Tell me about DCU
– DCU has around 11,750 students in total, with almost 8,000 students studying at undergraduate level.
– DCU has just been ranked for the second year running among the world's top 50 universities in a new league table of the world's young universities (less than 50 years old). The only university in Ireland to be featured, DCU has risen from 46th to 40th place in the influential QS World University Rankings which list the next generation of leading universities, all established since 1963.
Why change to DCU?
– DCU was the first Irish university to introduce a graduate attributes initiative, "Generation 21", which encourages students to develop their personal skills in addition to their academic qualifications.
– DCU students have won a number of major national competitions this year. The most recent was the Enactus Ireland Social Enterprise competition for third-level institutions which DCU won for the second year in a row. Their project, HeadstArts, offers drama, dance and art workshops for people with intellectual disabilities.
– DCU is the only university to have INTRA work placements as part of its degree programme.
Interesting fact about DCU
DCU is the first and still the only university in Ireland to give credit for extra-curricular activities. Called the Uaneen Module, students who take part in any activity which can include charity work, sport, drama, fashion, etc will be awarded credits that are included in the final degree parchment.
What's changed since I filled out my CAO form?
DCU has introduced two new degrees which are coming on stream in autumn 2013:
- The BA degree (DC251-DC280) covers areas such as current affairs, the workings of government, communications and the media, politics, law and culture, including the opportunity to study a foreign language – French, German, Spanish, Japanese or Chinese.
- The BSc in Computational Problem Solving and Software Development is the first of its kind and is aimed at students with interest in computer programming and ICT.
What's the advice from DCU?
To help students who are in a dilemma, DCU has introduced a common entry programme in the three areas of science, engineering and mathematics. This works as follows. Students who have a particular interest in science can take the common entry route (DC201) which will allow them to sample the three subject areas of physics, biology and chemistry for one year, before making their choice of which degree programme to follow. They will then have a suite of nine degrees to choose from including pharmaceutical science, astronomy horticulture, cell biology and biomedical sciences.
Most popular courses 2012?
The BA in Communications, the BA in Journalism, the BS in Business Studies, BSc in Sports Science and Health
DCU in three words
Exciting, energetic, stimulating.
