Student Report
University College Dublin (UCD)
Spring 2014
General information
UCD is the largest university in Ireland. It is located approximately 4 km from the city
centre, and there is good bus connection between the campus and the city centre. The
main campus is named Belfield, and there is one smaller campus named Blackrock.
The Belfield campus is huge, and exists of different residences, different schools, library,
student bar, sport centre and other buildings. There is also a nice path around campus,
which is nice to use for a walk or a run. There are over 30,000 students at UCD, and the
international environment is big.
Practical information
Information before you leave
You will receive all the information you need on e-mail before you leave. I received some
information during the whole fall semester before my exchange. The application to the
school takes place in August/September, the application for residence takes place in
November, and the application for modules takes place in December. The application
processes are easy, and you will receive all necessary information on your e-mail. The
contact person at UCD was very helpful. I also got all the information that I needed and
answers to my queries from the international office at BI.
You don’t need a visa for studying in Ireland.
Academic Calendar
I arrived in Dublin the 13th of January. I booked a flight with SAS, but Norwegian and
RyanAir also have cheap flights to Dublin. The airport bus departs right outside the main
entrance of the airport, and it stops outside the campus. From the 13th of January to the
19th of January there was an introduction week. It was some events in the Global Lounge
on campus, and some tours to IKEA, sightseeing in the city centre, and pub-crawl in the
city centre. You will receive information about the events in the introduction week
before you arrive. In the introduction week there are almost only international students
on campus, and it is easy to get to know people because all are in the same boat and
want to meet new people.
My first lecture started 20th of January. The spring break was from 10th of March to 23rd
of March. Most people are away from campus during spring break, but a lot of the
midterms and essays are due right after the break. The exam period was from 6th of May
to 17th of May.
Housing and costs
There are different residences on campus that you can live on. I really recommend you
to live on campus, both because then you are close to your school and because it is more
social. I lived in the residence called Glenomena and I had my own bathroom. Most of the
exchange students lived in the campus called Belgrove when I was there, but I don’t
know if that changes from year to year. They are both located on the Belfield campus.
You have to pay a deposit when you book your accommodation on 350 Euros, and the
total cost was 3,123 Euros for the whole semester at Glenomena. The prices differences
from the residences and you’ll find the prices online.
Culture and language
The Irish accent can sometimes be hard to understand, but you get used to it. Most of the
lecturers are aware of the difficulties, and tries to speak as easy as possible. I spent most
of my time with students on exchange, and I didn’t find the language a problem. The
culture is not very different from the Norwegian culture. The Irish people are really nice
and helpful, which is good if you need help in a new city.
Social activities
UCD have a lot of sports club and societies you can join as a student. I joined the
volleyball team and the handball team. It was really fun, and a good place to make
friends and hang out with people. There is information about the sports clubs and the
societies online, and there is also a special day in the beginning of the semester where
they promote the societies and you can join them. There is also a fitness studio on
campus that is free for all students.
Academic information
Literature
All the literature is in English, and the level of the literature is the same as at BI. In some
courses the lecturer used the textbooks a lot, and the textbook inspired their teaching.
Some lecturer used articles as required literature, and they are all available online. The
textbooks have the same prices as in Norway and you can buy them at the Book Shop on
Campus. There is also a bookshop for used books on campus where they sell textbooks
to cheaper prices. Some of the textbooks are also available at the library on campus. I
bought the textbook in three of my courses, and the other three courses were based on
articles online. Most of the lecturers have really good Power Point slides, which is useful
when studying for the exams. They use a system called Blackboard, which is similar to
It’s learning and easy to use.
Teaching style
The teaching style depends on the course. Some of the course was in theatres like the
ones at BI. Some others where in smaller classroom, and the lecturer tries to get the
students to talk and participate in the teaching.
Exams
All the exams were written by hand and all of them last for 2 hours. In most of the
courses there are some essays, midterms and projects during the semester, so your total
grade is not based on just the final exam. You need 40 % to pass. All of the exams are
held during two weeks in the end of the semester, and they are all held in a hall not far
from campus. In some of the courses the lecturer gives you really good advice on what
topic to prepare for the exam.
My courses
BMGT 20140 – Global Business
I find this course very interesting. You learn about the globalised business environment,
and challenges that might occur when doing business abroad. You learn about economic,
political and cultural issues associated with the global market. This course had a small
mid-term, one group project, and final exam.
BMGT 20150 – Global Operations and Supply Chain Management
In this course you get a broad understanding of global operations and supply chain
management in the organisation and between different organisations. The course is
interesting and straight forward, and consists of one small group project and final exam.
HRM 20020 – Industrial Relations
This module is about industrial relations in Ireland. It’s about employees, employers,
trade unions, and the labour court in Ireland. The course was interesting and straight
forward, and consists of one individual essay, one group essay, and final exam.
HRM 30060 – Gender Equality and Diversity
This course is about the gender equality and the diversity that exist at the workplace.
You learn about some of the issues that rise because of differences between people, like
gender, sex, race, ethnic minorities, age, and disabilities. The module consists of one
essay and final exam.
FIN 30100 – Investment and Portfolio Management
This course is actually really interesting if you like finance, but it is a lot of reading and
the textbook is big. The lecturer didn’t narrow the readings before the exam, so this
course requires much time. Also the lecturer wasn’t that good, he just went through his
slides and didn’t taught us the terms and theories well. For that reason you have to read
a lot by yourself. The course consists of one mid-term, one project, and final exam.
ECON 30180 – Industrial Economics
This module is about strategic decisions for the company. You learn about perfect
competition, monopoly and oligopoly. The course also goes through different price
strategies, entry strategies and other strategic decisions. The calculations are not hard,
but you have to understand the logics.
I had a great semester in Dublin, and I will highly recommend going on exchange. If you
have any questions, don’t hesitate in contacting me through the International Office!