Courses at DCU header
Courses at DCU

Prospective Students - Explanation of Terms at DCU

Prospective Students

A-Z University Glossary

Not all of the terms in this Prospectus will be familiar to you. We have therefore provided a Glossary to help you understand them better.

Module:
A subject or a number of subjects that make up a single topic of study.
Module Code:
The code number allocated to a specific module. The module code will generally be used as a short way of identifying the module.
Module Title:
The full title of the module.
Credits:
Each module carries a number of credits (on average 5) and you are expected to complete enough modules in a year to amount to 60 credits. This would mean taking 12 modules in a year or 6 per semester.
Core Modules:
These are compulsory modules which you must complete.
Optional modules:
You are often provided with a list of modules, from which you must choose a certain number along with the core modules to make up the required 60 credits in a year.
Discipline:
A subject area you will be studying e.g. business/marketing/ computing/physics/law/biology/politics etc.
Interdisciplinary:
Involving two or more disciplines that would usually be considered distinct from each other e.g. marketing and engineering or business and languages.
Elective:
An optional academic course or subject.
Semester:
There are two blocks of 15 weeks in a year (12 weeks of classes followed by 2 study weeks and a week of exams). These are called semesters and there are examinations at the end of each semester. Some modules only last for one semester (Semester 1 or Semester 2) and some modules last for the whole year (both Semesters).
Full-time and Part-time:
Most courses are offered on a full-time basis. This means that you will usually attend classes during the day, from Monday to Friday. Some courses are offered on a part-time basis. This means that students usually attend classes in the evenings and at weekends. Part-time courses are more likely to be postgraduate.
Specialism:
The concentration of your efforts on a particular field of study e.g. marketing or HR management; translation studies or intercultural studies; software engineering or information systems.
Intercultural:
Developing your knowledge of different cultures e.g. France, Spain, Japan
Undergraduate:
A university student who has not yet received a first degree.
Graduate:
A student who has received an academic degree or diploma.
Postgraduate:
A student who continues studies after graduation