A
Accommodation
Student housing, either on-campus or privately rented.
Academic Advisor
A staff member who helps students with course choices and academic planning.
Academic Registry
The department in UL that supports undergraduate students with all administrative tasks related to their course, from first applying to UL as incoming students, while they are studying here and right up to graduation.
Access Office
Supports students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Alumni
Past students of a university.
Assessment and grading
• Continuous Assessment: Evaluation based on assignments, projects, or tests throughout the semester.
• Exam Board: A committee that reviews and approves student results.
• Grade Point Average (GPA): A numerical representation of a student’s academic performance.
• Pass/Fail: Basic grading outcome; some modules may be pass/fail rather than graded.
• Resit: A second attempt at an exam or assessment after failing the first.
B
Bachelor’s degree
The first degree a student completes at university.
Blended learning
A combination of face-to-face, classroom-based learning and distance learning, or eLearning.
C
CAO (Central Applications Office)
The system through which students apply for undergraduate courses in Ireland.
Campus
The buildings and land of a university.
Careers Office
Offers guidance on employment, internships, and further study.
Cooperative Education (Co-op)
Cooperative Education ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ is a compulsory six to eight-month work placement for undergraduate students.
Core module
A part of a course that you must complete.
Course/programme
A name for the specific subject(s) you are studying at university over a number of years.
Credits (ECTS)
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System; typically, one academic year equals 60 ECTS credits.
D
Degree
The qualification awarded to a student who has successfully completed a 3–6-year course at a university. Degrees can be undergraduate and postgraduate.
Department
A sub-unit within a faculty focused on a specific discipline.
Disability Support Services
Provides accommodations for students with disabilities.
E
Elective module
A part of a course that you can choose to do.
Entry requirements
The grades or qualifications you must have to get accepted onto a university course.
Erasmus
An opportunity to spend some of your time at university studying abroad in a foreign university.
F
Faculty
A group of university departments that teach subjects relating to a major area of study. Faculties are comprised of several schools, academic departments, centres or institutes. Faculty also refers to the academic teaching staff of a university.
Faculties in UL
- Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS)
- Education and Health Sciences (EHS)
- Science and Engineering (SciEng)
- Kemmy Business School (KBS)
G
Graduate Professional Studies (GPS)
The department in UL that supports postgraduate students.
H
HEA (Higher Education Authority)
The statutory body overseeing higher education in Ireland.
Higher Education
Another word for third-level.
I
In-person
Students attend lectures in person on the university campus for face-to-face teaching with a lecturer.
J
K
L
Lab
Practical sessions, especially in science or engineering courses.
Lecture
A formal teaching session, usually delivered to a large group.
Lecturer
A teacher at a university. Lecturers may also undertake research projects.
M
Master’s degree
A more advanced second degree you can get by going back to university to study for 1–2 years.
Mature student
Someone who is 23 years of age or older on January 1st of the year of entry to the University.
Micro-credential
Short part-time courses usually about 5–6 weeks in duration.
Module
An independent part of a course. Successfully passing a module earns credit towards a final award. A course is made up of a number of modules.
N
NFQ (National Framework of Qualifications)
A system that classifies qualifications by level (e.g., Level 7 = Ordinary Degree, Level 8 = Honours Degree).
O
P
PhD or doctorate
The most advanced degree a university can offer. You can only do a PhD at the postgraduate level and it can take a number of years to complete.
Postgraduate
Someone who has already earned a degree at a university.
Prospectus
A list of all the courses offered by a university.
Q
R
Registrar
Senior official responsible for academic administration.
Remote online/e-learning
Teaching and learning that happens at a distance from the University campus that you can access wholly or partially online from an internet-enabled device.
S
Semester
A university teaching term, usually 15 weeks long (Autumn and Summer Semester).
Societies and Clubs
Student-run groups for hobbies, interests, and social activities.
Students’ Union (SU)
A student-led body representing student interests and organising events. In UL, our students' union is called UL Student Life.
T
Third-level education
The next level of education after secondary school. In Ireland, it broadly includes universities, institutes of technology and colleges of education.
Types of study/method of delivery
In-person, remote online/e-learning, blended learning.
Tutorial
A smaller, discussion-based class.
U
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
(UL)
Undergraduate
Someone who has not yet earned a degree at university – their first time in third-level education/university.
V
VLE
Virtual Learning Environment or online system used to deliver and manage all course materials. In UL, it is called Brightspace.
w
X
Y
Z