Higher education

Higher education in Ireland consists of:

• degree programmes (bachelor’s, master’s or doctor’s degree); and
• non-degree programmes (usually a certificate or a diploma).

Non-degree programmes are usually professionally oriented. Degree programmes are either research oriented (academic) or focused on professional practice.
Irish higher education institutions do not separate professionally oriented and research-oriented education. They can offer both types of education.

In Ireland, students can obtain the following degrees:

• Ordinary Bachelor's degree
• Honours Bachelor's degree
• Master’s degree
• Integrated master's programmes
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Professional doctorates

During bachelor’s programmes, students receive education with a focus on professional practice or research. Ordinary bachelor’s programmes have different learning outcomes than honours bachelor’s programmes. Learning outcomes are the skills and knowledge students have after completing a study programme: what they know and what they can do.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Study load: 60 ECTS per year (180 ECTS for 3 years of study).
• Content: profession-oriented or research-oriented education; presentations and essays, participation in work groups, partial exams per subject. Less material is covered than in an honours bachelor’s programme.
• Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate with at least 5 subjects at O6 or H7 and at least 200 CAO points. A Level 5 Certificate can also give access.
• Diploma: Ordinary Bachelor’s degree, bachelor + field of study. The diploma states 'bachelor + field of study' (‘Ordinary’ is not mentioned).

Please note: an Ordinary Bachelor's degree does not give access to a master's programme. Students can, however, obtain an Honours Bachelor’s degree via a 1-year add-on programme. With this Honours Bachelor’s degree, they can apply for a master's programme.

During bachelor’s programmes, students receive education with a focus on professional practice or research. Most bachelor's programmes are honours bachelor's programmes. Students then obtain a Honours Bachelor’s degree.

The term ‘honours’ does not mean that students have graduated 'with honours'. It means that they have taken an honours programme. The learning outcomes are different from those of an ordinary bachelor's programme. Learning outcomes are the skills and knowledge students have after completing a study programme: what they know and what they can do.

• Duration: 3 or 4 years, this depends on the field of study. Technical programmes usually last 4 years. Exceptions: programmes in medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry last 5 or 6 years.
• Study load: 60 ECTS per year (180 ECTS for 3 years or 240 ECTS for 4 years).
• Content: profession-oriented or research-oriented education; presentations and essays, participation in work groups, partial exams per subject, often a thesis or final project.
• Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate with at least 2 subjects at H5 or higher and 4 subjects at O6 or H7 or higher, plus at least CAO points. A Level 5 Certificate and/or Level 6 Advanced Certificate can also give admission.
• Diploma: Honours Bachelor’s degree + field of study. The place of 'honours' in the diploma name (in Latin and in English) varies from university to university. Sometimes, it is bachelor + field of study + honours; sometimes, it is honours + bachelor + field of study. For example, at the National University of Ireland: Baccalaureatus Scientae Honoro/Honours Degree or Bachelor of Science.

There are 1-year and 2-year master's programmes:

• During 1-year master's programmes, students receive professionally oriented or academic education. These programmes are called taught master's programmes, because students mainly receive education and do not conduct research.
• The 2-year master's programmes mainly have a focus on research and an academic purpose. These are called research master's programmes, because students mainly do research.

• Duration: 1 year (taught master’s) or 2 years (research master’s).
• Study load:
• in 1-year taught master's programmes: 90 ECTS;
• in 2-year research master's programmes: no credits.
• Content:
• in 1-year taught master's programmes: profession-oriented or academic education; lectures, tests and exams;
• in 2-year programmes (research master's): academic education; research techniques, research project and thesis.
• Admission requirements: a strong Honours Bachelor's degree in a similar field, usually second class honours, grade 1, or first class honours. Very occasionally, institutes of technology admit students with an Ordinary Bachelor's degree and useful work experience.
• Diploma: Master’s degree (master's + field of study). Master's degrees are awarded in Latin and in English. For example: Master in Education (MEd), Master of Science (MSc)/Magister in Scientiis and Master of Engineering (ME)/Magister in Arte Ingeniaria (MAI).

