Irish Education gels with the Indian pattern
By Ruchi Shrimali
Ireland is a beautiful island country with a rich culture and history. Its quality education and English-speaking population attracts many Indians, who generally go to study in Ireland at the tertiary level.
Most universities in Ireland follow a semester system, a trend that India has also picked up recently. Allowing flexibility to students, many colleges are now offering modular programmes too.
Education in Ireland follows a 10-level framework, where Levels 6-10 offer tertiary-level or college-level qualifications.
Indian students interested in undergraduate courses can opt for:
- Higher Certificate Courses that are full-time courses of two years and equivalent to undergraduate Diploma courses in India,
- Ordinary Bachelor's Degree Courses that are three-year full-time courses equivalent to undergraduate Degree courses in India, and
- Honours Bachelor's Degree Courses that are three-to-four year courses equivalent to undergraduate Honours Degree courses in India.
Undergraduate courses in Ireland usually include lectures, tutorials, practical demonstrations and laboratory work, if relevant.
Postgraduate courses in Ireland are also available at three levels:
- Graduate Diploma courses that are usually a year long and are meant for graduates who want to specialise in a vocation,
- Master's Degree courses that can be either academics-oriented or research-oriented programmes and stretch for one to two years,
- PhD or Doctorate courses that often take at least three years of research work. Distinctions at this level are awarded only in rare cases.
An academic year in Ireland runs from September to June. It may be divided into two to three semesters, depending on the course.
Education in Ireland is organising an education fair for Indian students from 5th to 8th May, 2012. At the event, a selected group of Irish institutions will interact with Indian students and offer deserving candidates on-the-spot admissions for technical and management courses.
The event will also be useful to gather information about visas, scholarships, and life in Ireland in general. Cricketer Kevin O'Brien will also attend the event and share his insights about living in Ireland with Indian students. Know more about Kevin at the event
Are you interested in visiting the fair? Here is the citywise schedule:
| Delhi | Chennai | Pune |
| 5th May, 2012 | 6th May, 2012 | 8th May, 2012 |
| Hotel Lalit | Hotel Taj Coromandal | Hotel Koregaon Park |
| 11 am to 5 pm | 1 pm to 7 pm | 1 pm to 7 pm |
If you want to join the growing number of international students in Ireland, visit: www.educationinireland.com.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Education-in-Ireland-India/168683096547705
https://twitter.com/EduIreland
