Willamette University

Irish Studies and Liberal Arts in Galway, Ireland

Study Abroad in Galway, Ireland

Located on the western coast of Ireland, Galway is an urban center of 80,000 people that sits on the banks of the River Corrib and along Galway Bay. Galway is known as a cultural center because of its lively arts, theater, and music culture that includes a vibrant traditional music scene.

Program overview

The Galway program takes place in the spring semester from early January until mid to late May at the National University of Ireland, Galway.  A Willamette professor accompanies the student group to Galway as the Program Faculty Leader. This faculty member teaches a course that has a topical focus related to Ireland and leads excursions to various locations throughout the semester. The Willamette Professor for the spring semester 2012 semester will be Dr. Seth Cotlar from Willamette’s History Department.

Academic life at NUIG

The National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) has approximately 8,000 full time students. This program is highly recommended for most humanities and social science majors.

While on the Galway program, students will attend courses at NUI Galway and take two courses that are unique to the program. The first is an Irish Life and Culture course that integrates lectures from multiple disciplines and includes excursions to sites of interest related to the topics being studied. The second course, delivered by the Willamette professor, is focused on aspects of Ireland that draw on the academic strengths of the professor. While on the Galway program, all students are required to take the Irish Life and Culture course and the course being taught by the Willamette program faculty leader. This course is equivalent to 1.0 WU credit. The course taught by the WU professor is also worth 1.0 WU credit.

Besides the two mandatory courses, students will enroll in two to three elective courses from NUI Galway’s list of courses for visiting students. Search for courses available to visiting students on NUI's website.

Accommodations

Students live in flats with another Willamette or University of Portland student. Each flat includes a shared living area, kitchen, and bathroom. The flats are a 10 minute walk from NUI Galway and 5 minutes from the downtown shopping district. The university has cafeterias and cafes, but most students choose to cook their meals on their own in their flats.

Your life in Galway

At NUI Galway there are many societies and club activities to become involved in including music groups and athletic clubs.  Students have also joined community groups while studying in Galway. Both the university and community organizations offer a great way for students to meet Irish nationals and other international students while abroad.

One of the highlights of the Galway program is its numerous weekend excursions. In past years excursion destinations have included Dublin, Cork, Northern Ireland, Connemara (a part of Ireland where Gaelic is still spoken), the cliffs of Moher, and the Aran Islands.

Dates

The Galway program is available during the spring semester only and starts in early January. The program concludes by mid or late May with the ending of final exams. Due to the variability of the exam schedule each year, students should wait to purchase their plane tickets until they have been notified about the program dates by the Galway program advisor at Willamette University.

Financial Assistance

Contact your Study Abroad Advisor to find out specific cost information for your university. In most case, financial, grants, and loans can be applied to the cost of the program.

How to Apply

To apply for the Galway program please contact the study abroad office at your university:

University of Portland

Belinda Chamness
Studies Abroad
 (503) 943-7857      
chamness@up.edu

Willamette University

Nicole Melius
International Programs Coordinator
Office of International Education
 (503) 370-6736
nmelius@willamette.edu

Pre-departure Resources