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Universities in Ireland

Dublin City University

Dublin
Dublin City University was established in 1975 at the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. DCU enrols more than 7000 undergraduate, graduate and research students with an academic staff of over 500. DCU’s campus has an InterFaith Centre, a medical centre, counselling corner and a disability service centre. There is also a Dublin City University Language Services & a Clinic, which are operated by DCU. DCU comprises of four main academic units: School of Education, School of Humanities & Social Science, School of Computing and School of Engineering. DCU has state of the art research facilities... See full description.

Dublin Institute of Technology

Dublin, Ireland
Dublin Institute of Technology started its operations in 1992 in Dublin, Ireland. DIT is divided into 6 academic units: Applied Arts, Built Environment, Business, Engineering, Science and Tourism & Food. DIT provides educational services from certificate level to doctorate level. The school holds pride in having the only National Optometry Centre (NOC) in the whole of Ireland. NOC provides clinical training for DIT Optometry students, who focus their attention in the fields of paediatrics, low vision and contact lenses. In 2010 the Sunday Times named DIT as the “Best Institute of... See full description.

Export Edge Business College

Dublin, Ireland
Export edge is a training and consultancy company based in Dublin, Ireland. Operating since 1992, they are believed to create ideologies and strategies to promote the growth of various companies’ international businesses. They have been operating for over 20 years now offering short corporate and national certificate courses. Their teachers and training staffs include about 8 professional lecturers with a couple of supporting personnel. Export edge also works on business solutions for companies in the fields of finance, goods transportation safety, international trade, etc. Export edge... See full description.

Griffith College Dublin

Dublin, Ireland
Griffith College is a prestigious university located in Dublin, Ireland. The college offers advanced education to students from every walk of life with over 1400 foreign students from more than 75 countries studying here. Courses taught here are from such areas as Accountancy, Computing, Business, Graduate courses, Journalism, Design, Law and Media etc. The college awards both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to students and boasts of having highly qualifies lecturers teaching in fully furnished classrooms with highly advanced facilities and teaching materials. Griffith College has... See full description.

Hamilton Institute

Kildare, Ireland
Hamilton Institute is a research center in National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth, and was opened in November 2001. The school offers postgraduate courses with the aim of providing excellent education to all students irrespective of their nationalities. Scholarship opportunities are provided for all postgraduate courses both to European and International students. The institute awards both Master’s (MSc) and Doctorate (PhD) degrees to professionals in their respective fields of specialization. The department providing postgraduate (PhD) education in the area of Network... See full description.

Infinity Business College

Dublin, Ireland
Infinity Business College is an independent institution for the provision of further education. Established to provide quality education at an affordable price range, we offer a wide range of academic, professional and vocational qualifications in Business, Management, Information Technology, Travel and Hospitality, Accountancy and the English language. IBC endeavours to provide a holistic experience for our overseas students and make their stay in Ireland a happy and fulfilling experience. We assist in familiarization, local accommodation and home-stay. Students work in an... See full description.

UCD Drama Studies Centre

Dublin, Ireland
Founded in 1854 by John Henry Newman, University College Dublin (UCD), home to the UCD Drama Studies Center, is one of Europe's leading research-intensive universities. At UCD, undergraduate education, master's and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement all come together to form a dynamic spectrum of activity. Today UCD is Ireland's largest and most diverse university with over 30,000 students, drawn from approximately 124 countries around the world. It actively promotes university life as a journey of intellectual and personal discovery through its ... See full description.

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

Blackrock, Ireland
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is located in Blackrock in Dublin, Ireland, and is considered to be one of the best business schools not only in Ireland, but also in the world. It is one of few institutions worldwide holding triple accreditation from the US, Europe, and UK accrediting bodies. The school offers MBA, master’s, doctoral studies, and executive education programs that aim to produce the business leaders of the future generation. The main campus boasts outstanding facilities, fully supporting postgraduate education aims and research, but there is a distance... See full description.

