Undergraduate Prospectus 20262 Professor Orla Feely President, Uachtarán Making the right decision about your degree and university is one of the most important choices for you at this stage of your education. I hope that the information you will find in this prospectus and on the MyUCD website will encourage you to join us at this great university. UCD strives constantly to make a difference to the world around us and to support our students to stand out through rapidly changing times. We pride ourselves on being a university for all, supporting an ever more diverse range of students. We aim to ensure you belong, feel welcome and realise your potential. Our researchers deliver groundbreaking impact on the defining issues of our time. They bring their research and scholarship into the classroom so that you are engaging with the most up-to-date thinking and knowledge in one of Europe’s leading universities. Our educational environment is designed to support your development with modern, flexible teaching and learning practices and spaces, utilising the most up-to-date technology. The range of subject choice is unrivalled in Ireland. Your time at university is not just about lectures and study – there is much more to life on our vibrant 24-hour campus. We have excellent sports facilities and a broad range of clubs and societies, ensuring that, whatever your passion, you will find like-minded friends to spend time with, gaining wonderful experiences and forging lasting friendships during your time with us. I hope that you will decide to take your next steps with us in UCD, and that I will soon be able to welcome you to our community in person. Welcome from the President Fáilte ón Uachtarán Is cinntí tábhachtacha iad na céimeanna cearta agus an ollscoil cheart a roghnú ag an staid seo i do shaol. Tá súil agam go spreagfaidh an réamheolaire seo, agus an raon eolais a chuirimid ar fáil ar shuíomh idirlín, MyUCD, tusa a bheith linn anseo ag an ollscoil iontach seo. Déanann UCD iarracht i gcónaí dul i bhfeidhm ar an domhan mórthimpeall orainn agus bímid ag tacú lenár mic léinn a mbóthar féin a aimsiú sa lá atá inniu ann. Is cúis mhór bhróid í dúinn bheith mar ollscoil do chách, a bhíonn ag tacú le mic léinn ó chúlraí éagsúla. Tá sé mar aidhm againn a chinntiú go mbraitheann tú go bhfuil fáilte curtha romhat i gcónaí agus go n-aimsíonn tú barr do chumais agus tú in UCD. Bíonn obair cheannródaíoch ar siúl ag taighdeoirí anseo; obair a théann i bhfeidhm ar shaincheisteanna cinniúnacha ár linne. Is sna seomraí ranga agus léachtlanna a roinneann siad a gcuid saineolais le mic léinn, ag tacú le stádas UCD bheith ar cheann de na hollscoileanna is fearr san Eoraip. Tá ár modhanna oideachais deartha chun tú a spreagadh le cleachtais teagaisc agus foghlama nua-aimseartha agus solúbtha, ag baint úsáide as an teicneolaíocht is nua dá bhfuil ann. Níl sárú ar an réimse ábhar a chuirimid ar fáil, i gcomhthéacs na hÉireann. Bíonn i bhfad níos mó i gceist san ollscoil ná bheith ag staidéar - tá an oiread sin le déanamh ar champas. Tá áiseanna spóirt den chéad scoth ar fáil againn agus tá réimse leathan cumainn agus clubanna ann freisin. Tá rud éigin ann do gach duine agus cuirtear fáilte roimh chách in UCD; rud a chuireann go mór le d’eispéireas ollscoile agus a chothaíonn cairdeas fadsaoil. Tá súil agam go mbeidh tú linn in UCD amach anseo, agus go mbeidh mé in ann fáilte a chur romhat i bpearsa go luath. 3 TOP 1% UCD is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide. (Source: Ranking Web of Universities 2025). 1ST CHOICE FOR IRISH SCHOOL LEAVERS (Level 8 courses) #1 in Ireland & 49th Worldwide for Sustainability ( Source: QS World Sustainability Rankings 2025). 35% OF STUDENTS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED GROUPS A third of UCD students come from diverse under-represented groups and a quarter of all places are reserved for undergraduates. #1 FOR STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES UCD has over 450 exchange partnerships worldwide, as well as Erasmus+ partner universities in 26 countries throughout Europe. IRELAND’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Ireland’s Global University with more than 11,500 international students from 152 countries and a 300,000 strong global alumni network. 95% FIRST YEAR STUDENT RETENTION RATE (Full time, undergraduate students in a given year remaining in study the following year.) 8 PATHWAYS TO STUDY AT UCD There are 8 flexible entry routes to UCD to suit the many different needs of our students. Find out more on page 7. www.myucd.ie/why-ucd TOP 100 WORLDWIDE for employability outcomes for graduating students (Source: QS World University Rankings 2026). 