IT ALL BEGINS NUI GALWAY Undergraduate Prospectus 2019 3 a Welcome to NUI Galway Your university experience is about more than just your course, its about the next chapter in your life. At NUI Galway we want to build on your passion for learning and encourage and support your desire to develop as a person, to explore new interests and to remain curious. NUI Galway is ranked in the top 1% of global universities* so you can expect to be challenged and inspired. Here is where... you will be given the support, knowledge, skills and self-confidence to achieve your goals and reach your full potential. *(Based on QS World University Rankings) 4 Your University city Imagine a city where learning, creativity and life come together as one. Galway city, nestles on the doorstep of the NUI Galway campus. The city and university have grown together, entwined for hundreds of years, creating a unique, safe and exciting home from home. Galway is a city overflowing with creativity from year-long festivals to the creation of medical device solutions shaping health care across the globe. We’re part of a city with a big heart and soul, that’s alive with passion and pride. Here is where we celebrate the place, the people, and the feeling of inclusivity that makes NUI Galway so unique. 5 Galway is steeped in history: In a recent European survey Galway from medieval streets to modern city was ranked the best small city in thoroughfares, there is so much to Europe for ‘cultural vibrancy’ and for its see and do. A single day could see you ‘creative economy’. hillwalking in rugged Connemara in the Galway is set to become European morning, lazing on the beach in Salthill Capital of Culture in 2020, and already in the afternoon and enjoying the the city and our campus are gearing cultural treasures of medieval lanes at up to celebrate this unique honour in night, while also sampling our unique spectacular fashion. award-winning cafés and restaurants. 6 a Friends for life You will shortly embark on the next exciting chapter of your life. As an NUI Galway student you will be joining a vibrant, caring and close-knit university community. At NUI Galway, community means we have an intensity of ambition that drives us to achieve great things. We work together because we want to succeed together. Community means creating lasting friendships and wonderful memories together. NUI Galway ignites connections that stay with you for life. 7 8 9 Sport at NUI Galway Sport is central to student life at NUI Galway, and our sporting facilities are some of the best of any Irish university. We have fostered national and international champions in rugby, rowing, boxing, swimming, basketball, athletics, windsurfing, climbing and sailing. This year has seen NUI Galway students achieve significant sporting success. • NUI Galway students represented Ireland or Irish university teams in 10 different sports • Our sports clubs won Gold in 12 disciplines at the Intervarsity level • NUI Galway’s teams won All- Irelands in: Athletics, Judo, Rowing, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer, Cricket, and Women’s Rugby. 10 a Our state-of-the-art facilities include: Sports facilities • Six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool NUI Galway’s 6,500 sq. ft. sports complex • National League basketball arena is located on the University campus and is and sports hall ideal for all students as a meeting point for • 100-piece cardiovascular gym with sports activity. • 35 pieces of resistance equipment • Dedicated elite training gym Our athletes have achieved recognition • Two fitness studios in their chosen sports at the Olympic • Squash courts Games, World Championships, University • Racquetball courts World Championships, European • Competitive climbing wall Championships and Rugby Six Nations • Saunas and steam room and as inter-county players in all five Gaelic sports. Our outdoor facilities include: • Eight-lane, synthetic international-standard track • Grass pitches for Gaelic games, soccer and rugby • Flood-lit, all-weather surface catering for all field sports 11 Sports scholarships Your sports clubs We offer a wide range of sport scholarships that reward There are 45 active and vibrant sports clubs at students who are performing at the highest level of their NUI Galway. Joining and participating in a sports sport while also pursuing their academic studies. Our club will provide you with lasting memories of generous sports scholarship packages include financial college life. Clubs at NUI Galway include 27 and medical support, nutritional support and advice and Olympic sports, team sports – both indoor sports psychology, and outdoor – a full range of water sports, and adventure, recreational and snow sports. • Sports Performance Points Scholarships rewards students with exceptional sporting achievement and From rowing to water polo, mountaineering to future potential with 40 CAO Performance Points that scuba-diving, Ultimate Frisbee to five-a-side can be used for entry into undergraduate courses with soccer, there is a club for everyone at NUI Galway. the exception of Medicine (GY501). NUI Galway’s clubs