17 weeks
/
$19,450
/
15 - 18 credits
Spr 2026: Jan 5 - May 9
Eligibility: GPA 3.0
Immerse yourself in the complexities of our globalized world while studying in Ireland, a country shaped by both deep traditions and modern international influences.
Apply via your home college
Step into the heart of global affairs with Global Studies: Exploring Continuity, Change, and Complexity in an Uncertain World, run in collaboration between Big Pond Education and Dublin City University (DCU). This dynamic program blends classroom learning with real-world insights, offering a unique opportunity to examine the forces shaping our interconnected world while experiencing life in one of Europe’s most vibrant and welcoming countries.
You are able to tailor your own experience by selecting a concentration of four courses from DCU’s global affairs suite of options. As part of the program’s global focus, you’ll select one ‘system level’ course and one ‘area studies’ course, as well as two additional electives taken from a longer list of courses made available in this concentration . DCU ranks among the top 200 universities worldwide for subjects such as History, Philosophy, Politics, and International Relations.
All students take Big Pond’s core course: Exploring Contemporary Ireland: Culture, Identity & Change (4 U.S. credits), providing a foundation in Irish society, history, and identity. This course includes study tours to the west of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. The north is a fascinating case study in politics, peace and the role of compromise in international relations.
Big Pond is the 2023 winner of The Forum on Education Abroad’s Award for Advancing the SDGs Through Education Abroad and students will benefit from a full suite of Big Pond extracurricular activities and top of the range student accommodation.
All students take the Big Pond core course, Exploring Contemporary Ireland: Culture, Identity & Change. Our School of Record, Marist University NY recognizes this as a 4 U.S. credit class.
Depending on what your home college permits, you may study up to four additional courses at DCU. The courses in this concentration are all 5 or 10 credit courses in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This equates to approximately 3 - 5 U.S. credits, depending on the course. There are only two courses in this concentration which are worth 10 ECTS / 5 U.S. credits and these are noted below.
This program is especially suitable for students with an academic background in humanities, social sciences, politics or international relations.
As this is a global studies program, at least one of your choices must be a ‘system level’ course, and at least one must be an ‘area studies’ course.
The remaining two courses can be any from the list below, including an additional course from ‘system level’, ‘area studies’ or any from ‘features of the system’.
One (and one only) of your remaining two courses may be taken from an extensive list of electives offered by DCU, which fall outside of the ‘global studies’ theme, although this is not mandatory. These electives include courses across the business school and modern foreign languages.
Apply to this program through your home study abroad office. Sometimes timetabling clashes mean studyingyour top four courses might not be possible. For this reason, we ask you to rankyour choices in order of preference when submitting your application. Your study abroad office will send your application details including coursepriorities directly to Big Pond.
(choose at least one)
(choose at least one)
Elective from DCU’s entire course portfolio Link to course list is here
International Management Practice
Introduction to Business Finance
Marketing Essentials
The International Economy
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Global Finance
Economic Perspectives
Digital Content & Media Tools
Developmental Psychology
Individual Differences
Cognitive Psychology
Positive Psychology
Foundational Criminology
Studio Production
Sound Production
Storytelling in the Digital Age
Strategic Management
Strategic Marketing
Event Marketing
Advanced Economic Perspectives
Consumer Behaviour
Creativity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Global Business
Human Resource Management
Operating Systems
Data Management & Analytics
IT Project Management
Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Sexuality
Intervention and Therapeutic Practice
EcoPsychology
Performance Psychology
BioPsychology
Global Issues
Audio for Film & Screen
Contemporary Film and TV
Creativity in the Music Business (Sound Engineering)
Performance Technologies (Sound Engineering)
Entrepreneurial Pursuits in Music
Fundamentals of Marketing
Economics in the World of Business
Business Environment
Fundamentals of Accounting
Maths and Stats for Business
Economic Perspectives
Marketing Essentials
Drama and Theatre: Page and Stage
Literature in the Modern World
Film, Cinema & Screen Today
War and Peace in the 20th Century
Understanding Civilizations: Islam and the West
Principles: Light, Camera, Photography
Studio Recording Principles and Techniques
