利莫利克大学

About You

There is no ‘typical’ European Studies student. The main qualities that you need for success in the field are;

• A healthy curiosity about how modern societies function
• An interest in the European Union, and the issues facing the Union and its member states
• a taste for languages other than your own
• an interest in other cultures and
• an ability to think independently and argue coherently for your ideas.

Neither do you have to know what you want to ‘be’ when you leave college in order to choose European Studies. The degree offers a very broad entrance into the worlds of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences.

Why Study European Studies at UL?

An understanding of Europe requires knowledge of its historical origins, of its economic, legal and societal aspects, and of its political institutions. The BA in European Studies develops knowledge and understanding of all of these areas. The University of Limerick has long led the way in Ireland in this field, with the result that this degree is one of the longest established European Studies degree programmes in Europe.

Course Structure

The BA in European Studies offers you a core European Studies programme and a wide degree of choice between options in History, Sociology, Economics and Law, as well as the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of French, German, Irish / Gaeilge and Spanish languages and cultures. Language teaching is done in small groups and many of the teachers are native speakers of the languages concerned.

The BA in European Studies is a four-year programme. Six semesters, including all of the first and final years, are spent in UL. A further two semesters, in the spring of Year 2 and autumn of Year 3, are spent off-campus on the Study Abroad programme and on the Cooperative Education programme, which provides work experience.

From the beginning of your degree programme, you will follow a core European Studies module stream, a scheme of language study in at least one continental European language (French, German or Spanish), and may either take three disciplinary subjects chosen from History, Sociology, Law and Economics, OR two such disciplinary subjects and a second language (from French, German, Spanish or Irish / Gaeilge).

Spanish and German are offered at Advanced and at Beginners’ Level, with the streams being integrated in Year 3.

Career Prospects

Employers in all areas of business, professional and public life are increasingly looking for graduates who can combine language skills with knowledge of European affairs. Our graduates work in areas such as;

• Business management with Irish and European companies
• Public service either in Ireland or within the European Union
• Banking and financial sectors
• Tourism and leisure industries

All of these career opportunities are expanding rapidly and new possibilities will continue to open as the ‘new’ Europe develops over the coming years.

Follow-On Study

Many graduates of the BA in European Studies go on to do postgraduate work of one kind or another. For some this means university-based or other professional education – good examples being a postgraduate teaching qualification or a diploma/degree in journalism.

For others, the European element predominates and this can lead naturally to one of the many related Masters degrees such as UL’s own MA in European Integration. The range of postgraduate study possibilities for European Studies graduates also includes a wide variety of research opportunities.