Bachelor of Science in Technology Management

Anthony Kavanagh

When I came to UL for the open days, I was very impressed by its campus, facilities and staff. The people in UL are extremely kind, helpful and friendly with someone always available to guide you in the right direction. 

This Technology Management course is well-structured with a good range of business, technology and quality modules. The lecturers have spent time in leading companies across many sectors so their modules are industry-focused. Business Modules such as Financial Accounting, HRM and Employee Relations were of particular benefit to me while managing projects, especially when engaging with vendors, managing financial accounts/records and most importantly communicating with my colleagues while on Co-op.  Engineering Modules such as Lean Tools, CAD, Quality Management, Automation and Simulation gave us an excellent foundation in technology, while the various site visits to leading companies such as Abbott, ZimmerBiomet, Lufthansa Shannon Turbine Technologies etc. where particularly useful in showing us how the classroom theory is applied in a very practical way.  

One of the main attractions for me was the 8 month placement in industry that all students complete in 3rd year. The co-op placement allowed me to engage with and learn from experts in the pharmaceutical sector who were working with the latest cutting edge technology while also developing new innovative process and products.  The skills I had learned in UL ensured that I could contribute effectively to progressing projects and therefore reach my agreed targets.

Zara Buckley

Technology Management is very practical and team-focused course, where students learn the basics of a variety of subjects. It has helped me to develop a range of skills and knowledge in the business, engineering, quality and project-oriented sectors. Despite not studying any engineering subjects in secondary school, I did not feel disadvantaged. Each topic was taught at beginner level, allowing students from non-engineering backgrounds to engage and learn concepts. Gradually, we were taught more advanced content, building on our foundational knowledge of topics. I really enjoyed the past four years in this course, and I feel I have developed practical skills applicable across many industries.

In my third year of the course, I got the opportunity to complete an eight-month placement in Regeneron as a Warehouse and Logistics Intern. Regeneron is a biotechnology company based in Raheen, Limerick; which produces medicines for patients across the world. My role focused on shipping tasks (organising and tracking shipments with couriers and creating and reviewing relevant documentation) and project management (lead/contribute in a range of cross functional projects), which expanded my knowledge on industry standards and expectations. The placement experience allowed me to put the theory learnt into practice and vice versa in my final year.

Brian Oakes

This Technology Management course provides a good mix of both practical and project work in each module, giving you a platform to develop many varied skills in both engineering and business. It is a very hands-on course, which really interested me and one of the reasons I chose this course. The first year provides an introduction to the basics, with core modules including economics, manufacturing technology, and mathematics. Over the years, I enjoyed learning about Quality Management, Operations Modelling, Supply Chain design and Plant Automation. The course is very practical and relevant to the workplace, and so provides great scope for future careers in many industries.

For my co-op placement, I worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for Stryker Corporation. Stryker is a multi-national company, with four plants located in Ireland, three in Cork and one in Limerick. They are one of the world’s leading medical device manufacturers and winner of Fortune’s Most Admired Company in the medical devices industry. My role was in the Acetabular unit which produces replacement hips. On a day-to-day basis, my work was very varied; purchasing tools, repairing and adjusting machines, creating and updating procedures and processes, and generating Dynamic Control Plans. I was also involved in various cost-reduction projects. Apart from the many practical skills I learned, Co-op also gave me a great opportunity to develop skills involving global communications. I also developed a great awareness of quality in the medical devices industry and in manufacturing operations in general.

Emer Mooney

When I was in Leaving Cert, I like many others was so unsure what path to take, Business had always appealed to me with the Young Entrepreneur Awards in secondary school, but I still wasn’t 100% sure. Finding this course on the UL website jumped out to me for its mix of both business and engineering. I was apprehensive at first for the engineering side, I had no experience at all in those subjects. Arranging a meeting with Alan Ryan (course director) immediately put my worries at ease. Explaining how every module is taught from scratch, and if I attended lecs/labs I would be ok, and he was right.

Throughout the whole course, we constantly got a mix of both theory and practical subjects, I loved the hands on in the lab with Manufacturing to switching it up with Business modules such as HR and Marketing. I struggled in labs such as Solidworks and Simio (Simulation Modelling and Analysis) but constantly asking questions and working together with friends made it much easier.

Lean Thinking and Lean Tools was my favourite module, I was lucky enough to study this further in my Co-op. I worked in Cook Medical, it is a medical device company that works with developing minimally invasive devices for patients. My role was Continuous Improvement, this involved finding ways to work smarter, not harder, in order to be more efficient and profitable. The most commonly used model is PDCA: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Walking through these four steps can bring improvements to any process such as Improved product quality, increased efficiency and productivity, decreased cost and reduced waste. My final year project studied the “Benefits of 6S in a medical device company”, this would not have been possible without my experience from Co-op.

I was fortunate to secure a job in Dell Technologies as a Logistic Analyst before graduating. Starting in June I will be responsible for overseeing the entire life cycle of a product, including purchase, distribution, internal allotment, release and final clearance of resources. This is all possible because I chose Technology Management and I am so delighted I did.

Connie Murphy

Upon attending the University open day, I knew instantly that the University of Limerick was for me. As I always had a keen interest in Business/Engineering, I was aware of the direction that I wanted to take but was still unsure of the exact course. When I saw Technology Management it appealed to me greatly as it offers a broad range of both Business and Engineering subjects and enables the student to develop both the skills and knowledge needed for any industry.

As Technology Management is a hands-on course, it is of great interest to me as it involves numerous projects both individually and in groups making it not only beneficial, but interactive and fun. Year one offers a wide mix of these subjects allowing the student to develop an insight into the core modules and potentially decide what path they may decide to take in the future. Throughout the 4-year period, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Supply Chain, Lean Management, Project Management and New Product Development. Before undertaking this course I had never studied any of these areas, but I now know that this is the path I would like to take when progressing my career.

I completed my Co-Op in the Supply Chain Department in a pharmaceutical industry called NorthStar Healthcare in Co. Cork.  NorthStar Healthcare is a wholly owned subsidiary of McKesson and a leading supplier of generic pharmaceutical drugs. This experience gave me the opportunity implement the skills and knowledge that I had learned in lectures and labs into a real industry. My main daily tasks included production planning, issuing purchase orders, creating scorecards as well as working on various projects throughout my time there. I also got the opportunity to work closely with the Technical Support and Logistics Department as well as being part of the Agile team. The skills that I have learned throughout the 4 years of this course had contributed immensely to the progression of my career.

Claire O'Dwyer

When I was applying for University, I found it extremely difficult to narrow down my CAO choices. I chose Technology Management as it combined all the areas that I wished to study into one. The course appeared to be more extensive than a standard business or IT degree.  I felt well suited to the degree as I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving as well as more practical and scientific based subjects. I loved that the course was aimed at people who have a broad range of interests and skills.

The selection of topics is diverse, and I liked modules from both the engineering and business streams. I found subjects like CAD, Simulation Modelling, Financial Accounting and Lean Thinking to be highly beneficial and applicable to various industries. Most projects and assignments are relevant to industry and several require field trips and research. It was a relief to feel prepared and confident when going out on work experience.

For my elective I chose to study Environmental Management, this was highly advantageous to me on my Co-op in Teagasc, where I worked on an Agricultural research project. I found the choice of electives to be very helpful in choosing what area I wanted to work in. Overall, I feel the course broadens career opportunities and gives insight into businesses of all styles and sizes. When I graduate, I would love to pursue a job in Project or Service Management.