Universities

There are seven universities in the Republic of Ireland :

University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork

University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin

National University of Ireland, Galway

National University of Ireland, Maynooth

These four universities are the constituent universities of the National University of Ireland which also has three recognised colleges, namely the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, St Angela's College of Education and the National College of Art and Design.

The University of Dublin (Trinity College)

The University of Limerick,

and

Dublin City University.

The Irish university system offers degree programmes - at Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate level - in the humanities, scientific, technological and social sciences, and in the medical area.

In recent years some universities have introduced semesterisation and modularisation of courses, giving greater flexibility to students.

Typically teaching at undergraduate level is by way of a programme of lectures supplemented by tutorials and, where appropriate, practical demonstration and laboratory work.

Masters degrees are usually taken by course work, research work or some combination of both.

Doctoral degrees are awarded on the basis of research. Universities award their own degrees using external examiners to ensure consistency of standards.

The universities also have continuing and some distance education programmes and engage in substantial amounts of research work.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is a statutory body whose functions include the funding of universities and designated third level institutions, the development of third level education to meet the needs of the community and an advisory role in relation to all third level education.