Investigating the Creative Media Industry
Digital Content and Media Tools
Introduction to Psychology
The Sociological Imagination
Intro to Psychoanalysis and the unconscious
Digital Film Production
Strategic Management
Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategic Marketing
Event Marketing
Event Operations & Crowd Management
Selling and Sales Management
Global Business
Intercultural Management
Organisational Behaviour for Managers
Global Finance
Financial Structured Products
Equity & Trusts
Business Intelligence and Visualisation
Software Engineering
International Law
Cyberpsychology
Health Psychology
Personality and Individual Differences
Personality & Psychoanalytical Subjectivity
Cognitive Psychology
Contemporary Criminology
Criminology in Action - Youth Justice
Campaigning, Advocacy & Public Engagement
Contemporary Inequalities
Contemporary Social Policy in Ireland
Sociology of Families, Intimacies and Personal Life
Economic Sociology
Politics in the Modern World
Audio for Podcasting, Performance and Radio
Scriptwriting and Development
Camerawork
Media and Identity
Digital Artifact Creation
Dublin is a great city to take an internship. Half of Dublin’s population are under 25, creating an exciting, sociable work environment. Hierarchical cultures are not the norm, with a more informal, horizontal office set-up increasingly common.
The city is a hub for technology, digital media, and the arts. There is a thriving startup ecosystem and a vibrant nonprofit sector, reinforcing Dublin’s reputation as an innovation-driven and socially conscious city.
All Big Pond’s placement sites are organizations like us: they are inspired to do right by people or the planet, or both. Many of them are non-profits or businesses that strive towards the highest levels of social and environmental standards.
After you indicate to your study abroad advisor that you would like to take an internship, Big Pond staff will set up a call with you so we can understand your motivations, values and goals.
This process allows us match to you with an appropriate placement site. Here are some recent roles our students have undertaken:
Internship students take four courses in total and spend two full dayseach week at their placement site.
Interns take the International Internship Course, our core course (Exploring Contemporary Ireland: Culture, Identity & Change), plus two elective courses.
Elective courses open to interns are shown below.
| Name of stream | Course 1 | Course 2 |
|---|---|---|
| General Business | Global Business | Human Resource Management |
| Innovation & Supply Chain | Supply Chain & Procurement Management | Innovation and Entrepreneurships |
| Strategy | Strategic Management | Strategic Marketing |
| Innovation in Business | Enterprise & Innovation | Digital Content & Media Tools |
| The Economy | The International Economy | Political Economy of the EU |
| Business Essentials | Business Context & Organization | Economic Perspectives |
| Essentials | IT Essentials | Marketing Essentials |
| Maths & Global Business | International Management Practice | Strategic Management |
| Media Production | Storytelling in the Digital Age | Sound Production |
| Communication | Introduction to Communications | Digital Content & Media Tools |
| Advanced Economic Perspectives | Economic Perspectives | European Union Law |
| Psychology | Social Psychology | Psychology in Action |
| Name of stream | Course 1 | Course 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cinema & Film Theory | Screen Theory & Criticism | Exploring Popular Culture |
| Society in Action | Campaigning, Advocacy and Public Engagement | Politics in the Modern World |
| New Media Tools | New Media Writing | Multimedia Tools |
| Media Studies | Media & Identity | The Moving Image |
| Media Production | Audio Tech & Techniques | Principles: Light, Camera, Photograph |
| Media Creations | Scriptwriting & Development | Camerawork |
| Drama & History | Drama and Theatre: Page and Stage | Literature in the Modern World |
| Politics & Society | Politics in the Modern World | Economic Sociology |
| Psychoanalysis & Social Psychology | Foundations in Social Psychology | Introduction to Psychoanalysis and the Unconscious |
| Foundations in Psychology | Psychological Foundations | Foundations in Biopsychology |
| Advanced Psychology | Development Across the Lifespan: Adolescence to Adulthood | Personality and Psychoanalytical Subjectivity |
| Psychology Majors | Behavior Science | Health Psychology |
| Inequality & Research | Contemporary Inequalities | Advanced Social Research |
| HR | Human Resource Management | Human Resource Development |
| Organisations | Management | Organizational Behavior for Managers |
| Technical Skills for Digital Marketing | Digital Marketing Planning and Management | Web Design and Client Side Development |
| International Marketing | International Marketing | Strategic Marketing |
| Creating Information Systems | Fundamentals of Information Systems | Programming Fundamentals |
All Big Pond students take our core course, Exploring Contemporary Ireland: Culture, Identity & Change (4 U.S. credits).