Please note: the Master in Arts (MA) of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is an exception. Students receive this MA without any additional study or exams. At least 2 years after completing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at Trinity College, they will automatically receive this degree. Students will not receive a transcript of grades with this MA, as they have not taken any courses.

Students who cannot or do not wish to complete the entire master's programme can usually receive an intermediate award or exit award. In Ireland, the Postgraduate Diploma is the intermediate award of a master's programme.

• Duration: 1 year.
• Study load: 60 ECTS.
• Content: all courses of a master's programme, but students do not write a thesis.
• Admission requirements: an Honours Bachelor's degree.
• Diploma: Postgraduate Diploma.

In technical fields, students can also opt for an integrated master's programme. These programmes combine the bachelor's and master's programmes. Students only receive a Master's degree.

• Duration: 5 years.
• Study load: 300 ECTS.
• Content: a technical bachelor's and master's programme in 1 programme; profession-oriented or research-oriented education. Students usually do a final project (no thesis).
• Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate with 6 subjects, including at least 2 subjects at H5 or higher and 4 subjects at O6 or H7 or higher, plus at least 350 CAO points.
• Diploma: Master’s degree (master + field of study). Master's degrees are awarded in Latin and in English. For example: Master of Engineering (ME)/Magister in Arte Ingeniaria (MAI).

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is a research master's programme. Students often use this academic master's programme as a stepping stone to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). In this case, they can use their MPhil research and thesis as the basis for the PhD.

• Duration: 1 year or 2 years.
• Study load: in 1 year: 90 ECTS, in 2 years: no credits.
• Content: 1 year: 60 ECTS for education (coursework) and 30 ECTS for a thesis. 2 years: little or no education, the focus is on research and writing a thesis.
• Admission requirements: an Honours Bachelor's degree in a similar field with good results, usually second class honours, grade 1.
• Diploma: Master of Philosophy.

Students can obtain a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) after completing a PhD track, usually at a university. They often continue their studies in the field of their Master's degree.

• Duration: 3 to 5 years.
• Content: studying, academic research and writing a dissertation.
• Admission requirements: a Master's degree or sometimes an Honours Bachelor's degree in the same field with good results, usually second class, grade 1, honours.
• Diploma: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Or in Latin: Doctor in Philosophia (PhD).

Professional doctorates are also PhD tracks, usually at a university. Students mainly do research, but the focus is more on professional practice compared to a PhD.

• Duration: 3 to 4 years (full-time) or 4 to 6 years (part-time).
• Content: studying, research and writing a dissertation.
• Admission requirements: a Master's degree or an Honours Bachelor's degree in the same field.
• Diploma: Doctor in + field of study. For example: Doctorate in Law and Doctorate in Education.

There are also higher education programmes in Ireland that do not lead to a degree such as a Bachelor's degree. After this non-degree programme, students do not receive a degree, but they do receive another type of diploma. This is usually a certificate.

Important certificates that students can obtain after completing non-degree programmes are:

• Level 6 Advanced Certificate
• Higher Certificate

The study programme for a Level 6 Advanced Certificate is focused on professional practice. If students complete the entire programme, they receive a major award. Students can work or continue their studies after the programme.

• Duration: 1 year.
• Study load: major award of 120 credits. No ECTS credits, but credits from the Common Awards System: 1 credit stands for 10 hours of study. A major award consists of minor awards of 5, 10 or 15 credits.
• Content: profession-oriented programmes that students put together themselves with various subjects. The subjects are called minor awards or components.
• Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate or a Level 5 Certificate.
• Diploma: Level 6 Advanced Certificate.

The Level 6 Advanced Certificate usually gives students exemption from the first year of a bachelor's programme in the same field. Irish higher education institutions do require students to have completed the courses with ‘distinction’: 80% or higher.

Higher Certificate programmes are often professionally oriented. Students usually take Higher Certificate programmes at colleges or institutes of technology. Some universities also offer this type of education.

• Duration: 2 years.
• Study load: 120 ECTS.
• Content: often technical programmes with employment as a goal.
• Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate with at least 5 subjects at O6 or H7 and at least 200 CAO points. A Level 5 Certificate can also give access.
• Diploma: Higher Certificate.

