The University of Limerick (UL) is an independent, internationally focused university with over 11,000 students and 1,313 staff. The University has a proud record of innovation in education and excellence in research and scholarship.
UL offers 72 undergraduate programmes and 103 taught postgraduate programmes across four faculties: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Education and Health Sciences; Kemmy Business School; and Science and Engineering.
With the River Shannon as a unifying focal point, the University is situated on a superb 133-hectare campus. Outstanding recreational, cultural and sporting facilities further enhance this exceptional learning and working environment. The campus is located 5km from Limerick city and 20km from Shannon International Airport.
UL has close links with industry from undergraduate to postdoctoral level. The University runs one of the largest cooperative education (internship) programmes in the European Union. Cooperative education at UL is undertaken as an integral part of the academic programme. UL has an established network of over 1,700 cooperative education employers, and 2,000 undergraduate placements are secured annually in industry, commerce and the public service. Students are placed in Ireland and internationally, primarily in North America, Europe and South East Asia. Employer contributions to the programme amount to €20 million annually.
The University of Limerick has established its research distinctiveness through promoting a research ethos characterised by the convergence of discrete disciplines working together to achieve fundamental breakthroughs. The following priority areas have been identified:
- Materials and Surface Science
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Bioengineering and Biosciences
- Energy and Sustainable Environment
- Applied Mathematics
- Study of Knowledge in Society
The University currently has four internationally recognised research institutes: Materials and Surface Science Institute; Stokes Institute; Lero – Irish Software Engineering Research Centre; and Institute for the Study of Knowledge in Society. These multidisciplinary institutes offer a wide range of opportunities at masters, PhD and postdoctoral level.
In February 2010, the University and NUI Galway announced a strategic alliance. The institution-wide alliance will work across all areas of activity at UL and NUI Galway, including teaching, technology transfer, lifelong learning and the provision of services. Exciting new initiatives include a unique 'Link to Learn' student exchange programme, which will enable students at either university to choose modules from the other institution as part of their programme of study. The alliance also includes a unique partnership between UL and NUI Galway with the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA for the purpose of developing a joint Translational Research Institute. The Translational Research Institute will focus on the development and synergy of core technologies and expertise within the partner institutions with a view to providing Irish industries with relevant and world-class research solutions.