University of Galway

Academics

Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Engineering

At the University of Galway, you'll immerse yourself in a vibrant, diverse, and friendly student community, taking courses alongside local and international students. The University of Galway is a research-intensive institution and has engaged with industry partners in areas such as public policy, biomedical science and engineering, digital humanities, and data analytics. The city of Galway is renowned as a place where arts and culture are celebrated, and the university has established partnerships with some of the key cultural organizations in the region to boost teaching and research in the arts.

Unique study opportunities

In addition to lectures, the service learning course Philosophical Thinking with Children has a practice-based element at a local elementary school.
Tailored to the interests of visiting students, many courses at the College of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Social Sciences explore traditional art forms, Celtic civilization, folklore, and Irish identity.

Language

Language of Instruction: English

Foreign language study available. Notable options: Gaeilge, one of Ireland's official languages. Check host institution catalog for additional offerings.

Courses and Credit

Requirements While Abroad

To successfully complete this program:

Take a full-time course of study: Four to five courses for 25 quarter/16.5 semester UC units per semester.
A total of 50 quarter/33 semester UC units are required per year.
You may take two courses (5 quarter/3.3 semester UC units each) or one course (10 quarter/6.7 semester UC units) per term pass/no pass.

Current Program Courses

The university is home to the faculties of Arts, Celtic Studies, Commerce, Engineering, Law, Medicine, and Science. Strong disciplines available include Anglo-Irish literature, archaeology, biological science, chemistry, ecological/environmental sciences, geology, history, physics, and women’s studies. Some drama courses are available. See the Academic Offerings guide in the Catalog and Resources section for more information on the fields of study that are available at the University of Galway. Courses may be lower or upper division to UC.

Catalogs and resources

Academic Offerings: See an overview of academic offerings at all Irish partner institutions.
Visiting Student Academic Handbook Semester 1 (Fall) and Visiting Student Academic Handbook Semester 2 (Spring): Find courses available to international students.
UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses students have taken on this program. (Note: The number of units has not been updated for all courses.) This is not a current representation of course offerings on this program. Reference the above links to review recent course offerings.
Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location.

Academic culture

Studying abroad in Ireland helps you develop an independent learning style, with strong writing skills and active participation in your own learning.

Introductory courses at an Irish university are comparable to sophomore-level courses in the US.
Second-year courses at Irish universities are often equivalent to upper-division UC level and third-year or fourth-year courses are specialized and demand significant background knowledge.
There is more emphasis on writing and independent reading than at UC.
Differences in teaching style may include less-detailed instructions, fewer in-class sessions (except science classes), and fewer in-term assessments.
Many courses are taught with lectures and seminars.Lecture class sizes can be quite large while seminar groups are smaller.
Faculty (called lecturers) don't often hold office hours, but welcome individual questions and are eager to help visiting students.
Final grades depend heavily—and sometimes fully—on the final exam.
UCEAP participants aren't allowed to retake exams (called re-sits), and exam dates are not flexible.

Grades

You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework. Grades for the fall semester are typically available late March. Grades for the spring semester are typically available late July or early August.

Tip: If you intend to put yourself on your campus degree list for graduation while on UCEAP, consult your campus advisors before departure about possible delays in the degree verification process.