NUI Galway: Study Abroad
Teaching and Research Excellence
NUI Galway has a long and proud tradition of welcoming Study Abroad students.
Established in 1845, the University has over 160 years experience of teaching and research excellence across a wide range of academic disciplines, including the Arts and Humanities, Business, Law, Engineering, Medicine, Nursing and Science.
In recent years, NUI Galway has been extremely successful in developing a number of internationally renowned inter-disciplinary centres of excellence, in areas including Humanities and Social Sciences, Irish Studies, Film and Digital Media, Human Rights, Biomedical Engineering, Semantic Web Technology, Environmental Science and Marine Science. As a result, today NUI Galway attracts leading academics from around the world, whose expertise help ensure that our teaching programmes continue to respond to the ever changing needs of students, employers and the wider society.
The University places great emphasis on the quality of teaching at undergraduate level. Our academic staff work continuously on maintaining their teaching skills and our Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching provides training in all of the latest teaching methods, to make learning as stimulating as possible and to integrate the very latest teaching technologies with traditional lectures and seminars.
A Unique Student Experience
NUI Galway's commitment to excellence embraces both the academic and personal development of each student, covering the intellectual, physical, social and cultural domains. To this end, students are actively encouraged to join some of the many clubs and societies on campus, or participate in the hugely popular student volunteering programme, where they can work with a variety of local community organisations.
At NUI Galway, we believe our students benefit from a truly unique experience. We are proud of our reputation as a student-centred University, with staff who are friendly and approachable, and ready to make time for our students.
The University also has an excellent reputation for the provision of care and support services to international students. The International Affairs Office in particular provides a comprehensive advisory, information and support service for students and organises various social and cultural events to help new students adjust and integrate into the life of the University. Our success in this area was demonstrated in the recent International Student BarometerTM study, in which NUI Galway received the highest recommendation score of all the participating Irish universities.
Ireland's Cultural Heart
The unique student experience at NUI Galway owes much to our location in the beautiful west of Ireland. The campus itself is situated on a picturesque 250 acre site on the banks of the River Corrib, just a short stroll from the centre of Galway city.
Galway is one of Europe's most vibrant cities, with students making up 20% of the population. This youthful energy of the city is reflected in the many internationally renowned festivals, music sessions, cultural and sporting events that are hosted in the city every year. In 2008, Galway was ranked the 14th top European destination by travel website, TripAdvisor.
The University's close proximity to Connemara and the Irish-speaking Gaeltact region, provides a uniquely Irish dimension to the campus, one of many factors, which appeals greatly to our Study Abroad students from the USA and Canada.
Academic Structure
College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies
- School of Geography and Archaeology
- School of Humanities
- School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
- School of Education
- School of Psychology
- School of Political Science and Sociology
College of Business, Public Policy and Law
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics
- School of Law
College of Engineering and Informatics
-
School of Engineering and Informatics
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
- School of Medicine
- School of Nursing and Midwifery
- School of Health Sciences
College of Science
- School of Mathematics, Statistics & Applied Mathematics
- School of Natural Sciences
- School of Chemistry
- School of Physics
Research Institutes and Centres
- Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Studies
- Child and Family Research Centre
- Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG)
- Centre for Irish Studies
- Women's Studies Centre
- Irish Centre for Human Rights
- Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC)
- Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI)
- Environmental Change Institute (ECI)
- Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute
- National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (NCBES)
- Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI)
- Social Sciences Research Centre (SSRC)
Service Learning and Volunteering Program
In 2004, NUI Galway became the first non-US based University member of Campus Compact. In Fall 2009 the University is planning to introduce, on a pilot basis, a Service Learning Course designed specifically for Study Abroad Students. This semester long, credit-bearing course, 'Service Learning - Literacy Project for Study Abroad Students', will teach students about literacy, reading awareness and reading strategies. It will involve working on a one-to-one basis with elementary and high school students in homework clubs based in Galway City.
Arts in Action
'Arts in Action' is specially designed for the 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students in the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies. It includes illustrated performances and lectures in all of the art forms. An accessible, ambitious and pleasurable programme, it aims to cultivate awareness of the Creative Arts, where each student will have the possibility for increased engagement in theatre, dance, music, opera, traditional arts, literature, film and circus.
This programme is non credit bearing, however students who attend three or more events and complete two 500 word reflections on two events of their choice, receive a Certificate of Attendance and Participation.
Course Load
The course system at NUI Galway is different from that at North American Universities. A full course load is designated as follows: Full Year: 60 ECTS, Semester: 30 ECTS. Depending on the courses being taken, students can expect to take 5-7 courses. NUI Galway has many years experience working with North American institutions in the matter of credit transfer and course equivalence and can, on request, suggest a system to translate from ECTS to North American credits.
Entry Requirement & Applications
Application must be made using the official application form, available on the NUI Galway website at www.nuigalway.ie/international Applicants are normally required to have completed two full years at university before being admitted and to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).
The Closing Dates for receipt of applications are 30th April for admission for a full academic year or First Semester and 31st October for Second Semester.
Contact Us
Anna Cunningham
Director of the Office for International Affairs
National University of Ireland, Galway
7 Distillery Road
Galway
Ireland