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Courses
Courses
Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.
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University Life
University Life
Each year more than 4,000 choose NUI Galway as their University of choice. Find out what life at NUI Galway is all about here.
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About NUI Galway
About NUI Galway
Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
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Colleges & Schools
Colleges & Schools
NUI Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching across a range of key areas of expertise.
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Research & Innovation
Research & Innovation
NUI Galway’s vibrant research community take on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
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Business & Industry
Guiding Breakthrough Research at NUI Galway
We explore and facilitate commercial opportunities for the research community at NUI Galway, as well as facilitating industry partnership.
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Alumni, Friends & Supporters
Alumni, Friends & Supporters
There are over 90,000 NUI Galway graduates Worldwide, connect with us and tap into the online community.
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Community Engagement
Community Engagement
At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
Engineering (Undenominated)
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.
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
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 1Required 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
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student Contribution
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
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.