Engineering (Undenominated)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

What our lecturers say What our students say Study Engineering

Entry Points (2020)

465

Course Overview

Engineering is a wide area, covering such fields as civil, mechanics, electronics and computer technology. This course offers you the option of studying engineering in a general way for a year before going on to specialise in your chosen field in year two. It has been designed to help you make your choice about what professional engineering qualification you wish to study for by giving you a year to study the basic concepts and fundamentals of engineering. Therefore, it will help you to make an informed choice about what you wish to specialise in by enabling you to find out where your aptitude and interests lie. Undenominated Engineering will always stand to students as a foundation course. On successful completion of their first year exams, they will be able to transfer to the second year of one of the programmes listed under Course Outline.

Work Placement

As part of this four-year course, students will undertake an eight month (January - August) off-campus work placement in an industrial setting following completion of their thrid year of study. In the event that no external placement is available, students will be given projects on campus. This work experience programme gives students an opportunity to work on projects relevant to their study and significantly improves their chances of obtaining employment after graduation. Read more about Engineering work placements.

Accreditation

All Engineering Degrees at NUI Galway are professionally accredited by the statutory professional body, Engineers Ireland. This “Accreditation” means that the degree has been assessed and approved to meet the educational requirements for professional Engineers.

Under an international agreement (Washingon Accord), any Degree accredited by the National professional body (Engineers Ireland) is recognized internationally. So having an “Accredited” degree means that employers outside of Ireland can (1) understand the quality/education achieved by a graduate and (2) know that it is equivalent to their own Education system/standards, and (3) can offer appropriate employment on this basis. For example, certain functions (sign off on large civil engineering construction projects) can only be carried out by a chartered engineer.
Engineers Ireland changed the criteria for Accreditation in 2012, and now require a Masters (Level 9) qualification as the education standard required for Registered Professional Titles of Chartered Engineer* (prior to this, a Level 8 degree was required). The changes were implemented because the standard European engineering qualification (degree or diplome) is at level 9, and European industry maintains a strict differentiation between those engineers qualified at level 9 and those qualified at level 8. Any graduate interested in working in Europe/Worldwide is now strongly advised to get an accredited level 9 award.
Engineers Ireland accreditation can be obtained at the following levels:
o Level 8: 4-year honours degree – associate engineer
o Level 9: 5-year masters degree – chartered engineer

*A Chartered Engineer is the highest professional education standard in Engineering. A chartered Engineer is competent (because of their education and training) to assume personal responsibility for the development and application ofengineering in research, design, construction, manufacturing, superintending, managing and in the education of the engineer. His/her work is predominantly intellectual and varied and not of a routine mental or physical character. It requires the exercise of original thought and judgement and the ability to supervise the technical and administrative work of others.

Engineering at the Virtual Open Day

Read questions and answers from our 'Ask a Lecturer' in Engineering Live Q&A session.

Explore courses and careers in Engineering through a video presentation.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e., Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Agricultural Science or Computer Science) or Technology, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Students must obtain a minimum of Grade H4 in the Higher Level Leaving Certificate paper in Mathematics or, alternatively places available (which may vary in number year to year) may be allocated to those candidates who have achieved the points requirement for the programme that year, who satisfy the general requirements for Matriculation in the College of Engineering and Informatics and who attain a Pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Examination. The places available will be allocated in strict order of merit based points attained in the Leaving Certificate. Due to capacity constraints, not all candidates who achieve a pass in the examination may receive an offer.

For A-levels: A minimum of Grade C in A-level Mathematics is required.

