Nui Maynooth University

HISTORY

The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) (Irish: Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It is Ireland’s youngest university as it was founded by the Universities Act, 1997 from the secular faculties of the now separate St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, which was founded in 1795. Maynooth is also the only university town in Ireland.

The university consists of two connected campuses; an older south campus with 19th century buildings, shared with St Patrick’s College, and a modern north campus, occupying circa 100 acres (0.40 km²). With over 12,000 students enrolled in the college and over 800 staff from over 20 different countries, it is Ireland’s smallest, yet fastest growing university. In 2009, NUI Maynooth was listed as a Top500 university in the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. The 2012 QS World University Rankings puts NUIM in the 501-550 bracket worldwide. In 2008 it was named Sunday Times University of the Year. In 2011, NUI Maynooth became the first and only institution outside of North America to be included in The Princeton Review of Best Colleges. Most recently, in 2016, NUI Maynooth was ranked 651-700 in the QS World University Rankings. It also has the highest proportion of university participation in Ireland of mature students (16%) and access students (22%).

The university and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth have a common history from 1795 to 1997. The college in Maynooth was established by the government as a college for Catholic lay and ecclesiastical students in 1795, the lay college was based from 1802 in Riverstown House on the south campus, with the opening of Clongowes Wood, the lay college which had lay trustees was closed in 1817 and it functioned solely as a Catholic seminary for almost 150 years. In 1876 the college became a constituent college of the Catholic University of Ireland, and later offered Royal University of Ireland degrees in arts and science. The Pontifical Charter was granted to the college in 1896.

The college became a recognised constituent college of the National University of Ireland in 1910. From this time, arts and science degrees were awarded by the National University of Ireland, while the Pontifical University of Maynooth continued to confer its own theology degrees, as these had been prohibited in the Royal University of Ireland, and continued to the National University of Ireland (its successor) until 1997.

In 1966 the college allowed again the entry of lay students; this greatly expanded the college and essentially set the foundation stone for the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. In 1997 the Universities Act resulted in the transfer of the faculties of arts, Celtic studies, philosophy and science of the recognised college of St Patrick’s College to the new university. The university has also expanded into finance and engineering since its creation in 1997. In 2007 the university added business studies, followed by law in 2008.

Any person who was a student at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and was conferred with a National University of Ireland degree prior to the creation of the university, is legally considered a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

COURSES

The university is divided into three faculties:

• Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy
• Science and Engineering
• Social Sciences, with most students studying within one of these streams (although some cross-discipline courses are available)

The faculties are further divided into various schools and departments.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have completed a high school qualification equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate prior to entry. Specific requirements vary per course, please see the Maynooth website for more details.

All tuition is in English. International applicants who do not speak English as a first language must provide evidence of English language ability via an IELTS minimum score of 5.5. Maynooth runs the Intensive English Summer Programme, a 7 week refresher course for international students about to embark on a course of study at Maynooth.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

Maynooth University offers just over 60 full-time undergraduate courses across the following faculties: Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy; Faculty of Social Sciences; and the Faculty of Science & Engineering.

Despite its age Maynooth already ranks within the world top 600 according to the QS World University Rankings 2015-16.

Maynooth is particularly well renowned for its Arts tuition.

TEACHING STANDARDS

UI Maynooth is committed to sustaining standards of academic excellence across its programmes, and to ensuring that students are brought to the forefront of learning in their disciplines. It is committed to this strategy for Teaching and Learning, which is underpinned by the following core principles:

• Research-led Teaching: The University is committed to ensuring that the teaching in all its programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels is provided by a community of active researchers and professionals
• Student Centred Learning: NUI Maynooth is committed to placing the student at the centre of the learning process. It is committed, therefore, to providing an enriching learning environment for its students where intellectual exploration and development are mirrored in the opportunities for participation in the social, aesthetic and civic life of the University
• Flexible Lifelong Learning: The University is committed to preparing the learner for a life of learning, not solely for a terminal qualification.
• Inclusiveness: The University welcomes the increasing diversity of the student body and is committed to a dynamic access programme, embodying distinct strategic objectives regarding the participation of groups that may be disadvantaged by age, socio-economic background, disability or ethnicity.
• Dialogue: In line with its commitment to innovation and participation in its approaches to teaching, NUIM will continue to develop its structures to support a culture of active and ongoing staff-student dialogue throughout the University.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

At Maynooth University, the Career Development Centre provides a service that is student-focussed, professional and informative. Whether the student are visiting the help-desk to ask questions, attending their Career Talks or Employer presentations, helping yourself to Free take-away literature, using the computers in the Career Development Centre Information Room for assessment tests/careers work or talking with them in a one-to-one meeting, they are happy to assist the student and work with it as progress through the steps in discovering their career.