96% of recently surveyed undergraduates are employed, or in further studies within 9 months of graduating.Contents The UCD Experience President’s Welcome 02 Why Study at UCD 03 The UCD Education & Pathways 06 Research at UCD 08 Sustainability at UCD 10 World Class Campus & Amenities 12 Community & Accommodation 14 Sports Clubs 16 Student Societies 18 Learning Supports 20 Student Supports 22 Scholarships & Awards 24 Career Development 26 Arts & Humanities 29 Introduction 30 Classics, Art History & Archaeology 31 Classics, English & History 32 Creative & Cultural Industries 33 English, Drama & Film 34 English with Creative Writing 35 English Literature 36 European Studies 37 Global Studies 38 History 39 History & Politics 40 Irish Studies 41 Languages, Linguistics & Cultures 42 Music 43 Music, Film & Drama 44 An Ghaeilge & An Cultúr 45 Modern Languages 46 Art History 48 Celtic Civilisation 49 Drama Studies 50 English 51 Film Studies 52 French 53 German 54 Greek 55 Greek & Roman Civilisation 56 Irish/Gaeilge 57 Irish Folklore 58 Italian 59 Latin 60 Linguistics 61 Portuguese 62 Spanish 63 Mathematics 75 Statistics 80 Social Sciences Introduction 66 Computational Social Science 68 Economics, Mathematics & Statistics 69 Philosophy, Politics & Economics 70 Archaeology 71 Economics 72 Geography 73 Information & Communication Studies 74 Mathematics 75 Philosophy 76 Politics & International Relations 77 Social Justice 78 Sociology 79 Statistics 80 Psychology 81 Social Policy & Sociology 82 Education with Gaeilge &/or Modern Languages 84 Law Introduction 86 Law (BCL) 88 Law with French Law 89 BCL/Maîtrise – Law Dual Degree 90 Law with Economics 91 Law with History 92 Law with Irish 93 Law with Philosophy 94 Law with Politics 95 Law with Social Justice 96 Business & Law 97 Criminology with Psychology 98 Business 99 Introduction 100 Commerce 102 Commerce International 103 Economics & Finance 104 Business Studies 105 Science, Computer Science 107 & Actuarial Science Introduction to Science 108 Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 110 Cell & Molecular Biology 111 Environmental Biology 112 Genetics 113 Microbiology 114 Neuroscience 115 Pharmacology 116 Physiology 117 65 85Plant Biology 118 Zoology 119 Earth Sciences 120 Chemistry 121 Chemistry with Environmental & Sustainable Chemistry 122 Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology 123 Applied & Computational Mathematics 124 Financial Mathematics 125 Mathematics 126 Statistics & Data Science 127 Physics 128 Physics with Astronomy & Space Science 129 Theoretical Physics 130 Applied Mathematics, Mathematics & Education 131 Biology, Mathematics & Education 132 Chemistry, Mathematics & Education 133 Computer Science, Mathematics & Education 134 Physics, Mathematics & Education 135 Actuarial & Financial Studies 136 Computer Science 137 Computer Science with Data Science & Artificial Intelligence 138 Sustainability 139 Sustainability with Environmental Sciences 140 Sustainability with Social Sciences, Policy & Law 141 Sustainability with Business & Economics 142 Engineering 143 Introduction 144 Biomedical Engineering 146 Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering 147 Civil Engineering 148 Electronic Engineering/Electrical Engineering 149 Mechanical Engineering 150 Structural Engineering with Architecture 151 Sustainable Systems Engineering 152 Architecture, Planning 153 & Environmental Policy Introduction 154 Architecture 156 Landscape Architecture 157 City Planning & Environmental Policy 158 The information provided in this prospectus is correct at the time of going to press, but the degree courses are subject to continuing development and the University reserves the right to make changes at any time, before or after a student’s admission. As much notice as possible will be given of such changes, but interested applicants should check www.myucd.ie regularly. All students featured in this prospectus are UCD students/graduates. Agriculture, Food 159 & Nutrition Introduction 160 Agri-Environmental Sciences 162 Agricultural Systems Technology 163 Animal & Crop Production 164 Animal Science 165 Animal Science – Equine 166 Crop Science 167 Dairy Business 168 Food & Agribusiness Management 169 Food Business with Chinese Studies 170 Forestry 171 Horticulture 172 Food Science 173 Sustainable Food Systems 174 Human Nutrition 175 Veterinary Medicine 177 Introduction 178 Veterinary Medicine 180 Veterinary Medicine (Graduate Entry) 181 Veterinary Nursing 182 Health Sciences 183 Medicine 185 Medicine (Graduate Entry) 186 Biomedical Health & Life Sciences 187 Radiography 188 Diagnostic Radiography (Graduate Entry) 189 Nursing (General) 191 Nursing (Children’s & General) 192 Nursing (Mental Health) 193 Midwifery 194 Physiotherapy 195 Sport, Health & Exercise Science 196 Sport & Exercise Management 197 Applying To UCD 199 Entry