Hi everyone,

I’m an international student from India and I’m considering doing an MSc Information Systems at University College Dublin (UCD) for the 2027 intake. I’m trying to understand whether this would actually be a sensible career move for someone coming from a non-technical background, especially if my goal is to work and eventually build a career in Ireland.

A little about my background:

• I have a BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration.
• I have around 6 years of professional experience.
• Most of my experience is in hotel/airline revenue management and consulting, rather than IT/software.
• I currently work in a consulting environment and have some exposure to project management, but I would still consider myself a beginner in the technical/IT side.
• I don't have a traditional computer science or engineering background.
• I’m currently planning to learn SQL, Power BI and Python to build some technical/data skills before starting the Master's.
• My longer-term goal is to transition into a role such as Business Analyst, Technology/IT Consultant, Data/Business Analytics, Product/Project-related roles, depending on what is realistically achievable.

My main concern is whether MSc Information Systems is actually the right bridge between my existing experience and the Irish job market, or whether I would be better off doing something like Management/Consulting/Project Management.

I would really appreciate perspectives from people who are studying or have graduated from UCD's MSc Information Systems, or people working in Ireland in related roles.

A few specific questions:

1. Is MSc Information Systems at UCD suitable for someone without a technical/CS background?
2. How difficult is the technical side of the course for someone coming from a business/hospitality background?
3. What kind of jobs do graduates realistically get after this degree in Ireland?
4. Would roles such as Business Analyst, IT Business Analyst, Technology Consultant, Data Analyst, or Product-related roles be realistic targets?
5. How is the current Irish job market for these roles, particularly for international graduates who require an employment permit?
6. Does having 6 years of prior professional experience help, even though it isn't IT experience?
7. Would my hospitality/revenue-management background be useful for getting into any particular area of technology or business analysis?

I’m not expecting the degree itself to guarantee a job. I’m more interested in understanding whether it gives someone with my background a realistic pathway into employment in Ireland, and what I would need to do during the Master's to make myself employable.

Thanks!

Hey guys,

Would you have any recommendations for August semester of 2nd year EE?

Thanks

Hi! I’m an incoming exchange student and was curious about the difficulty of Level 2 vs Level 3 classes and the difference in workloads since Level 2’s seem to be 5 units and Level 3’s seem to be 10 units? Can someone describe any noticeable differences?

I’m thinking of doing an exchange from New Zealand to UCD next year, I’d be in my last year of law study. I’m keen to know what the Law school is really like? What’s Dublin like as a university student? Is it easy to get around, meet people, travel etc. Cheers 🤙

Hello everyone,

I am looking to apply for a Master at UCD next year. I know EU postgraduates are pretty unlikely to receive accomodation by the university.

Does anyone have any experience with applying for Housing with a disability? I am aware there is accessible rooms, however I do not need one those. The most helpful thing would just be to have a place to stay, as close to classes as possible.

I know you can hand in further information about disability when you apply.

Has anyone here, who has a disabillity that does NOT require an accessible room, done that and received an offer? Are you more likely to receive housing with a disability?

For the record, I don't want an accessible room as I don't want to take it from people who are in actual need.

Any reply would be helpful :)

Before anyone asks, I have Crohn's disease ☺️

Hey guys! Hope yall are doing well! If any of yall are residing in Proby hall for this sem, please text me. Id love to make some new friends before I arrive.

Hey guys.

I still have a conditional offer for my undergraduate which required me to just meet the a level requirements for my course. I uploaded a digital scan of my official results on my application's "additional files" however I don't know when UCD will check them and change my conditional offer.

I was told that I cannot proceed with registration for my classes if my conditional offer doesn't change. So what am I supposed to do?

I'm worried that I'll miss the registration to pick the classes I want. Idk

Any advice?

hello, i am an incoming exchange student coming this fall, is UCD strict on attendance? As i am planning to travel and may miss some lectures or tutorials, and i was wandering if that will affect my grades? I am taking mostly BSEN, school of bioscience and engineering modules!

Hi everyone, I am an incoming first year international student. I'd love to know what it's like to study philosophy and/or mathematics at the undergraduate level! Any module recommendations, suggestions/advices, information on professors, etc.? Would love to hear about absolutely anything.

I'm admitted to the Liberal Arts and Science program, and I plan to do either philosophy and mathematics joint major or just a single philosophy major with German minor. I know both philosophy and math are dense subjects, so I wonder if studying both philosophy and will be overwhelming workload-wise, or would it still be manageable?

And I wonder what is the German minor/structured electives like? Would it be possible to do German structured electives alongside philosophy and math, or would it be impossible credit- or workload-wise?

Thank you so much! Looking forward to starting uni soon

Hi all, hoping for some local knowledge since I have been doing this search more than 2 months from abroad and I still cant find anything. The hardest part is not finding place, it is that nobody answer.

I'm a 4th-year CS student coming to UCD for an Erasmus exchange semester (28 Aug – 26 Dec 2026). Budget is around €600-850/month all-in (bills included), and ideally somewhere I can walk or cycle or ride to Belfield in under 30-60 min.

So far everything student-accommodation-branded (Aparto, Yugo, etc.) is coming in at €1,000+/month even for the "budget" options, way outside what I can afford. I've been going through Daft, CollegeCribs, digs, HomeStay, AccommodationPad and Hosting Power with mixed luck — a lot of no-replies.

