WIT is the major provider of higher education in the South East region of Ireland and one of the largest IOT's in Ireland. The Institute's range and scope reflect the changing needs of the southeast as well as the country as a whole. The range of academic programmes is exceptionally extensive, ranging from Higher Certificate right through to post-doctoral research and covering the Humanities, Health and Nursing, Science and Informatics, Engineering and Architecture, Business and Education. Waterford Institute of Technology is one of the largest institutes of technology in Ireland. It was established as a Regional Technical College in 1970, and was the first to be awarded Institute of Technology status in 1998. Over the period of this process, and as a result of an international quality review, the Institute was granted delegated authority by the National Council for Educational Awards to confer its own Certificates and Diplomas.The Institute now confers its own awards at all levels from Higher Certificate to PhD, subject to standards set and monitored by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) which was established by the Government in June 2001, under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999.