You can take part in the Erasmus programme, a programme designed to encourage students to expand their university education by doing part of their academic work in another European University - the remainder of this page gives you more information about Erasmus. Most students who study abroad as part of their undergraduate degree programme do so for up to one year, usually in the third year of their programme, under the Erasmus programme.

If you are taking a B.A. International or a B.Comm.International, you spend the third year of your programme studying at an overseas university. However, you must apply specifically for these programmes through the CAO application process - check out the Prospective Undergraduate section of our web site for more information.

Other opportunities may also exist for you to study abroad: read more information about making independent arrangements to study abroad.

Under the Erasmus programme, NUI Galway has reciprocal arrangements with certain universities in Europe, in certain subject areas. Under these arrangements, a limited number of places are available on the Erasmus programme, which would enable you to study abroad. Check out the International Programme section of the main NUI Galway web site for information about the Erasmus programme .

A full list of host universities (where you can visit) and NUI Galway coordinators for each department is available on the International Programmes section of the NUI Galway web site.

Once you have identified the universities to which you can go, be prepared to do a little research to help you choose the best option. For example, talk things through with your departmental co-ordinator and ask him/her to put you in touch with former Erasmus students and with students from host universities who are currently studying here in NUI Galway. Former Erasmus students can sometimes give the best practical advice in relation to host universities.

In the European Affairs Office, you can view reports and questionnaires completed by former Socrates/Erasmus students while they were abroad.

If you taking a B.A., with Economics and a European language and you travel abroad under the Erasmus programme, you must get acceptance from the Head of the Economics Discipline on which economics course you will take while abroad. Note that arrangements are different for students enrolled on the BA (International) and the B.Comm. (International), in that these students study subjects other than the European language while away - check out the Prospective Undergraduate section for information about these programmes.

Most students in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies go abroad on Erasmus after completing their second year, and transfer from the standard three year degree programme to a four year degree. After spending their Erasmus year abroad, they return to complete their fourth and final year in NUI Galway. Please note that this option is also open to non-language students as long as they have approval from the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies.

To take part in Erasmus, you have to be a registered NUI Galway student, in the appropriate year, and be selected by your department coordinator for one of the places that are available in your subject.

You can only participate in the Erasmus programme once, so if you go abroad as an undergraduate Erasmus student you cannot go again as a postgraduate. For more information about eligibility criteria, check the International Programme section of the NUI Galway web site.

Opportunities exist for you to study abroad in less structured ways than Erasmus, for example, you could take a year out and study at a foreign university where the Department of Economics has links. If you are interested in this option, please contact the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics office.

Another alternative is to consider taking a year abroad after your undergraduate or postgraduate degree, for example, working as a stagiaire in the EU in Brussels . If you are interested, consult the staff in the Department of Economics who can assist in organising this. This experience would be beneficial in giving you a broader view of Economics in an international setting. You get the opportunity to see from the inside how a large institution works and get a good flavour of what working abroad, in a such an environment, is like. This experience will be invaluable to you, whether you decide to remain abroad or to return to Ireland for work.