University College Dublin

HISTORY

University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) (Irish: An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a research university in Dublin, Ireland. It has over 1,482 faculty and 32,000 students, and it is Ireland’s largest university. The university originates in a body founded in 1854 with John Henry Newman as the first rector known as the Catholic University of Ireland, re-formed in 1880 and chartered in its own right in 1908. The Universities Act, 1997 renamed the constituent university as the “National University of Ireland, Dublin”, and a ministerial order of 1998 renamed the institution as “University College Dublin – National University of Ireland, Dublin”.

University College Dublin is frequently ranked among the top universities in Europe. There are five Nobel Laureates amongst University College Dublin’s alumni and current and former staff. The 2016 QS World University Rankings ranks UCD #176 worldwide, and puts it in the 151-200 bracket, for graduate employability.

COURSES

The University consists of six colleges, their associated schools (37 in total) and multiple research institutes and centres. Each college also has its own Graduate School, for postgraduates.

List of colleges and their respective schools following restructuring in September 2015:

UCD College of Arts and Humanities

• UCD School of Art History and Cultural Policy
• UCD School of Classics
• UCD School of English, Drama and Film
• UCD School of History
• UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore
• UCD School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
• UCD School of Music

UCD College of Business

• UCD School of Business
• UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business
• UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business

UCD College of Engineering and Architecture

• UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy
• UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering
• UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering
• UCD School of Civil Engineering
• UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
• UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences
• UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science
• UCD School of Medicine
• UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems
• UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
• UCD School of Veterinary Medicine

UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

• UCD School of Archaeology
• UCD School of Economics
• UCD School of Education
• UCD School of Geography
• UCD School of Information and Communication Studies
• UCD School of Law
• UCD School of Philosophy
• UCD School of Politics and International Relations
• UCD School of Psychology
• UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice
• UCD School of Sociology

UCD College of Science

• UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science
• UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science
• UCD School of Chemistry
• UCD School of Computer Science
• UCD School of Earth Sciences
• UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics
• UCD School of Physics

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The basic entry requirements are a grade C or above at GCSE or passes at A-level in six recognised subjects (two of with must be grade C or above at A-level).

Specific courses may have further requirements.

Non-native speakers must provide evidence of proficiency in the English language.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

They will strengthen their disciplines and on these disciplines build multi-disciplinary research and education in areas which reflect UCD’s strengths and which make significant contribution to identified national and international priorities. They will ensure their Colleges and Schools are built around disciplines and they will work to ensure that these disciplines are world-class.

Their students and graduates benefit from a UCD education that enables them to thrive and contribute in an increasingly global community. Their faculty engage in international research collaborations, sharing and contributing to a global bank of knowledge that aims to impact on society. In order to expand their global engagement, they will create a network of UCD Global Centres, each of which will provide a hub of research and education connections for their students, faculty, alumni and partners.

TEACHING STANDARDS

They will build on the work they have already done to establish an approach to education that supports all their students to achieve academic excellence and to equip them with the social, intercultural and generic skills to succeed in a diverse society. To enhance the UCD Horizons modular structure, they will conduct a robust curriculum review of their undergraduate and graduate offerings.

Building on the considerable efficiencies that have already been achieved, they will ensure that their teaching, research and administrative processes and procedures are efficient and fit-for-purpose. They will conduct a comprehensive review of these processes using modern methodologies, and based on this review, they will identify and implement any changes necessary to bring UCD’s processes to a standard of excellence as benchmarked by relevant international comparators. They will develop an implementation and resourcing plan for each of these major initiatives, and report progress against each plan annually. Success will be measured by progress against the key objectives.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

With their Career Development Centre Objectives they aspire to meet the following objectives:

• Be innovative and creative in their development and professional practice, active in planning, predicting and managing change.
• Enable UCD students and Postdoctoral Researchers to develop the self-confidence, skills and competencies required for transition to work and for ongoing career management and professional development and lifelong learning.
• Enhance the educational experience by developing, delivering and constantly improving innovative career development opportunities and professional development.
  Situate their work within relevant theoretical frameworks and models that are robust, fit-for-purpose and internationally recognised.
• Proactively engage with employers and grow the number and range of internship and graduate opportunities and provide UCD with intelligence on the graduate labour market, recruitment and selection trends.
• Provide consultancy and support to the Faculty in curriculum design and enhancement as it relates to career and professional development.
• Develop the capacity, knowledge and skills of the CDC staff to remain relevant, innovative and responsive to technological developments as they apply and are exploited for work purposes.