DCU Institute of Education Courses Explained
Bachelor of Early Childhood Education
Gaining a qualification in early childhood education with DCU can help you to make a positive difference to the lives of children and their families and provide you with a broad range of career opportunities.
Bachelor of Early Childhood Education students enjoy a great mix of academic and social life on the DCU St Patrick’s Campus. Students have whole class lectures but also experience a lot of work in small groups, so you get to know everyone and we get to know you. It also gives you an opportunity to have some hands-on experiences - building with Lego and Bee-Bots in early maths, visiting parks as part of your outdoor play module, exploring science activities, engaging in art experiences and creating music resources that support you in working with young children.
Much of the assessment on the course is continual and while we have some examinations, students are encouraged to undertake ongoing project work, contribute to online discussion forums, create literacy resources, design and present posters, as well as developing curriculum and play plans over the term.
Our students tell us that one of the best things about the course is placement. From Year One, you will put your learning into practice by working as part of a professional team in early childhood settings. You will also have opportunities to undertake placement in policy and support organisations, family support agencies, special needs schools and statutory bodies where you will learn about the important behind-the-scenes work related to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. You can study and gain invaluable experience as part of DCU’s Erasmus experience abroad in Year Three - from Norwegian outdoor Kindergartens or full day care settings in the historic city of Ghent in Belgium.
Some of our current graduates are using their pedagogical or teaching skills here at home as well as abroad in places such as the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Our Alumni are working in the areas of Special Needs, Child and Family Support, Early Intervention programmes and Childcare Committees. Some have gone on to take up highly coveted internships in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and others have pursued Master’s programmes for primary teaching, psychology and family support.
This programme has something for everyone and will give you a great career foundation no matter which industry or sector you choose (in case you hadn’t heard, DCU is 19th in the world for our rate of graduate employment in the latest QS Employability report!).
For further information and course entry requirements, go to: www.dcu.ie/DC001
Bachelor of Education DC002 | DC003 | DC004
The DCU Bachelor of Education will empower you to become a skilled and creative primary school teacher. It will develop your understanding of how children learn and how best to facilitate their learning.
DCU Bachelor of Education is currently the only primary teaching undergraduate degree in the country that offers a major specialism module from Year Two which enables you to specialise in a key area of learning, for example English, Gaeilge, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Religious Studies, Early Childhood Education, Digital Learning, Science Education, Human Development, Physical Education, Literacy Education, Geo Learning, Special and Inclusive Education and more. Having a qualification in a major specialism area will be invaluable to you as a newly qualified teacher entering the workforce.
DCU Institute of Education students hugely benefit from having access to some of the most innovative teaching resources in the country, such as our Lego Innovation Studio and Minecraft Studio.Our students tell us that one of the best things about the course is placement. Placement experiences enable our students to integrate coursework, theory and practice in how they learn, relate, and teach in various settings. Over the course of the four years, you will undertake 30 weeks of school placement.
You will also undertake two residential Gaeltacht Placements; one in Year One and another in Year Three and you will also have the opportunity to study and gain invaluable experience as part of DCU’s Erasmus experience abroad in Year Three.The Bachelor of Education degree is not only a gateway to the primary teaching profession, but also to a number of other careers, including consultant, content writer, educational administrator, principal, researcher, school inspector and teacher educator.
This programme has something for everyone and will give you a great career foundation no matter which industry or sector you choose (in case you hadn’t heard, DCU is 19th in the world for our rate of graduate employment in the latest QS Employability report!).
For further information and course entry requirements, go to:
- Bachelor of Education: dcu.ie/DC002
- Bachelor of Education - Gaeltacht Applicants Pathway (Restricted Entry): dcu.ie/DC003
- Bachelor of Education - Church of Ireland Centre Pathway (Restricted Entry): dcu.ie/DC004
Bachelor of Education - Church of Ireland Centre Pathway (Restricted Entry) (DC004)
Bachelor of Religious Education and English or History or Music DC010 | DC011 | DC012
This course offers a streamlined track to a profession in post-primary teaching, qualifying you to teach Religious Education and your chosen subject to Honours Leaving Certificate Level in just four years.
The course comprises a variety of interesting core and optional topics, with an emphasis throughout on teamwork, leadership, communication and creativity - skills that will serve you well in a teaching career and also transfer to a number of other professions. You’ll also be encouraged to develop the skills to work in contexts of cultural and religious diversity, preparing you for the modern-day teaching environment.
