16 weeks
/
$24,450
/
15 - 18 credits
Fall 2025: Sept 1 - Dec 20
Spr 2026: Jan 12 - May 16
Eligibility: GPA 3.0
Combine the experience of Big Pond’s student life activities, study tours and core course with the value of studying at Ireland’s largest university.
Apply via your home college
Study as one of 5,000 international students at UCD’s beautiful Belfield campus. This program gives you access to courses across six colleges: Arts and Humanities, Business, Engineering & Architecture; Health & Agricultural Sciences; Science and Social Sciences & Law.
UCD has enough clubs, societiesand leisure activities to easily keep you occupied for a semester, but ofcourse you also need to build in space to explore the rest Dublin and Irelandhas to offer.
This program is complemented by Big Pond’s own student lifecalendar, orientation activities, 24/7 support, core course and study tours.
All students take the Big Pond core course, Exploring Contemporary Ireland: Culture, Identity & Change (4 U.S. credits). This is recognized by our School of Record (Marist University, NY) as 4 U.S. credits.
On top of this, you may take 20 - 25 European ECTS or 12 - 15 U.S. credits at UCD. Courses in Ireland are called ‘modules’ and you usually choose four to five of them.
The UCD courses available to you number in the hundreds. A sample of the business, marketing, psychology, history and politics courses can be found via this link:
The full catalogue is found here.
Students must take the majority of their courses within one of UCD’s colleges e.g. a business student could choose three courses from the business school and one course from another school.
You must pre-register seven courses in order of preference before arrival. Timetabling clashes can mean that occasionally you do not get your top choices.
Apply through your home study abroad office, which will send your details and course priorities directly to Big Pond.
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.
UCD is the largest university in Ireland with more than 25,000 students. It is regularly ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide and the business school is triple accredited: AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB.
Class sizes range between 15 to 30 students for seminars and 300 for lectures. The amenities are impressive, with sports, clubs and student societies a popular means for international students to get involved with local and European students.
