Program Overview

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Irish Language - Diploma

2025/26 Part-time Undergraduate course

Award:

Diploma

Faculty:

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

School:

School of Arts and Humanities

Location:

Burnavon Arts Centre, Cookstown

Start date:

September 2025

With this degree you could become:

• Irish Language officer
• Presenter
• Primary School teacher
• Secondary School teacher

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• BBC
• Coláiste Feirste
• Conradh na Gaeilge
• Foras na Gaeilge
• The European Parliament

Overview

Achieve fluency in spoken Irish and efficiency in written Irish. Completion of this programme can be a pathway to study Irish at degree level.

Summary

The University offers a comprehensive range of programmes in Irish in both part-time and full-time mode at a number of centres which serve a diverse constituency of students. The breadth of Irish language provision at Ulster and the practice amongst staff and students of using Irish as a primary medium of communication reflects the University’s strong commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity within Northern Ireland. The University’s Irish programmes play a vital role in preserving, sustaining and celebrating Ireland’s Gaelic literary and linguistic heritage as well as serving the demands of the Irish language sector within the local and international job market. At a personal level our programmes also fulfil the needs of individuals who wish to acquire the necessary competence to fully participate in the Irish language community as confident and independent users of the language. The Diploma programme has been designed to reflect the University’s vision of leading in the provision of professional education for professional life. The commitment to support graduates in gaining stimulating and fulfilling employment is one of the School’s primary concerns.

About this course

About

The Diploma in the Irish Language (Belfast, Magee, Cookstown, Armagh) represents an exciting opportunity for a wide range of people to study the Irish language from a completely new beginning. Over the two years you will receive a solid grounding in the key areas of Irish pronunciation, conversation, grammar and reading and writing skills.

On completion, you will be able to display fundamental oral and written communicative skills in Irish, demonstrate a knowledge of Irish grammatical structure and be able to read selected items from the literature.

As well as serving as a possible pathway for entry to a BA degree in Irish, the course can be seen as a free-standing unit in its own right which will help open up third level education to a wider audience.

Also offered at as a validated course in Southern Regional College, Newry (contact SRC directly for further information).

Attendance

Part-time (2 years). Classes normally take place from September to May every week (Monday 5.30pm - 8.45pm) with additional lectures/seminars either being offered every second Wednesday or in blocks depending on venue. The course includes on-line tuition and a full induction is provided for those with no computing experience.

Start dates

• September 2025

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Our highly experienced teaching staff use numerous different approaches to ensure all learning styles are catered for. All the language skills are taught in a holistic way and based on material that shows Irish being used in everyday settings.

Not only will you work with bespoke resources in class, but you will have access to a range of online materials that will complement the learning in the classroom. Full training will be provided in the use of these technologies.

Assessments happen at the end of each semester. You will be assessed on the various language skills and feedback from these will help inform your own study.

Modules

Year one

• Buntús Gaeilge 2
• Buntús Gaeilge 1

Year two

• Gaeilge Mheánleibhéil 1
• Gaeilge Mheánleibhéil 2

Standard entry conditions

We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

A level

N/A

Applied General Qualifications

N/A

Irish Leaving Certificate

N/A

Scottish Highers

N/A

Scottish Advanced Highers

N/A

International Baccalaureate

N/A

Access to Higher Education (HE)

N/A

GCSE

GCSE profile to include a pass in English Language plus 4 other subjects at grade C or above (or equivalent).

English Language Requirements

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Careers & opportunities

Graduate employers

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• BBC
• Coláiste Feirste
• Conradh na Gaeilge
• Foras na Gaeilge
• The European Parliament

Job roles

With this degree you could become:

• Irish Language officer
• Presenter
• Primary School teacher
• Secondary School teacher

Career options

Employment opportunities exist in a wide range of areas including education, the media, publishing, government, librarianship and various areas of business.

Fees and funding

Module Pricing

The price of your overall programme will be determined by the number of credit points that you initiate in the relevant academic year.

For modules commenced in the academic year 2025/26, the following fees apply:

Fees Credit Points	NI/ROI Cost	GB Cost
120	£3,150	£9,535.20
60	£1,575	£4,767.60
30	£787.50	£2,383.80
20	£525	£1,589.20

NB: A standard Diploma is equivalent to 120 credit points. As this is a part-time course, you will study 60 credit points per year (120 credit points over two years).

Annual Increase Disclaimer

Fees illustrated are based on academic year 25/26 entry and are subject to an annual increase.

If your study continues into future academic years your fees are subject to an annual increase. Please take this into consideration when you estimate your total fees for a degree.

Additional mandatory costs are highlighted where they are known in advance. There are other costs associated with university study.

Visit our Fees pages for full details of fees.

Correct at the time of publishing. Terms and conditions apply.

Scholarships, awards and prizes

Scholarships may be available for GAA members as part of the 'Gaeilge sa Chlub' Scheme.

Additional mandatory costs

It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.

Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.

There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.

See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.