University of Limerick

The University of Limerick (UL), is located on the west coast of Ireland along the picturesque River Shannon and enjoys an unspoiled natural environment blended with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. UL was awarded prestigious 5-star rankings for graduate employability, innovation and knowledge transfer, teaching, engagement, internationalisation and infrastructure by QS Stars independent assessors.

With close to 12,000 students, including more than 2,000 international students each year, UL is a young and enterprising university with a proud record of innovation in education and scholarship. A survey of Irish students recently voted UL Ireland’s most popular university with a satisfaction rating of 85%. UL offers more than 70 undergraduate programmes across Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Education and Health Sciences, Science and Engineering and the Kemmy Business School. UL also delivers a strong postgraduate offering with more than 100 taught postgraduate programmes to Doctoral and Post-doctoral level.

UL pioneered the concept of Cooperative Education in Ireland, placing more than 2,000 students in paid and semi-paid work placements annually - 30% of these as international placements. These valuable work experiences make UL graduates more employable, which is why the UL graduate employment rate is 15% higher than the national average. With strong links to business and industry, UL excels at translational research which aims to accelerate the practical application of academic research to benefit society. UL houses some of the most innovative and successful research centres in Ireland. The Nexus Innovation Centre is a growing community of international researchers and entrepreneurs which supports new businesses and the creation of jobs.

Known as ‘Ireland’s Sporting Campus’, UL boasts Ireland’s first altitude training centre, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the National Strength and Conditioning Centre. The new 3G pitches are the largest artificial grass development in Europe and the Sports Arena attracts more than 600,000 visitors each year. Cafes, restaurants, student and faculty accommodation options and a range of on-campus facilities provide an outstanding student experience and a stimulating working environment.

Dr Des Fitzgerald is the President of the University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland and as the Chief Executive Officer is ultimately responsible for all of the operations of the University. Overall management of the University's affairs is the responsibility of the Executive Committee of the University.

UL have entered into a unique partnership with NUI Galway and the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA to develop a joint Translational Research Institute. This development is. one of the first initiatives to come out of the UL-NUI Galway Alliance launched earlier this year. The Translational Research Institute will focus on the development and synergy of core technologies and expertise within the partner institutions, to provide Irish industries with relevant and world-class research solutions.

UL, NUI Galway, Shannon Development, and Silicon Valley's Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) have launched the Shannon Energy Valley, a major renewable energy hub in Ireland's Shannon Region. The Shannon Energy Valley initiative will create a national hub for Energy research and development, industry and commerce with a view to attracting international investment and generating high-end employment in the region.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the four partners that commits them to delivering a hub of excellence and innovation that will harness the natural resources of the region, as well as its highly skilled workforce and access to top class research and development expertise at UL and NUI Galway.

The University of Limerick is continuing to strengthen its links with industry leaders as it hosts the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) ‘Silicon Valley Comes To Ireland’ event in conjunction with Alliance partner, NUI Galway and Shannon Development, in November this year. This event brings prominent figures from the innovation, business and venture capital communities in Silicon Valley to the region for a review of potential investment opportunities, under the chairmanship of former Intel CEO and Chairman Dr Craig Barrett.
In a new Link-to-Learn exchange programme, students of both University of Limerick and NUI Galway will have the opportunity to choose specialist modules that interest them, at the other institution. This means that you could choose to study part of your course - even up to a full semester - at NUI Galway, if there is a particular specialist option that interests you.*

We currently have some joint programmes up and running, with more planned for the near future. We are also using the latest video conferencing technology to share lectures between our two universities. By combining the expertise of both universities, the Link-to-Learn programme will give you access to greater choice in the subjects you study as part of your degree.

ULEnviroCom is a group of faculty, staff and students that advises the president on environmental issues and promotes environmental awareness in the University of Limerick campus community. The committee is responsible for proposing the adoption and implementation of environmental policies and also for evaluating this implementation. This is with a view to encouraging conscientious environmental management and facilitating mitigation of the university’s environmental impact.

We in the University of Limerick are very pleased to continue our involvement in the wider community of Limerick and its environs through our AccessCampus and its homework club. Originally conceived and implemented by previous Presidents of the University of Limerick it continues in its quest to make the University accessible to all parts of society through supporting "fun to learn" initiatives.

The Homework Club provides a basis for the reinforcement of learning at school with the added bonus of seeing the practical applications of the knowledge gained through interaction with professionals. Our Access programme at the University of Limerick has grown steadily from an intake of 52 students in 2002/03 to 98 students in 2005/06 availing of the access route to undergraduate programmes, while in the current year we now have Access graduates availing of post-graduate studies.