Host City and Institution:

Cork, the second largest city in Ireland, is located on the coast, south-west of the capital, Dublin. The greater Cork area has a population in excess of 200,000. The city is a busy seaport and home to a large number of industries including electronics, pharmaceuticals, brewing and food processing. The surrounding environment is as varied as it is beautiful. Cork is ideally situated at the head of the inlet of Cork harbor with the sea just to the south, mountains, hills and rivers to the north and east, and the breathtaking lakes of Killarney only one and a half hours to the west. There is a good mixture of educational, sporting and cultural interests in the city. Among Cork's many cultural offerings are an art school with public painting and sculpture galleries, an Opera House, two theatres and a city museum. The city has a rich social life and is the centre each year for International Film, Choral and Jazz festivals.  

University College Cork is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, located in Cork. The university was founded as a college in 1845 and the original site is believed to have had a connection with the patron saint of Cork, Saint Finbarr. His monastery and school of learning were close by at Gill Abbey Rock and the mill attached to the monastery is thought to have stood on the bank of the south channel of the River Lee, which runs through the College lower grounds.  

The university is one of Ireland's leading research institutes, with the highest research income in the country. The university's internal research reputation spans all of its faculties where it offers over 120 degree and professional programs through seven schools and 27 departments. The university had seven faculties in Arts and Celtic Studies, Commerce, Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Law, Medicine, and Science. In recent years the University has re-organized so that it now has four colleges, Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Science; Business and Law; Medicine and Health; Science, Engineering and Food Science. It was named the Irish University of the Year in 2003-2004 and again in 2005-2006. 

Country:

Many come to Ireland with high expectations of its romantic scenery, a blend of the raw and rugged with mist-covered green hills, and seldom return home disillusioned. An uncommon geological richness and the warming effect of the North Atlantic produce an astonishing diversity of terrain on this small island, accompanied by an ever-changing canvas of wind-blown clouds. Ancient, crumpled mountains tumble into the ocean at the fringes of the land, which is splashed throughout with green, misty lakes and primeval bogland. In the east, the lonely, beautiful granite of the Wicklow Hills sits in utter contrast to the horse-grazing plain of the Curragh just a short distance away. In Connemara on the west coast, you can walk from beach to mountain to fen, from seaweed-strewn inlet to lily-covered lough, in just a couple of hours. Coupled with the unhurried nature of rural living, this scenic array encourages leisurely investigation, especially on foot or by bicycle.  

With the richest store of mythological traditions in northern Europe, Ireland adds further interest to the landscape through the sacred associations of so many of its physical features. But there's much more than the resonance of place names to this treasure chest of myths, which still has a life of its own in the tradition of storytelling. The great body of Irish literature, though much of it concerns the dysfunction of real life, is usually spiked with wild, fantastical imaginings, from Swift and Wilde through to Joyce, Flann O'Brien and Seamus Heaney. Meanwhile, in the rich culture of traditional music, two forms are most likely to enrapture an audience ? whether singing along or in silent appreciation ?ballads and sean-nós ("old-style" Irish-language singing), which recount tales of love, history and humor.  

About the program:

The University College Cork is an exchange program for Texas Tech students. Students will pay Texas Tech tuition and fees before leaving, and are responsible for paying for their housing and meals while in Ireland. Grades earned during this program will be factored into a student?s GPA. 

Courses and Areas of Study: 

The University College Cork offers all of their class in English. Classes can be found in Accounting (Full Year only), Anatomy, Applied Ecology, Applied Mathematics (Full Year or Spring Semester only), Applied Psychology (very restricted), Archaeology, Biochemistry, Biology, Celtic Civilization, Chemistry, Child Health, Civil Engineering (Full Year or Spring Semester only), Computer Science (Full Year only), Earth Science, Economics (Full Year or Autumn Semester only), Education, Electrical Engineering (Full Year only), English, European Studies, Food Chemistry, Food Economics, Food Engineering, Food Technology, French, Gaeilge, Geography, Geology, German, Government, Greek, Greek and Roman Civilization, History, Italian, Law (Full Year only), Latin, Management and Marketing, Management Information Systems (Full Year only), Mathematics (Full Year or Spring Semester only), Mathematical Studies (Full Year or Spring Semester only), Microbiology, Music, Nutrition (Autumn Semester only) Philosophy, Physics, Physiology, Plant Science, Social Policy, Sociology, Zoology.

Prerequisites:

This is a competitive application process. Students are recommended to have a minimum 3.0 

Housing and Meals:

Housing is in apartment style complexes which can be pre-booked; or students can share private housing with other students. 

Financial Aid and Scholarships:

Financial Aid

Financial Aid is available to all TTU students studying in a TTU approved program. Budgets for the approved programs are sent directly to the Study Abroad Financial Aid Advisor. The amount of aid available to each student varies according to the program of study. Students are encouraged to meet with the Study Abroad Financial Aid Advisor in the Office of Financial Aid, West Hall room 301, at least 5 weeks prior to the start of the study abroad program.  

Study Abroad Competitive Scholarship (SACS)

This scholarship is funded from monies collected through a four-dollar ?international education fee? paid by all regularly enrolled students at Texas Tech University. Students attending TTU the semester before participating in international exchange and study abroad programs through Texas Tech or its affiliates, and International students enrolled in a degree program at TTU are eligible to apply. 

There are two award periods: apply during the fall semester for the following spring or apply in the spring semester for summer/fall study. Complete applications will be reviewed by the SACS committee, who determines the recipients and amount of award. For more information, please attend one of the information sessions held several times a week prior to the scholarship deadline. 

Orientation:

Students are required to attend a pre-departure orientation before they leave Texas Tech University to participate in their study abroad program. Orientation for University College Cork is a week before classes start.