compete at national • The Elite Athlete Scholarship has been one of the most competitions and have enjoyed many successes. successful schemes in the county in supporting young Each year NUI Galway awards a number of Sports talented athletes reaching the top of their sport and Awards which recognise sporting performance, achieving academic excellence. leadership and participation, as well as those who • The Helen M. Moran Scholarship is offered to a student contribute to the running and development of the NUI Galway sports clubs. who has demonstrated a high level of achievement in Gaelic football. Find out more nuigalway.ie/sport 12 World class research At NUI Galway we encourage our students to develop original thinking, push boundaries and participate in finding solutions for global challenges. Our research benefits humanity, society and the economy. We collaborate with research institutions and companies globally in our key areas of strengths which include: harnessing technology, improving human health, nurturing creativity, shaping society and sustaining the planet. Many of our graduates have gone onto become leading researchers in their chosen fields. Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield NUI Galway 13 The Arctic has long held a special fascination for Arctic Circle Exploration Jessamyn who says; It’s such a stark environment: An exciting expedition to the Arctic Circle. brutal and yet full of life and beauty. While I have Nanoscience physicist Dr Jessamyn Fairfield, no desire to freeze to death, I wanted to see the from the School of Physics, was chosen to edge of the world, listen to nature and search for embark on a fascinating two-week Science humanity. The raw and beautiful environment Residency Program, travelling on board the ship of the Arctic Circle is the perfect place to bring Antigua, participating in a program that brought together scientists, artists, and innovators. I together scientists and artists to explore how was delighted to be selected for the expedition, the Arctic and its exploration meet with art, where I worked on a Cerenkov detector made science, architecture, education and activism. from Arctic ice to detect cosmic rays. The expedition travelled around the islands of Jessamyn is also the director of Bright Club in Svalbard between mainland Norway and the North Ireland which encourages academics to discuss Pole. It is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited their work through stand-up comedy. She has run areas, known for its rugged, remote terrain of 23 Bright Club events, teaching academics how glaciers and frozen tundra sheltering polar bears, to use comedy to discuss their work. Jessamyn Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. The Northern writes her own long-standing blog, Let’s Talk Lights are visible during winter, and summer brings About Science, which is a top Google Search the “midnight sun” sunlight 24 hours a day. result for information about electronics. 14 a Building your employability Your career does not just start when you graduate. Through our strong links with business and our highly valued reputation in industry, we offer our students every opportunity to develop their personal and professional skills, providing an excellent foundation from which to launch your career. NUI Galway graduates are successfully employed at high-profile organisations throughout the world, including Facebook, Apple, JP Morgan, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, TG4, RTE and PWC to name but a few. Our dedicated Career Development team offers career guidance and advice to help you manage your own career development. Over 70% of our degree courses now offer a work placement and/or a study abroad opportunity, ensuring that our graduates are workplace ready with a global focus. Our student voluntary service – ALIVE – is the largest student voluntary service in Ireland, providing our students with local, national and international opportunities to hone their skills as change makers and influencers on the global stage. studentvolunteer.ie/nuigalway/ 15 NUI Galway has one of the highest graduate employment rates of any Irish university. In 2017 only 2% of our graduates were still seeking employment six months after graduation. In the academic year 2017/18, 1,150 graduate jobs were advertised with our Career Development Centre, clearly demonstrating robust demand for our graduates across all sectors of the economy. 16 1 10% NUI Galway is now ranked Tá 10% de mhic léinn within the top 200 universities na hOllscoile ag déanamh in the world! staidéir ar an nGaeilge. 98% of our graduates are working Why NUI Galway? within 6 months of graduating 1 11 10% 1 10%10%10% NUI Galway is now ranked Tá 10% de mhic léinn withinNUI Galway the top is now200 universitiesranked Tána 10%hOllscoile de mhic ag léinn déanamh Based onNUI the QSGalway World is University now ranked Rankings, TáIn 10% 2018 de NUI mhic Galway léinn secured NUI inwithinGalwayNUI the Galway world! isthe ranked top is nowin200 the rankeduniversities top 1% of global Tánastaidéir 10% thehOllscoile deSunday mhicar an Times ag léinnnGaeilge.