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Study Abroad | Limerick
Fall 2023: Academics

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Select Your Program Option:

  • Fall 2023

  • Spring 2024

  • Fall 2024

  • Spring 2025

Program is closed

AcadEmics Overview

AIFS Abroad offers a unique global educational experience for students on this program, with the following academic options available:

As part of this program, students have access to a large catalog of courses. The below are examples of available courses, but not an exhaustive list. For a full listing of courses, please visit https://bookofmodules.ul.ie/.

Program Options

Program Name Early Start Available Credits Notes
Full Curriculum
Early Start Available: No Credits: Up to 15

All courses are recommended for 3 credits each and meet for approximately 45 contact hours per semester. Taking up to 5 courses, you can earn up to 15 credits in a semester. A 3-credit service learning course is also available which brings together students, academic staff and community partners to focus on an area of need within the community.

No AIFS participant is permitted to take a course without receiving a grade. Pass/Fail options are not available. 

Eligibility Notes

Rising sophomores are not eligible; at least 2 semesters of grades must be listed on transcript.

Accounting

Biology

Chemistry

Communications

Economics

Engineering

Gaelic/Foreign Language

Health Sciences

History

Law

Literature

Literature/Sociology

Management

Mathematics

Music

Political Science

Psychology

Science

Service Learning & Community Service

Sociology

A student at the end of a dock in Limerick, Ireland.

University of Limerick Practicum: Service Learning in Ireland

The Civic Engagement Office at the University of Limerick has developed a program of credit-bearing service learning opportunities for students focusing on community projects in which students, UL academic staff and community partners work together to focus on an area of need within the local community. Each Service Learning opportunity is made of up of 3 parts:

  • Community oriented research, training for team building, project planning and management. Students will also receive information on the social, cultural and historical realities of the host community as part of this training.
  • A service placement or project field work under the guidance of a UL academic alongside group discussions and guided reflection.
  • Evaluation sessions with UL staff and community partners to access the project’s progress and ensure where possible a sustainable future for the project.

Recent projects have included “Understanding Irishness” which examined the experiences of English immigrants in Ireland as part of a wider research project investigating Irish emigration, immigration and identity. Practicum activities include: facilitating focus groups and interviewing; project planning and teamwork. Student researchers collaborated with Migrant Hub and the Intercultural and Diversity Education Center.

Interested students can apply for a relevant service learning opportunity after their arrival in Ireland.

Other Available Courses

  • Accounting 301 (AC 4001) (3) fall only
  • Principles of Accounting
  • Accounting 302 (AC 4002) (3) spring only
  • Managerial Accounting
  • Economics 304 (EC 4004) (3) spring only
  • Economics for Business
  • Economics 306 (EC 4101) (3) fall only
  • Microeconomics
  • Economics 307 (EC 4102) (3) spring only
  • Macroeconomics
  • Mathematics 302 (MA 4113) (3) fall only
  • Applied Business Mathematics
  • Biology 301 (BY 4001) (3) fall only
  • Biology 1
  • Biology 314 (BY 4014) (3) spring only
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Biology 355 (BY 4505) (3) spring only
  • Pollution Biology
  • Chemical Sciences 301 (BC 4904) (3) spring only
  • Proteins and DNA
  • Chemistry 305 (CH 4054) (3) spring only
  • Introductory Physical Chemistry
  • Chemistry 307 (CH 4701) (3) fall only
  • General Chemistry
  • Education 301 (EN 4026) (3) spring only
  • Inclusive Education 2: Special Education Needs
  • Nursing and Midwifery 301 (NS 4047) (3) fall only
  • Preparation for Parenthood
  • Nursing and Midwifery 302 (LA 4205) (3) fall only
  • Nursing and Midwifery and the Law
  • Nursing and Midwifery 303 (NS 4324) (3) spring only
  • Nursing the Individual with Multiple Needs
  • Physics 302 (PH 4022) (3) spring only
  • Physics for Environmental and Biological Sciences
  • Physics 303 (PH 4031) (3) fall only
  • Physics for General Science
Limerick buildings with murals.

Unique Course Offerings

The University of Limerick is the only Irish university to offer these subjects at the undergraduate level:

  • Aeronautical Engineering
  • Equine Science
  • Insurance
  • Physical Education and Sports Science
  • Public Administration
  • Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Students wishing to take Equine and Sports Science or Physical Education classes must meet with the Course Leader upon arrival at the university. This meeting is arranged for you by the International Education Division to determine if you are eligible to enroll for particular classes.

Woman on an old castle in Limerick, Ireland.

Academic Support

Students have access to a Writing Center offering workshops to enhance writing skills such as thinking and writing critically and Study Skills Workshops including: note taking; exam scheduling and preparation; time management; presentation skills; summary writing and essay planning.

Academic Credit & Transcripts

Credit Transfer

As a part of the AIFS application for semester programs, you will complete a Course Approval Form, which will be signed off by your study abroad office staff and/or faculty at your university.

For J Term/Summer programs, no such approval form is needed; however, students are still responsible for ensuring credit can be brought back from their overseas program.
In any case, we recommend getting additional courses approved in case you need to change courses while abroad.

Overseas universities do not use the credit system employed by American institutions. AIFS students must make special arrangements to transfer credits, but since AIFS courses are given at recognized universities or the AIFS Centers (which are transcripted by Fairfield University), there usually is no difficulty in arranging transfer credit toward U.S. degrees provided the proper procedure is followed.

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

Many of the European institutions that AIFS works with award credits under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS enables cooperating institutions to measure and compare a student’s performance and facilitates the transfer of credits from the European institution to the U.S institution.

Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

Language levels are defined according to the CEFR and will be listed on your transcript on completion of the program. CEFR organizes language proficiency into six levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) which can be regrouped into three broad levels according to the needs of the local institution: Beginner: A1, A2/U.S. Level 100; Intermediate: B1, B2/U.S. Level 200-300; Advanced: C1, C2/U.S. Level 400

Transcripts

When you complete your program, an official transcript is sent to your home institution directly from AIFS Abroad or the host university. Another official transcript may be retained by AIFS Abroad in Stamford, but this is not the case for all programs. Please contact transcripts@aifs.com to find out how to request additional transcripts. 
 
Generally, your school should receive your transcript 60 days after completion of the program. (Cannes Semester programs, Perth, Sydney, Dublin, Limerick, and Wellington Programs exception: Transcripts issued and retained by the host universities. Transcripts for the Cannes Semester programs are issued by Chapman University.)
 
Transcripts may come without an English-language translation, so participants will need to organize translations with their home university.

Academic Records

Credit assessment methods in overseas universities may not be comparable to those in U.S. universities. Grading may involve exams, papers, individual projects, class discussion or some combination of these. Although academic institutions abroad may grade on a variety of scales, admissions counselors and registrars at U.S. institutions are familiar with international grading systems and can convert grades.

Course Selection

AIFS Program Advisors are available to assist you in the process. The following procedure is recommended:

Read course descriptions for the selected program and select courses. Obtain approval from your academic or study abroad advisor for the preliminary courses selected. Final approval of credit transfer for completed courses is at the discretion of the Registrar or appropriate official at the home institution. Students must ascertain that courses taken meet their individual academic program requirements. Recommended credits in this catalog are based on 15 classroom hours per semester credit.

I would absolutely recommend this program. The trip has been such a positive experience. Wonderful program!

AIFS has a lot to offer. The more I talked to American students from other programs, the more I realized that AIFS was clearly the best choice

This program opened my eyes to a culture and society I knew very little about. I made great friends and had a fabulous time during the process. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

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