As a student who studied Mechanical Engineering at IT Carlow, I have found that the university offers a good balance between practical application as well as academic research. To elaborate, the college does allow students to undertake independent projects while aiding them in their research by advising them, allowing students to operate machinery (Milling machine, pillar drill, lathes, 3D printers etc etc) and providing them with materials. In terms of academic research, the course does cover an extensive range of topics that would be beneficial for real world application (Exp: Solidworks, Finite Element Analysis, Dynamics, PID Control, Mechanics of Machines, PLC programming)