Students who have paid over €4,000 for a Masters in music technology course have claimed the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) is running the course in a "shambolic and unprofessional" fashion.
The seven students have been without a course head since last November and say the course "is being run into the ground".
A DIT spokeswoman stressed that the college was not neglecting the course and it hoped an appointment would be made soon.
The one-year Masters in music technology is aimed at graduates with an interest in the recording industry, radio, television and other technological areas.
The course was due to start on September 22nd, but did not begin until October 7th. Three weeks later, the course director, Dr Paul McGettrick left the Conservatory to work in Dundalk IT. The students said the college authorities did not tell the students about his departure until October 31st, the day before he left. In December, DIT advertised for a lecturer in music technology/computer music. The DIT spokeswoman said it was hoped that interviews would be held shortly. "That's no good to us," one student said. "The course is nearly finished by now."
The students paid €4,136 (including the €670 capitation fee) for the course which had cost significantly less in previous years because it was funded under the Graduate Skills Conversion Programme. However, the college could not avail of the scheme this year as it was not in operation.
The students wrote to the director of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Dr Ellen Hazelkorn on November 4th last to express their "dismay" at a number of issues.
"Given that the course was already short one full time lecturer prior to Paul's departure, the current situation, where we have no full-time lecturer and course head, is totally unacceptable. As we are paying full fees, we demand that a full-time music technology lecturer be appointed before Christmas 2002," the students wrote.
However, they did not receive a response for three months. On February 4th, Dr Hazelkorn wrote that the college would be "interviewing shortly" for a replacement for Dr McGettrick.
The head of academic affairs, Ms Bríd Grant has been acting as a temporary caretaker for the course in conjunction with a colleague, but students have complained that this is not enough.
They arrived back to college after the Christmas break without a timetable for the new semester. They received no lectures on that first day. "We just hung around waiting, wondering would anyone turn up," said one student. "We don't know what is going on."
One student called to Dr Hazelkorn's office once a week for four weeks in an attempt to raise these issues but never got further than her secretary.
The DIT spokeswoman said the college understood the students' concerns about the lack of a course head, but said the issue had arisen at a time of financial constraints. "The issue is very much in hand now," she said. "The students are not being forgotten about."
