Semester in Dublin is housed at Dublin City University (DCU). Unlike the academic systems of most Irish universities, when it comes to teaching and learning, DCU’s is loosely based on the American system. Rather than having one or two projects or presentations decide your entire grade, you will have “continual assessment.” That being said, you will have more responsibility for learning material outside of class than you may be used to.
The main subject areas available at DCU: biology, biotechnology, business, chemistry, communication, computer science, economics, engineering, environmental sciences, health, intercultural communication, international relations, journalism, law, nursing, physics, political studies, and sport science.
GPA Required: 3.0. If you find your GPA is lower than the requirement, do not despair! Use the "Contact An Advisor" button on this page or call us to let us know your situation. We'll do all we can to find the right program for you.
How to choose your courses
Now for the fun part! As part of the application process you will be required to complete the CISabroad Course Selection Worksheet found in the CISabroad Application Page. The following instructions will guide you through the steps of choosing your courses.
Course load: 4–5 courses (12–15 US credits)
Course approval: It is best to get 7–8 classes preapproved before you go abroad. This way you will have plenty of classes to choose from and some flexibility in setting up your schedule. You should also consider filling your elective requirements while abroad.
Classes available for study abroad: Only certain classes are open to study abroad students.
Click here to choose from the Fall 2011 list.
Click here to choose from the Spring 2012 list.
Please note that availability is not guaranteed. You will not be registered for your courses at DCU until you arrive in Ireland and go through the university's orientation program.
Class descriptions and catalog: Click here for descriptions of the classes you’ve identified from the list above. Please note that this site contains ALL DCU courses, many of which may not be available for study abroad.
Timetables: See the bottom of each course description. Please keep in mind that 0 = yearlong; 1 = semester 1 (fall semester); 2 = semester 2 (spring semester)
Helpful information
The fall semester runs from September to January. If you want to return home before Christmas break, you should select ONLY courses with 100 percent continuous assessment (CA), which will allow you to finish all assignments before returning home. Most science courses are not available as continual assessment, so you may want to avoid them if you do not wish to stay through January.
XX1XX courses are Level 1, e.g. LG104
XX2XX courses are Level 2, e.g. LG211
XX3XX courses are Level 3, e.g. MG325
XX4XX courses are Level 4, e.g. LC409
You should generally select courses at the 100 and 200 levels. Courses at the 300 level are equivalent to senior-year courses in the US and will have prerequisites, which can be found in the course descriptions.
Programs in Ireland are fairly subject-specific compared to in the US, with each year building on the last. So Level 1 and Level 2 courses in Ireland may be suitable for students at Level 3 or 4 in the US, simply because they lack prior knowledge of the subject area. Level 3 or 4 courses may be too difficult, because prior knowledge is assumed. If you are in your third year, feel free to choose DCU Level 1, 2, or 3 courses; if you are in your second year, stick with Level 1 and Level 2.