You will be introduced to the forces shaping Irish society today and how it developed. The story of Ireland is the story of the arrival of newcomers who have made the island their home in waves of settlement since ancient times through to the present day. Your core course provides an overview of the main historical influences that have shaped Irish people, their identity and their country.
You will be given the opportunity to explore how local Dublin communities have evolved over time, and what it is that continues to forge a sense of Irish belonging. The course is a fascinating mirror to how your own identity has been shaped in your country.
As part of this course, you will participate in the following study tours: West of Ireland: landscape, myth, tradition and Northern Ireland: politics, conflict, resolution?
All Big Pond semester students will go on at least two weekend trips. We run several every year, including
A weekend spent on Ireland’s historic west coast working on a conservation project, exploring the Irish-speaking Aran Islands, and experiencing the world famous Cliffs of Moher. This study tour is part of the Big Pond core course
A fascinating insight into how a divided society can come together. We tag on visits to The Giant’s Causeway and even catch a sheepdog demonstration. This study tour is part of the Big Pond core course!
Discover communities across Ireland on a mission to maintain a balanced society and give back to the planet.
Art, art history and castles are across Ireland. Both represent power and the people wanting to demonstrate that power. This tour explores that story.
'Big Zero' is Big Pond's fully accredited Carbon Literacy & Community Action micro credential.
Completely complementary, Big Zero is resume boosting evidence that an education aboad experience with Big Pond is a lot more than just credits.
What's more, we make Big Zero available to others in Higher Education to use.
Our residence halls, Highfield House, are the only student accommodation in Dublin committed to Ireland’s Green Hospitality Programme and built to NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) standards.
Big Pond staff live in the same halls as your students. Our team are Dublin locals and their primary function is to build a sense of student community. They conduct regular check-ins and actively encourage engagement with the city of Dublin.
Our residences are based in a centrally-located, bustling, student neighborhood. All rooms are ensuite and single occupancy.
Experiencing what Dublin has to offer will create memories for life. Throughout your semester, Big Pond organizes numerous events at no additional cost. Below is a sample of events we have run.
No visit to Ireland is complete without a trip to the farm! Jump in a bog, milk a cow and try your hand at playing the Irish drum.
Make soda bread, and some new friends at the same time.
If cooking isn’t your strongest skill, no problem. We introduce you to some simple recipes with an Irish twist.
Watch a Gaelic football or hurling match at the famous Croke Park.
Dublin’s seaside! We visit at the end of your Arrivals week. You may spot a seal or two!
Ireland’s landscape is spectacular. Glendalough is a beautiful valley with trails, lakes and rivers.
Get stuck in at our reforestation partner - and plant trees to offset your return flights to Ireland.
Where better to mark Sain Patrick’s Day than in Dublin?
Your residences are in a thriving Dublin neighbourhood. Cycling is the ideal way to explore it.
DCU hosts 17,500 students, 10% of whom are international. The university has award winning sports facilities and student participation in clubs and societies is high.
Innovation and entrepreneurship is a priority for the university, as is sustainability: DCU has been ranked 12th in the world by QS for "Environmental Sustainability".
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is known for its cutting-edge programs, interactive teaching methods, and strong connections with industry, ensuring students gain practical, real-world experience alongside academic excellence.
