Ireland is a small but beautiful country located in Europe. It has become a popular study destination for international students, thanks to its friendly people and affordable cost of living.
As part of Ireland’s history and culture, there are many top universities in Ireland that offer high quality education at an affordable price. Here are 10 of the best universities to study masters degrees in Ireland!
1. Dublin City University (DCU)
Dublin City University (DCU) is the largest university in Ireland, with over 20,000 students from all over the world. The university was founded in 1854 as an evening institute for members of Dublin’s working-class community. Its current name was adopted in 1989 and since then it has grown to become one of Ireland’s most prestigious universities.
The DCU campus consists of two main locations: Glasnevin and Tallaght. There are also smaller campuses at Crumlin Road Gaol and St James Hospital which offer a range of courses including music therapy and forensic science degrees.
2. Maynooth University
Maynooth University is a university in the Republic of Ireland, located in the town of Maynooth, County Kildare. Founded as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) by statute on 6 November 1946 and given its first government grant on 13 July 1947, it was officially opened on 10 October 1948 when HRH The Princess Elizabeth officially opened St Patrick’s College Chapel.
It became fully independent under the Universities Act 1997 from 4 December 1999 when it ceased to be an associated constituent college within Trinity College Dublin (TCD). It is one of three universities that are governed under the Universities Act 1997 along with TCD and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
3. University College Dublin
University College Dublin (UCD) is a research-led university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland’s largest university, with over 30,000 full-time students and nearly 265 doctoral students.
The University was founded in 1854 as a Catholic university under the auspices of the Holy See and was modeled on similar institutions at Louvain (Leuven), Belgium. The Universities Act 1997 renamed it a “National University”, changing its title to the “University College Dublin”.
4. Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I under the name “The Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin.” It is currently Ireland’s only university to have been founded by Royal Charter, which means it has a special legal status within the country.
Trinity College Dublin is also a member of The Irish Universities Association (IUA), which brings together all seven universities throughout Ireland to work towards common goals for research, teaching and internationalization.
5. National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway
NUI Galway is one of Ireland’s premiere universities and offers a wide range of degree programs. The university has 17 colleges and institutes which offer over 100 programs at undergraduate level and 180 postgraduate courses across 14 faculties.
The college offers a wide variety of courses in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and veterinary science; law; business studies; engineering or architecture; science or mathematics; languages (English & French) literature & history; and philosophy & theology!
6. Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT)
Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) is a technological university located in Athlone, Ireland. It was established as a university in 1999 and focuses on applied technologies and engineering.
There are three campuses for this university: one in Riverstown, one in Shannon, and one in Dublin. The Riverstown campus is the original campus which has been used since 1908 to teach engineering. This class was moved from Dublin to Athlone because of its location near major rail links between Dublin and Galway city that could help students get back home after class if needed!
7. National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM)
NUI Maynooth is a research-led university with a strong international reputation. It is also the largest university in Ireland.
It has been ranked among the top 10 universities in Ireland and has been consistently ranked as one of the top three universities to study business and finance in Ireland by QS Global 250 2018 World Rankings.
NUIM is also a member of Universitas 21, an international network comprising 23 leading universities from 22 countries across four continents.
8. Technological University Dublin (TUD)
If you want to study in Ireland, TUD is an excellent choice. TUD is one of the seven universities in Ireland. It was established in 2007 and it has only been around for 10 years at this point so it’s still a relatively young university.
TUD emphasizes technology as a core component of its degree programs, which means that if you’re interested in studying technology-related subjects such as physics or computer science then this might be an ideal place for you!
9. Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)
Waterford Institute of Technology is a third-level institution in Waterford, Ireland. It was founded by an act of parliament in 1970 as the Regional Technical College under the then Minister for Education and Science, Dr Garret FitzGerald who later became Taoiseach. The college was established to meet the needs of technical education on a regional basis so as to provide opportunities for local people.
WIT has grown significantly since its inception and now boasts more than 9,000 students studying across its campuses in Waterford City and Wexford town as well as through its extensive online courses provided by WIT eLearning Center (WELC).
10. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
RCSI is a private medical school in Ireland. It was founded in 1784 as the first medical school in Ireland, and is located on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin City Center. RCSI is a member of the Association of MBBS Colleges of the UK and Ireland (AMCUKI), which represents all British and Irish medical schools; it also participates in initiatives such as EUROMED-NET, which involves collaboration between universities across Europe.
RCSI has been consistently ranked among the top medical schools for research since its foundation, including being ranked number two by QS World University Rankings 2019.
Also, Read “The Bucket List: 29 Best Things To Do In Ireland As A Student”
Conclusion
There are many universities in Ireland, and we hope that this list has given you some ideas about which one might be the best fit for your needs. If you’re not sure where to start your search, we recommend using our ranking system as a guide.
However, there are other factors that will affect the quality of education at any given university – things like location, class size and faculty credentials matter too!
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