The Higher Certificate usually gives exemption from the first 2 years of a bachelor’s programme in the same field of study. Students can continue studying for an Ordinary Bachelor's degree after a 1-year add-on course.

There are different types of higher education institutions in Ireland:

• universities;
• institutes of technology;
• colleges; and
• private institutions.

These educational institutions offer professionally oriented and research-oriented education. Only the universities provide mainly academic, research-oriented education.

Universities

Irish universities offer mainly academic honours degree programmes, master's programmes and doctoral programmes (PhD).

The universities in Ireland:

• National University of Ireland (NUI). The NUI includes 4 universities:
• University College Dublin (UCD);
• University College Cork (UCC);
• National University of Ireland Galway; and
• National University of Ireland Maynooth.
• University of Limerick (UL);
• University of Dublin, known as Trinity College Dublin (TCD);
• Dublin City University (DCU);
• Technological University Dublin;
• Munster Technological University (MTU).

You can find information about changes in technological universities on the Higher Education Authority (HEA) website: : New Technological Universities.

Institutes of technology

The institutes of technology offer degree programmes and non-degree programmes.

There are 9 institutes of technology in Ireland:

• Athlone Institute of Technology;
• Dundalk Institute of Technology;
• Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology;
• Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology;
• Institute of Technology, Carlow;
• Institute of Technology, Sligo;
• Letterkenny Institute of Technology;
• Limerick Institute of Technology; and
• Waterford Institute of Technology.

Colleges

Colleges are often small institutions that specialise in a particular direction. They provide professionally oriented higher education or research-oriented education. During the last 15 years, most colleges have stopped being independent institutions. They are now part of one of the universities.

Colleges may not award degrees, diplomas or certificates themselves. Only universities, institutes of technology and the QQI are allowed to do so.

Private institutions

In addition to public higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology), there are also private higher education institutions. They offer degree and non-degree programmes.

The QQI must approve all programmes offered by private institutions. You can find a list of accredited (approved) private institutions on the Irish Register of Qualifications.

The Central Applications Office (CAO) processes applications for Irish higher education. Students apply to the CAO 1 year before the start of the study programme. The CAO operates a points system for applications from students with a Leaving Certificate.

CAO points

The number of CAO points students receive depends on their Leaving Certificate exam results. You can calculate the points with the Points Calculator. There is also an overview of CAO points that students receive per subject based on their exam results: Common Points Scale and Grading System.

The higher education institutions choose the students themselves. The student with the highest number of CAO points is placed first, then the student with the second highest number of points and so on.

The number of CAO points needed differs per discipline, per educational institution and per year. There are overviews of the number of points per type of course:

• For Level 6 and 7 courses (Higher Certificate and Ordinary Bachelor’s degree), please see Points Required for Entry to 2020 Level 7/6 Courses.
• For Level 8 courses (Honours Bachelor’s degree), please see Points Required for Entry to 2020 Level 8 Courses.

Diplomas for admission to higher education

Irish higher education institutions can admit students with the following qualifications:

• Leaving Certificate (established programme/vocational programme);
• Level 5 Certificate.

Admission with a Leaving Certificate

There are general requirements for admission of students to degree programmes. These requirements differ per programme. For admission to an honours bachelor’s programme, Irish universities often require the following:

• a Leaving Certificate obtained in an established programme or vocational programme;
• a minimum of 6 subjects, including English or Irish and usually mathematics;
• at least 2 of the 6 subjects with H5 or higher as the result;
• the other 4 subjects with at least O6 or H7 as the result; and
• a minimum of 350 CAO points.

The admission requirements for non-degree programmes and ordinary bachelor's programmes are somewhat lower. Educational institutions often ask:

• a Leaving Certificate obtained in an established programme or vocational programme;
• a minimum of 5 subjects, including English or Irish and usually mathematics;
• these 5 subjects with at least O6 or H7 as the result; and
• a minimum of 200 CAO points.

Admission with a Level 5 Certificate

Irish educational institutions sometimes admit students with a Level 5 Certificate to a bachelor’s programme in a complementing field. In this case, they will set the following requirements:

• a Level 5 Certificate obtained in the field of the Bachelor’s degree;
• a majority of the minor awards within the major award must have been obtained with ‘distinction’: 80% or higher.