One of the most exciting and rewarding elements of the course is our hands-on approach to School Placement. Over the four years of the course, you’ll have an opportunity to gain valuable and extensive experience within a range of teaching and learning environments, including engagement in observation of practice, micro-teaching, peer-teaching, team-teaching and school-based placement.
This course is fully recognised by the Teaching Council of Ireland, and upon graduation, you can register as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) and apply immediately for employment in second level schools. As well as working as teachers and principals, our Alumni have also worked in many other areas such as broadcasting, chaplaincy, consultancy, educational leadership, educational administration, journalism, musician/composing and parish ministry.
This programme has something for everyone and will give you a great career foundation no matter which industry or sector you choose (in case you hadn’t heard, DCU is 19th in the world for our rate of graduate employment in the latest QS Employability report!).
For further information and course entry requirements, go to:
- Bachelor of Religious Education and English: dcu.ie/DC010
- Bachelor of Religious Education and History: dcu.ie/DC011
- Bachelor of Religious Education and Music: dcu.ie/DC012
Bachelor of Education in Gaeilge & French or German or Spanish - DC013
Go raibh maith agat as spéis a léiriú sa Bhaitsiléir san Oideachas i nGaeilge agus Fraincis nó Gearmáinis nó Spáinnis. This four year degree will fully qualify you to teach Gaeilge and your other chosen language in post-primary schools on completion of the course. Over the course of the four years, students will develop their professional knowledge and practice in how to teach languages. The unique approach taken in this course will enable you to reach a high level of ability in Gaeilge and your chosen language enabling you to be a confident and effective language teacher.
One of the best things and most unique aspects about this course is that it is delivered across our three DCU campuses - Glasnevin, St Patrick’s and All Hallows campuses. This means you can avail of so many different resources on a weekly basis not only by attending lectures, language labs, tutorials, and workshops, but also by using the libraries, restaurants and sports facilities. There are a huge range of clubs and societies to get involved in – all of which contribute to a much more varied experience!
Our students love the opportunities this course gives them to become plurilingual by speaking three languages every day. The language labs in DCU are a fantastic resource to help improve accuracy and fluency. To help you achieve a high level of language proficiency you will undertake Gaeltacht internships and an Erasmus placement where you will study at a university abroad for the second half of Year Three.
You will gain invaluable experience within a range of teaching and learning environments including engagement in observation of practice, micro-teaching, peer-teaching, team-teaching and school-based placement – all while using different languages all of the time! Currently, there is a shortage of language teachers in post-primary schools so graduates of this course will be highly sought after. You will also have many other career opportunities in other areas such as broadcast production, journalism and media sectors, cultural organisations, government departments, translation and interpreting and many, many more!
This programme has something for everyone and will give you a great career foundation no matter which industry or sector you choose (in case you hadn’t heard, DCU is 19th in the world for our rate of graduate employment in the latest QS Employability report!).
For further information and course entry requirements, go to: www.dcu.ie/DC013
BSc (Hons) in Education and Training - DC235
There is a strong demand for educators and trainers across Ireland, from individual communities through to large organisations, and this course will give you a firm foothold in an area with excellent employment opportunities.
You will acquire practical knowledge on key areas such as curriculum design and development, assessment, instructional design, and sustainability while also developing skills in information and communication technology for education and interpersonal communications and approaches to teaching in multicultural/diverse societies. Our practice-based approach to learning, teaching and assessment includes psychological and philosophical foundations, sociological theory and values education as well as a wide range of methodologies.
The degree contains two strands of study:
- 3 year option - NFQ Level 8 honours degree
- 4 year option - NFQ Level 8 honours degree which allows registration with the Teaching Council of Ireland as a teacher in Further Education
The course is offered through two modes: full-time delivery mode which is delivered during traditional university hours and the flexible delivery mode which is delivered two evenings per week and on occasional Saturdays. Both modes are designated as full-time programmes.
This programme has something for everyone and will give you a great career foundation no matter which industry or sector you choose (in case you hadn’t heard, DCU is 19th in the world for our rate of graduate employment in the latest QS Employability report!).
For further information and course entry requirements, go to: www.dcu.ie/DC235