Requirements - How to apply 200 Information for Applicants 202 Frequently Asked Questions 203 Access Admission Pathways 204 Course List by CAO Code 206 Fees & Funding 207 Campus Map 208 Commuting to UCD 209 Open Day/Visit UCD 210 Useful Contacts 211UCD is one of Europe’s leading research- intensive universities; a place where undergraduate education, master’s, PhD training, research innovation and community engagement form a dynamic spectrum of activity. Our lecturers actively adopt a research-led approach aiming to teach our students the learning and skills required to contribute to society, whatever career path they take. UCD is globally recognised for its excellence in teaching and learning. UCD is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide. Four subjects are ranked in the top 50 and 13 in the top 100 worldwide (Source: QS World University Ranking by Subject 2025). UCD’s innovative and adaptive curriculum is inspired by the philosophy of the college’s founder, Saint John Henry Newman, and it realises his vision of university life as a journey of academic and personal discovery. This high quality of teaching is complemented by a high standard of student support. UCD has one of the largest Peer Mentor Programme of any university in Ireland. Every first-year student is assigned a Peer Mentor and there are Student Advisers for every programme area. This is just one of the reasons why our student retention rate in first year is 95%. Ireland’s Most Globally Engaged and Research Driven University The educational environment at UCD is designed to stimulate students through flexible teaching and learning practice, and through a curriculum that is constantly updated by the latest research. Our students benefit from an education delivered by experts at the leading edge of their fields internationally. No.1 First choice for Irish school leavers (Level 8 courses) 95% First year retention rate 450 Study abroad opportunities Top 50 World ranking in 4 subjects Transforming Learning 7 Core & Option Modules from your degree course 50 Credits Yearly Total: 60 Credits (12 Modules) 10 Credits + UCD Horizons Customise your own degree Students tell us that they love the flexibility of the UCD curriculum. This flexibility is made possible by the UCD Horizons Programme giving students the opportunity to explore areas that interest them beyond the scope of their course. This means that you can adapt your degree to your personal preferences. Each modular meets international standard making it much easier if you want to study abroad for part of your degree. How does it work? Each course is made up of 12 modules (60 credits) per year. Every module is worth five credits. Each year, you study 10 modules (or 50 credits) that are related to your course and the remaining 2 modules (or 10 credits) are ‘elective’ modules. These allow you to customise your own degree, so you can choose elective modules either from the course you are studying to deepen your knowledge or from any course we offer in UCD. Among the wide range of choices available, you will see exciting Discovery modules that look at current and future issues of national and global importance. These Discovery modules will combine teaching and learning across more than one subject, in areas where UCD is leading on international research. www.myucd.ie/applying-to-ucd/ucd-horizons Centre for English and Global Languages UCD offers an extensive range of language electives to students across the university. Five credit language modules are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Irish Sign Language, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili. Structured Electives are also available in a number of languages. A Structured Elective appears on your official UCD Transcript and means future employers will see that you have a block of credits in a specific area. An ‘Introduction to English Language Teaching’ elective is also available to undergraduate students. www.ucd.ie/cegl *(via short interest courses) 10 Elective Modules from within or outside your degree course 2 Entry Pathways University for All CAO HEAR (Higher Education Access Route to Education) University Access Course Open Learning Mature Students Entry Lifelong Learning* DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) QQI-FET (Progression from Level 6/ Level 7) *(via short interest courses) Ireland’s most diverse and inclusive university, where all students, regardless of their background or circumstance, feel welcome, belong and are valued. We recognise that there are many different ways to prepare for University and have developed eight admissions pathways to ensure students can study and succeed here. A third of UCD’s undergraduate students are drawn from diverse under-represented groups including students with a disability, low- income students, mature students, Irish Travellers, Roma students, care experienced students, part-time students, lone parents, refugees, International Protection applicants and ethnic minorities. See page 204 to find out more. Contact UCD Access & Lifelong Learning Centre, 1st Floor, James Joyce Library Building. T: 01-716 7123 www.ucd.ie/allResearch Drives our Teaching At UCD our academic researchers are passionate, motivated, and excited to share what they know. We make sure you are learning from the best experts in the world. 