Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (Irish: Institúid Teicneolaíochta na Gaillimhe-Maigh Eo) is a third level institute of education and is based at five locations in the west of Ireland. GMIT was founded in 1972 as Regional Technical College Galway. In 1975 the first bachelor's degree course was approved at a regional technical college, and by May 1977 the first degrees were conferred, a BA in Hotel and Catering Management. In the 1980s it developed partnerships with other educational providers in the region including the Franciscan Agricultural College, Mountbellew and Connemara West in Letterfrack. In 1994 it opened a campus at Castlebar, Co. Mayo and at Cluain Mhuire in Galway city. Galway RTC like other regional technical colleges gained autonomy in 1992. In 1997 the college was renamed Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.[