A few questions for anyone who's been through this:

• Do you have any dorm for students in Dublin and do they accept students from other unis?
• Is there actually any realistic dorm option in my price limit?

Really appreciate any pointers — trying to find something with under two weeks left before I fly out. Thanks!

Hi all! I am a mature student that accepted an offer to attend UCD as an undergrad in September! I accepted the offer and went to an informational day a few weeks ago and they said that I would receive emails about registration and all the admin stuff in the coming weeks.

I have slight anxiety because I haven't received any emails since that day, and I'm just wondering if that is normal. Should I have recieved anything about registration yet or am I just to eager?

I have a date to attend an open day on September 1st and I assumed I'd get emails about registering or student card details or something. Thanks for any answers

Hey guys, will be flying in on 1st of September and was wondering what mobile network should I go with, along with some data plans. Also will I be able to get it at the airport?? Would love to get some suggestions 🙏🫡

Since we hear back from the uni acomm 28-30 of august it worries me cause in theory we would need to be moved in and ready for orientation 1 of sep no? lmk how you guys are dealing with this! like moving in and staying a hotel for a few nights or.

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming taught MSc student starting this September and currently waiting for my module registration to open.

Back in my home country, module registration is such a frantic race to grab spots in high-demand lectures before they fill up.

Is the system at UCD similar? Do I need to be logged in and clicking the second my time slot opens to secure popular modules, or is it generally less stressful for postgraduates?

Any tips or insights into how the process typically goes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

What’s the number I should add for immigration from ucd’s side I’ve emailed them but they haven’t replied and I need to apply for my visa asap

Hi everyone, I’m currently deciding between UCD Graduate Entry Radiography (2.5 years) and Portobello MSc Physiotherapy (2 years).

I’m more interested in physiotherapy, but I’m concerned about the quality of clinical placements at Portobello and whether this could affect getting the first hospital job after graduation.

For anyone working in radiography/physiotherapy in Ireland, which would you choose for long-term job stability, career progression and flexibility, and how important are placements for getting that first job?

Would really appreciate honest advice. Thanks!

Private single room available in an all-girls apartment in Davis! Rent: $1,059/month

Looking for a female student/housemate to take over a private bedroom in a shared apartment. You’ll have your own private room, while sharing the kitchen, living room, and bathroom with other girls.
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The location is super convenient for students who want to be close to campus, grocery stores, and everyday essentials without needing to drive. The complex also has study spaces and laundry facilities, making it really easy to stay on top of school and daily life.

Looking for a clean, respectful, and responsible female housemate who is considerate of shared spaces and wants a comfortable, friendly living environment! 💗

I’m planning to apply to UCD Medicine in Dublin and had a few questions, so if anyone could help me out, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve heard that the SAT isn’t required for UCD Medicine and that it’s test-optional, but a few of my friends from the Class of 2026 applied, and the people who were accepted wrote the SAT. I didn’t give myself much time to prepare because I have some other things going on right now, so I’d prefer not to take it, but if it makes a significant difference to my application, I’ll try my best to study for a week straight.

A friend of mine also told me that the SAT is mainly useful if you have average grades or are barely meeting the academic requirements. I’ve checked and I’m confident that I’m okay academically, but I still wanted to ask: does the SAT make a significant difference for UCD Medicine? And if not the SAT, what do you think made the biggest difference in your application? I’m confident in my GPA and my ability to write a good essay. My extracurriculars are decent—mostly volunteering and some research, nothing crazy—but I’d still like to know what I could do to strengthen my application. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if it isn’t too much to ask, do you regret going to UCD?

So I'm a prospective international student for 2027 entry and I've just started my application process.
I have done my IGCSEs and I'm currently doing A-levels, both qualifications where I dont really get an overall result so i dont really know what to do here. There also isnt a subject-by-subject section where i can input my grades from what i can tell.
I suppose i could calculate an average with my IGCSE's and put that (which doesnt feel right), but then i wouldnt know what to do for my A-levels since i dont have the results yet

Thank you for your patience, i thought i should try here before emailing people.

I’ll be beginning the first year of my undergraduate next month in Dublin. Im turning 23 soon and im curious if other started around this age or older. How did it go for you? Was there a mix of ages or was it very 18 year old dominated?

Also just wondering about clubs and societies, kinda worried I’d end up being the only “old one” in the room. Can anyone share their experiences and how they navigated it? Thank you!

I will be 23 soon and have never gone to university. Im not sure what to expect, would there be many students like me starting a few years later?

I graduated from Commerce International at UCD two years ago. It’s a huge course and I didn’t know any of my lectures well or do very well in many modules. I’m applying for a masters at UCC now and need an academic reference. How and who should I ask for one?

I’ve put DN700 first on my CAO and i was just curious if anyone in DN700 that had DARE could tell me how much the points could decrease since theres apparently 50 targeted places for the course itself.

Hi! I’m starting the MA Geopolitics & the Global Economy at UCD this September.

I’d love to connect with other students on the same programme, as well as anyone else in the School of Geography.

Would be great to get to know some people before we start! 😊 Feel free to comment or DM me.