Course Summary
The course teaches students computing fundamentals, complemented with detailed knowledge, problem-solving and specialised technical skills required for analysing, designing and developing technical software solutions.
College Link
Career Sectors
This course prepares you for working in the Career Sectors below. Follow the links to get a fuller understanding of the sectors you are preparing for.
Entry Requirements
A level 8 degree or its equivalent in a non-cognate discipline. Non-standard applications will be also considered on an individual basis. The College operates a Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) scheme meaning applicants who do not meet the normal academic requirements may be considered based on extensive relevant work and other experience. This may be assessed using a portfolio of learning, demonstration of work produced, interview, and assessment. Non-Englishspeaking applicants must demonstrate fluency in English evidenced by an IELTS academic score of at least 6.0 or equivalent.
Laptop Requirement
This programme has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. Specifically, students are expected to successfully participate in lectures, laboratories and projects using a laptop computer with a substantial hardware configuration. A suitable configuration is 8GB of RAM (16GB are recommended); a modern 64-bit x86 processor (Intel i5 or superior); 250+ GB of available space in hard disk; WiFi card; and a recent version of Ubuntu, macOS or Windows. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their laptop is functioning correctly and that they have full administrator rights to the machine. NCI IT does not provide support for personal devices. Some students may be able to avail of the Student Laptop Loan Scheme, subject to eligibility.
Application Details
Application: Apply online at www.ncirl.ie
Part-time
Start Date Sept 2025
Full-time
Start Date Sept 2025 and Jan 2026
Fees
€4,900. (Fees revised annually).
The Student
Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests. If these interests do not describe you, this course may prepare you for work you may not find satisfying.
Investigative
The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.
Linguistic
The Linguistic's interests are usually focused on ideas and information exchange. They tend to like reading a lot, and enjoy discussion about what has been said. Some will want to write about their own ideas and may follow a path towards journalism, story writing or editing. Others will develop skills in other languages, perhaps finding work as a translator or interpreter. Most Linguistic types will enjoy the opportunity to teach or instruct people in a topic they are interested in.
Career Progression
The Higher Diploma in Science in Computing is awarded by QQI at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Students who successfully complete this course may be eligible to progress to a major award at level 9 on the NFQ.
As graduates from other disciplines and with work experience, learners will have life skills and experiences that they bring with them on to the programme and into a new subject domain. Therefore, they are eligible for a number of roles. They could work in positions that are in-line with their skills but in the lCT sector or apply lCT knowledge gained through this programme to their current role.
Graduates may also avail of entry-level lCT-related positions, depending on the selected stream, such as software developer; DevOps engineer; application developer; entry-level cybersecurity engineer; cybersecurity tester; computer forensics examiner; software tester; front-end developer, web developer.
Duration
Part-Time (1-Year) 3 semesters delivered over 1 calendar year.
Delivery
Blended - Livestream with some on-campus stream classes, scheduled in advance.
Indicative Timetable
Three evenings per week, 18.00 - 22.00.
Full-time Schedule
Full-Time (1-Year) 3 semesters delivered over 1 calendar year.
Delivery
Campus: Classes will take place face-to-face on campus.
Indicative Timetable
Students need to be available 09.00-18.00 Mon – Fri. (Class days and times can vary)