Bachelor of Science in Technology Management

Chloe Boyle

I chose UL as it has an extremely high academic reputation, and it also has an extremely wide variety of courses to chose from. I was interested in this course initially as I had always been interested in Business in secondary school and I was extremely interested in day-to-day technology and engineering. However, I had never studied technology or engineering subjects in school. After researching about Technology Management and seeing how it was such an inclusive course, I decided it would help me to further my interests.

At first, I was extremely apprehensive about the course and how much of the course I would comprehend not having completed any engineering subjects before. I met with Alan, our course director, and he assured me that as long as I kept up to date with lectures and lab’s I would be well able for the course and he was right, as all of the modules are thought at a beginner’s level and extra assistance is available if needed. The course consists of a mixture of engineering and business. My favorite modules were Manufacturing Technology, Decision Support Tools, Drawing and CAD and Lean thinking and Lean Tools. These modules were my favorite as they gave a great mix of hands learning, such as in Manufacturing technology, to switching it up to classroom-based learning.

I really enjoyed meeting all the people in my course. We have done many activities together as a class. We have gotten the opportunity to visit facilities such as Lufthansa and Zimmer Biomet. This allowed us to see how Lean thinking and Lean tools is incorporated in the companies’ day-to-day activities, it also gave us an insight into what our future careers could possibly look like, it was because of these excursions and seeing the work that was being completed on a daily basis, that I knew I had chosen the right course for me.

I was lucky enough to secure my Co-Op in Johnson and Johnson. It is a medical device company that manufactures contact lenses on a daily business. During my placement, I was placed in the Engineering Department as a Manufacturing Engineer. I worked as a team as well as doing mostly lone work due to Covid-19. Some of the projects I worked on was the installation of a new manufacturing line, Line 38, including assisting with all the testing that goes a long with it, and

doing obsolescence for my department (3GT). As well as doing other daily projects throughout placement. I learned many skills while working in J&J such as communication skills, teamwork skills, organizational skills, and IT skills. I was also lucky enough to complete my Final Year Project in conjunction with Johnson and Johnson. My Final year was based on a daily issue that occurs in Johnson and Johnson known as 512IDR mismatches.

Leane Hickey

I completed my Leaving Certificate at 17 so I was particularly uncertain as to what path would be well suited to me. Having three older brothers who went to Dublin, Cork and Galway for university, I was adamant to take my direction somewhere new. Everything about UL interested me, the courses on offer, the availability of accommodation and the convenient transport systems in place for students. The day I moved to Limerick was actually my first time ever in the county! Despite this, the reputation and overall atmosphere that surrounds UL made me feel comfortable from day one.

Technology Management appealed to me for so many reasons. The course offered a variety of subjects I did not see anywhere else as a prospective student. The collection of modules are exciting and diverse, giving us an insight into areas ranging from Project Management to Marketing. The confinement to one area for four years was incredibly daunting to me when I was deciding on a third level course. Technology Management is not restricted to one classification of subjects, students have the opportunity to find their feet and grow interests as they learn.

The course gradually builds a strong set of skills and knowledge. Each semester there is a well-judged assortment of modules that are built on throughout the four years. Through the years I have really enjoyed the Manufacturing and Operations modules which are reflected in my Cooperative Education placement. The Supply Chain Design module in third year solidified my interests in the area and I had finally found something I was interested in pursuing beyond university. Finally, the elective choice made in third year gives students the opportunity to focus in on a subject area for their final three semesters which was hugely beneficial.

The biggest highlight of Technology Management to me is the gradual learning element. Rather then being overwhelmed with a huge amount of information squeezed into one module, my knowledge was built on continuously in a way that I retained information well. The application of what we were learning in classes and labs to real world situations gave me a realistic perspective of the manufacturing sector. Modules led by Sean Moore were highly engaging and involved site visits to relevant organizations such as Zimmer Biomet and Lufthansa Technik in Shannon.

I acted as an Operations Intern to the Manufacturing Operations Manager at Cook Medical. The entire experience was beneficial to my understanding of the manufacturing industry and the workplace itself. I had the opportunity to work with individuals who were respected professionals as well as constructive mentors. Cooperative Education allowed me to apply my classroom learning to real life situations and the knowledge I have taken from the placement is invaluable. The entire concept of work placement during a degree is what makes choosing UL an obvious decision, it is a students first step into the professional world in a practical manner where they have great supports surrounding them. Following placement, I completed my Final Year Project on a Cook Medical problem which allowed me to carry out research on an area I understood and was interested in.

The student life at UL exceeded my expectations. I made memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. The presence of facilities such as the Sports Arena and student bars and restaurants cultivated a university culture around campus. When I had settled into student life I began to volunteer at the Regional Writing Centre and really enjoyed it. I was able to interact with a subject I have always been passionate about in unison with pursuing a technology-based degree.

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.

Lisa Ruddle

I was initially attracted to UL’s picturesque campus, offering so many facilities. I was also delighted to have the opportunity to study in my local area.

I studied both DCG (Design & Communication Graphics) and Economics for my Leaving Certificate, I really enjoyed both subjects and so I wasn’t sure what route I wanted to go down. This course gave me the opportunityto explore both the technical/engineering and business opportunities. After researching further into it, the 100% employment rate associated with this course sealed the deal.

The course is essentially a course built for industry. There are modules reflecting the various departments you would find in Manufacturing companies in any industrial estate around the world. This opens up a multitude of career opportunities for you! It would be difficult to choose a favourite module as they are all so different, personally, I preferred the hands-on software/coding (such as SolidWorks and Excel VBA coding) and lab work (wiring a conveyor belt and constructing our own tools from metal).

My time on co-op really tied the course together for me. From studying how the individual departments work in theory and then seeing first-hand each of the modules/departments come together to produce and ship the product for market. My placement was for 9 months in Regeneron, a large bio-pharmaceutical company, as a Supply Operations Intern. This was in the Supply Chain department. The role focused on tasks in Batch Disposition (driving shipments through communication) and Order Management. This position allowed me to improve my prioritisation, multitasking, problem solving and interpersonal skills whilst also introducing me to a new database system. 

I really liked how small and close knit our course was. If I was to study some other subjects, I would have 200+ other students in my course, however, Technology Management has a class of 40. This allowed me to get to know my fellow course mates and make friends a lot quicker.