Duration

1 Year (Students then transfer into a denominated programme)

Next start date

September 2021

A Level Grades (2020)

nuigalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

160-170

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY401

Course code

Course Outline

Year 1

In first year you get to explore different areas of engineering, allowing you the time you need to find the discipline that is right for you. On successful completion of your first-year exams, you will be able to apply to transfer to the second year of one of the denominated programmes.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Required EI140: Fundamentals of Engineering - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required CH140: Engineering Chemistry - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EI160: Engineering Graphics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MP120: Engineering Mechanics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MA140: Engineering Calculus - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required CT1110: Engineering Computing I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PH140: Engineering Physics - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required MM140: Engineering Mathematical Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required EI150: Engineering Design - 10 Credits - Semester 2
Required CT1111: Engineering Computing II - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Year 2

Choose to follow one of the following denominated programmes:

Civil Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electronic and Computer Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Computer Science and Information Technology
Energy Systems Engineering
Project & Construction Management

Year 3

Follow chosen programme of Engineering

Year 4

Follow chosen programme of Engineering

Year 5 optional

Follow chosen programme of Engineering

Further Education

Honours graduates can pursue higher degrees in a wide range of related disciplines.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Depending on students' choice of engineering discipline, there is a wide range of career opportunities for engineers, in industry, universities, hospitals, medical institutes, government regulatory agencies, research, software companies, financial services, and much more.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,492 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Tuition

€4,268 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Non EU

€19,750 p.a. 2020/21

EU Fees 2020/21:
- Tuition: may be paid by the Irish Government on your behalf if you qualify for free tuition fees see - free fee initiative.
- Student Contribution: €3,000 - payable by all students but may by paid by SUSI if you apply and are deemed eligible for a means tested SUSI grant.
- Student Levy: €224 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.

Find out More

Dr. Mark Healy
T +353 91 495364
E mark.healy@nuigalway.ie
http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering-informatics/

What Our Students Say

Mary Brigid O'Shea | BE Biomedical Engineering

...I studied Undenominated Engineering and then branched into Biomedical Engineering in second year. I chose the course as I had a huge interest in science and was strong at maths in secondary school. I have an innate interest in how things work. I chose Undenominated Engineering as I was unsure which field of engineering I wanted to pursue. The undenominated course allowed me to try out different subjects from different disciplines so I could make an informed decision. Also, NUI Galway was close to home and offered five month placements for engineering students, an invaluable aid when applying for work...

Majella Henchion, BE MSc | Networks Programme Owner, ESB

As a major employer of graduates from NUI Galway’s Energy Systems, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical/Electronic Engineering programmes, ESB welcomes the establishment of NUI Galway’s integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degrees. We see great value in the additional educational attainment in and of itself but also as a key step in progression towards Chartership which is important for our Engineers because of the critical infrastructural nature of our work and the general management capability Chartership represents. ESB also welcomes the positioning of the work placement programme between the fourth and fifth years of study as it will enable the students to be given greater responsibility and experience a greater range of ESB’s work in the energy sector. We believe the movement of the industry placement makes it of greater value to the student, the undergraduate employer and to any post-graduate employer of that engineer.

Declan Costello | Senior R&D Manager, Medtronic

Medtronic welcomes the expansion of the NUI Galway Engineering programs to an integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degree. Medtronic already employs a large number of NUI Galway Engineering graduates and the move to a five-year program aligns with international best practice, provides a more highly educated talent pool and facilitates an extended work placement which is hugely beneficial to both the company and the student.

Majella Henchion, BE MSc | Networks Programme Owner, ESB

As a major employer of graduates from NUI Galway’s Energy Systems, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical/Electronic Engineering programmes, ESB welcomes the establishment of NUI Galway’s integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degrees. We see great value in the additional educational attainment in and of itself but also as a key step in progression towards Chartership which is important for our Engineers because of the critical infrastructural nature of our work and the general management capability Chartership represents. ESB also welcomes the positioning of the work placement programme between the fourth and fifth years of study as it will enable the students to be given greater responsibility and experience a greater range of ESB’s work in the energy sector. We believe the movement of the industry placement makes it of greater value to the student, the undergraduate employer and to any post-graduate employer of that engineer.

Declan Costello | Senior R&D Manager, Medtronic

Medtronic welcomes the expansion of the NUI Galway Engineering programs to an integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degree. Medtronic already employs a large number of NUI Galway Engineering graduates and the move to a five-year program aligns with international best practice, provides a more highly educated talent pool and facilitates an extended work placement which is hugely beneficial to both the company and the student.