9 Can Wikipedia’s model save the internet? Once hailed as a force for connection, social media is now plagued by disinformation and division. But Professor Taha Yasseri of UCD School of Sociology, believes the collaborative model behind Wikipedia might help restore civil discourse online. A physicist and sociologist, Yasseri has long studied how consensus is built on Wikipedia and sees potential in applying its crowd sourcing principles to platforms like X (formerly Twitter). His research shows that when users work together—like in X’s Community Notes feature—views can converge through shared ownership of content. While polarisation persists, Yasseri found that collaborative moderation helps filter misinformation. He suggests future tools could allow users to add context or even co-edit posts. Though tech companies may lack the incentive to reduce conflict, Yasseri believes redesigning platforms for cooperation could help rebuild the social marketplace of ideas. Breaking New Ground in Alzheimer’s Research Associate Professor David O’Connell of the UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science and the UCD Conway Institute is pioneering Alzheimer’s research using what he likens to a “giant Lego set”—a billion lab-designed proteins aimed at halting the toxic buildup in the brain that leads to the disease. In collaboration with Professor Sara Linse of Lund University, O’Connell developed novel proteins that bind specifically to amyloid beta oligomers, preventing the chain reaction that forms damaging plaques. The findings, published in PNAS, represent a new class of inhibitors with potential to outperform current treatments like Aducanumab, which has shown limited success. A patent was filed through NovaUCD, and if proven safe and effective in humans, fast-track approval could be possible. For O’Connell, the work is personal—his father died of Alzheimer’s. Now, his breakthrough offers new hope to millions facing the disease worldwide. Irish Polling Indicator: What Do Election Polls Really Mean? Dr Stefan Müller, Assistant Professor at UCD, has co-developed the Irish Polling Indicator—a tool that combines over 620 voting intention surveys since 1983 to better estimate party support. By aggregating polls and using Bayesian models, the Indicator accounts for sampling errors and methodological differences, offering a clearer picture of political trends. Polling data, Müller notes, can shape party agendas— especially when consistent trends highlight public concerns like housing or healthcare. Social media analysis by UCD’s Connected Politics Lab showed parties shifting focus during the 2020 election accordingly. The Indicator, widely used by politicians and advisors, updates automatically with new polls and helps distinguish genuine trends from statistical noise. While not a forecasting tool, it informs parties, candidates, and voters alike by showing how individual polls fit within broader public opinion dynamics. Associate Professor Gerald Mills, UCD School of Geography, is a renowned physical geographer and author of Urban Climates, a cornerstone text in the field of urban climatology. Climate change models have largely ignored cities up until this point but considering half the planet’s population live inside them, if you want to deal with exposure hazards, risk, etc, you need to be focused on cities” he explains. And, Mills doesn’t think Dublin is too small to apply this thinking explains that Dublin, in terms of climate action, has the unique position of playing host to many datacentres. In fact, it is now the largest data centre hub in Europe, which are a big source of energy demand. To read the full stories and find out more visit expertise.ucd.ie UCD students, faculty and staff designed and built Ireland’s first satellite, successfully launched in December 2023. Some 20,000 hours were spent testing and problem-solving ahead of EIRSAT-1’s voyage into space. This is a story of UCD breaking boundaries by bringing experts and learners together creating new skills and capabilities for the new space sector in Ireland. Urban Climates Key Fact Research at UCD has received funding in excess of €720 million in the last 5 years Next >