10 Reasons to Choose DCU

1. Academic excellence
2. Employability of our graduates
3. A highly-rated university
4. A focus on supporting every student
5. Our Work Placements and Year Abroad programme
6. Our Generation 21 programme
7. A vibrant student campus
8. A sporting campus
9. Ireland's University of Enterprise
10. We offer choice and flexibility

10 Reasons to Choose DCU

1. Academic excellence

At DCU we focus on the quality of the 'learning experience' for each student. Because of this focus on academic excellence, we ensure that your degree is highly regarded, both nationally and internationally, and that you are equipped to be successful in all aspects of your life: both in the workplace and in wider society. We strive constantly to improve the quality of our degree programmes and this has been recognised in many external reviews.

For example:

'DCU can fairly claim to be at the cutting edge in terms of academic quality improvement.' – International Review Panel that carried out an Institutional Review of DCU in 2010.

'Academic excellence has seen DCU quickly establish itself among the higher education elite.' – Sunday Times University Guide 2011.

2. Employability of our graduates

DCU graduates are highly sought after by employers. A 2011 survey of our most recent graduates (those who graduated with a degree in 2010) demonstrated that nearly 90% of those who responded to the survey were either in employment or in further study. This is a very high percentage and much higher than the national average measured across all Irish universities.

Our graduates work in prestigious positions with top national and international companies worldwide. Some of our more prolific alumni include: John Jordan (Director of Marketing, Irish Dairy Board), Gervaise Slowey (MD, Ogilvy), Sean McGrath (Vice President of HR, World Bank),Colin Cunningham (Co-founder of Cynergy), Noel Curran, Director General of RTE, Matt Cooper (Journalist, Today FM) and Laura Whitmore (Presenter, MTV).

3. DCU is a highly-rated university

DCU is ranked in the top 4% of universities worldwide. We have held the honour of Sunday Times Irish University of the Year twice in the past eight years (2004/5 and 2010/11) due to our achievements in a number of areas, including the calibre of our degree programmes, the employability of our graduates, our research successes, our focus on supporting students and our access programme. Commenting on our most recent award, the Sunday Times stated: 'DCU gives students vital experience and skills to augment their academic studies and is instrumental in producing an excellent calibre of graduate, primed and ready to face the future.'

4. A focus on supporting every Student

DCU is committed to providing a highly supportive environment for our students along their journey of learning and personal development. At DCU there will always be someone there to assist you no matter what your problem might be. Our primary goal is to unleash the personal potential in every student and to enable all students to realise their ambitions.

5. Our work placements and Year Abroad programme

A key factor in the success of our students on graduation is our INTRA Internship Programme, where students gain relevant, paid work experience as part of most of our degree programmes. This gives our students an early introduction into the world of enterprise and employment and, as a result, employers frequently comment that they choose DCU graduates because they can 'hit the ground running'. In 2011, more than 800 students from 26 undergraduate programmes completed INTRA placements.

Some DCU degree programmes offer international experience to our students - e.g. students on degree programmes offered by the School of Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies participate in our Year Abroad Programme where they spend one full academic year at one of our partner institutions in Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Spain.

6. Our Generation 21 programme

Introduced in September 2011, Generation 21 is a unique programme of initiatives for students that fosters the skills and attributes that a graduate needs to be successful in the 21st Century. We recognised that we needed to equip our graduates with 21st Century generic skills to enable them to navigate the challenges of a dynamic, globalised society and an increasingly knowledge-based workplace. We set out to develop a new approach to underpin our commitment to excellence in education, an approach that would prepare our students in the best way possible for success in the 21st Century. Integrated into all our degree programmes, Generation 21 aims to shape our graduates into rounded individuals who are Creative and Enterprising, Solution-Oriented, Effective Communicators, Globally Engaged, and Active Leaders.

7. A vibrant student campus

With over 100 Clubs and Societies and The Hub Student Centre, there is no shortage of opportunities to have an exciting life outside of the lecture theatre and to build a broad range of friends. There is a great buzz around our campus, which features multiple bars, restaurants, bright, modern campus residences, and the world-renowned Helix theatre.

Our goal is not only to give you an excellent degree qualification but also to ensure that your time at DCU is highly enjoyable and full of extra-curricular activities and enhancing experiences.

8. A sporting campus

DCU is renowned for both its sporting heroes and excellent sports facilities. Last year over 50 of our students played senior Gaelic football for their county teams and 12 of the All Ireland-winning Dublin panel were either current students or recent graduates. This year 5 DCU students or recent graduates will participate in the London Olympics. Our excellent sports facilities include a state-of-the-art 25 metre swimming pool and spa, a superb fitness gym, basketball courts, squash courts and a sprint track.

Our Sports Scholarship Programme attracts some of Ireland's most promising sports people, and our dedicated high-performance facilities along with the expertise of our staff at our School of Health and Human Performance are integral to the development of many of Ireland's top athletes, including Fionnuala Britton, current European cross country champion.

9. Ireland's University of Enterprise

DCU instils a spirit of creativity and stimulates innovation in all its degree programmes. Our Enterprise Advisory Board, comprising national and international leaders from the world of enterprise, ensures not only that our degree programmes are at the cutting edge internationally, but that the attributes of our graduates are informed by the various needs of the enterprise sector. We are the Irish member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). ECIU is a prestigious network of 11 European universities all of which share a common commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. The vision of ECIU is to be a global leader in higher education through the collective expertise of the consortium, their dedication to enhancing the learning experience of students, and their focus on fostering economic and social development across the regions of Europe.

10. We offer choice and flexibility

We offer over 60 undergraduate and 70 postgraduate programmes across a broad range of areas including engineering, computing, business, humanities, social sciences, science and health. Many of our degree programmes are unique to DCU and many of them offer unique discipline combinations, e.g. business with languages.

Our recently announced 'DCU Online' initiative will introduce on-line elements and technology-enabled learning enhancements to most of our degree programmes over the coming years, thereby ensuring that DCU students experience the cutting-edge of learning developments.