Warnborough College (Ireland)

Dublin, Ireland
The school is part of the Warnborough Colleges brand, which started in 1973 with the establishment of Warnborough College in Oxford, UK. The Irish branch is the one providing distance learning to students, and was founded in 1997. It is now a private, independent institution, providing customized learning opportunities to students all over the world. The institution adheres to a formal Quality Management System and constantly strives to meet students’ requirements. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees are offered by the institution, together with a Muslim World Studies... See full description.

Universities in Ireland by City:

BlackrockCarlowCorkDublinKildareLimerick

About universities in Ireland

Higher education in Ireland is overseen by the Irish Ministry of Education and Skills and is mostly free of cost for all Irish citizens and for those studying abroad from countries belonging to the European Union.  There are nearly 40 public institutions of higher learning in the country, and while tuition is not charged, students do have to pay fees for things such as books, examinations and certain student services.  English, the official language of Ireland, is the language of instruction in all but a few of these institutions, with Irish serving as the instruction language in most of the other schools.

The higher education system in Ireland is made up of universities and colleges, offering undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education in a variety of academic and professional disciplines.  Currently there are seven universities in Ireland and approximately 35 colleges and technical institutions.  In recent years, the structure of education at these institutions has been transformed in accordance with the Bologna Process, an educational reform measure aimed at standardizing the credit and degree structure in all universities throughout the European Union.  Under this system, each academic year for full-time students now equates to 60 credits or ECTS.

Also part of the Bologna Process reform was a restructuring of the degree system.  As a result of these changes, Ireland now has three degree levels:  the (academic) Bachelor degree, spanning three years (180 credits) in duration; the Master’s Degree, which normally takes an additional two years (120 credits) to complete; and the Doctorate or PhD degree, which can span anywhere from 3-5 years.  At the undergraduate level, students may also pursue a Professional Bachelor degree, a four-year program (240 credits) usually in a vocational or professional discipline, rather than in a specific academic area of study.

Many of the colleges in Ireland are linked directly to the country’s major universities, such as the University of Limerick and Dublin City University, both of which have satellite campuses or colleges that fall directly under the purview of those universities.  Other colleges are overseen by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC).  Most of these schools offer education in only a select number of fields, such as teaching, technology, or other professional or vocational disciplines.  Schools overseen by HETAC have the authority to grant degrees, diplomas and certificates under the name of each specific college, while the schools overseen by the country’s universities usually grant awards under the university name.

Because entry into Ireland’s seven universities is mostly free of cost, the admission process is fairly rigid and cpmpetitive.  Unlike the admittance process in other countries, students in Ireland do not apply to a specific university.  Instead, enrollment requests are sent to Ireland’s Central Application Office, which grants admission into the universities according to scores earned on the secondary Leaving Certificate Examination.  Students applying from other EU countries are similarly granted admission according to the exit examinations from their home countries.   Students who are granted tentative admittance must also show proficiency in English (or Irish for schools in which the language of instruction is Irish) and mathematics prior to being granted full entry.  Certain institutions also require fluency in at least one other European language (Spanish, French, etc.) as an admission requirement.

Once a student is admitted to one of Ireland’s universities and chooses a subject or area of study in which to focus their education, they may also be required to take and pass an entrance examination for that particular degree program.  A student wishing to major in mathematics, for example, would usually have to take an exam to show proficiency in mathematics-related areas, such as advanced algebra, trigonometry, and/or secondary school-level calculus.

In five of Ireland’s universities, students are permitted to choose their major after their first year of study—an advantage known as “omnibus entry” for students who are still trying to decide where they will ultimately focus their studies.  At the remaining two universities, students must name a certain category in which they plan to major, such as the sciences, social sciences or arts and humanities.  Then, in their junior or senior year they must narrow down their choice to a specific area of study, such as biology, sociology, or fine arts.

Most of the colleges in Ireland, where admission is not as competitive, allow open enrollment, in which students are free to pursue their general education requirements before choosing a major area of study in their junior year.