Durham College (DC) and the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) have signed nine articulation agreements to provide new degree pathways for DC students. Graduates of several of the college’s two- and three-year programs will now be able to enter LIT bachelor programs with advanced standing, allowing them to earn a degree in as little as one academic year.

The agreements will provide qualified graduates from DC’s Centre for Food (CFF) and schools of Media, Art & Design (MAD) and Business, IT & Management (BITM) with the opportunity to pursue degrees at LIT including:

• Business Studies with Sports Management – Bachelor of Arts
• Digital Animation Production – Bachelor of Science
• Graphic Design Communication – Bachelor of Arts
• Business Studies with Sport Management – Bachelor of Arts
• Music Technology and Production Bachelor of Science
• Culinary Arts – Bachelor of Arts
• Business  with Enterprise & Innovation – Bachelor of Business
• Business Studies with Event Management – Bachelor of Arts
• Creative Broadcast & Film Production – Bachelor of Science

DC graduates will be able to build on the knowledge and skills acquired through their diploma program while gaining an international experience as they study abroad. LIT is one of the fastest growing degree-granting colleges in Ireland, with over 6,500 students learning across five state-of-the-art campuses in Limerick and Tipperary.

The relationship between the two schools has been growing steadily over the past year. Most recently LIT president Vincent Cunnane visited DC, touring both the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and meeting with faculty members and members of the college’s Academic Leadership Team, including Dr. Elaine Popp, vice-president, Academic; Marianne Marando, executive dean, BITM; and Tony Doyle, associate dean, CFF.

Previously, DC sent five faculty members to LIT for a week of professional development and in February, 22 MAD students traveled to Ireland with another three faculty members. As part of their cross-country trip they visited LIT’s School of Art & Design in Limerick to learn about further education options available to them. The group visited LIT’s Clare Street campus, a refurbished convent and chapel where fine arts bachelor’s degree programs are taught including Painting, Printmaking and Contemporary Practice, Sculpture & Combined Media, and Photography and Lens Based Media.

DC offers students more than 450 academic pathways through agreements with institutions in Ontario, across Canada and around the world.