Atlantic Technological University

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) came into being on 1 April 2022, when Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Sligo and Letterkenny Institute of Technology were dissolved and merged into a single technological university. It was formally opened on 4 April 2022 in Sligo, creating university campuses in counties Donegal, Sligo, Galway and Mayo for the first time.

Eight campuses and research centres now serve around 30,600 students, supported by roughly 2,250 staff and more than 600 programmes that run from apprenticeships to doctoral study. Design is taught in the School of Creative Industries, part of the Faculty of Design, Education and Social Science, where learning happens in studios, workshops and digital labs, with portfolios built on projects from real creative practice.

Teaching is practice-oriented and built with employers through work placements, applied projects and professional partnerships, while research in design, media and creative education supports knowledge exchange at regional, national and international level. A further 350-plus online and postgraduate courses span Level 6 certificates to Level 9 master’s degrees.

Its mission centres on the economic, social and cultural development of Ireland’s west, northwest and cross-border areas, with international research collaborations and placements abroad for students.