees, and placed on an independent basis thereafter by the Regional Technical Colleges Acts in 1993. In the late 1990s, all of the institutions were upgraded to Institute of Technology status. This was in recognition of the high standards, including university-level research, which takes place at them. Additionally, institutions have been given delegated authority to confer their own awards in some cases up to Doctoral level. The Regional Technical Colleges Acts still apply to all the institutions, with Dublin Institute of Technology set up under previous legislation and been quite distinct.