Overview
What is Engineering?
Engineering is about being creative in technical problem solving. Engineers make things possible by using mathematical and scientific principles together with analytical and design skills. They tackle existing problems by developing new solutions through innovative technologies.
They also expand the frontiers of society by developing advanced materials, sustainable energy systems, construction technologies, transport systems, biomedical devices, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Do you enjoy:
- Technical problem-solving?
- Using an understanding of how things work to make them better?
- Using technical know-how, teamwork and creativity to develop new inventions?
Engineering: The course for you?
We have been teaching engineering at Trinity since 1841. There have been immense developments since that time, but the continuity of excellence in teaching and learning is a source of pride for us and our graduates. A distinctive feature of the Engineering course at Trinity is the two-year common programme, in which all students learn the fundamentals of engineering science and also engage in substantial elements of project work prior to choosing a specific engineering discipline. Trinity is the top-ranked university in Ireland, and our graduates use this to their advantage all over the world as well as in Ireland.
Engineering is a constantly evolving profession. As an engineer, you will need to be adaptable both to the rapid development of new ideas and technology and to the shifting requirements of industry and society. You will need to be a good communicator and be capable of working as part of a team. Above all, you must be a problem solver. You must be creative and able to synthesise and analyse information from different sources to arrive at efficient and practical solutions.
Engineering at Trinity
Trinity offers outstanding teaching by engineers who are at the forefront of their field worldwide. It has a strong philosophy of research-led teaching and continuously benchmarks itself against the top international engineering schools. The Engineering course offers the opportunity to carry out research as part of your course with the aim of producing graduates capable of participating to research projects at the highest national and international levels. There are opportunities for work placements in Ireland and abroad as well as study abroad opportunities as part of the degree. The Engineering programme is fully accredited by Engineers Ireland up to Masters level (M.A.I) and offers excellent career prospects in Ireland and abroad.
Graduate skills and career opportunities
Engineering graduates from Trinity have the capacity to think independently but also to work in teams. They can use technical understanding to problem solve in a wide range of technical areas. They are able to communicate their technical and creative ideas to other professionals and to society at large. They are able to take responsibility, deal with complexity and ambiguity and successfully face open-ended challenges.
Your degree and what you’ll study
The B.A.I/M.A.I (Engineering) degree programme is based on two years of general engineering, providing students with a firm grounding in the principles common to all disciplines, followed by two/three years of specialisation. Graduates are professionally accredited engineers with both a broad-based understanding of the whole discipline and a detailed knowledge of their chosen specialist area. The aim is that graduates will be able to continuously train themselves, to adapt and move into related or newly emerging areas as their careers develop after graduation.
First and second years
All students follow a common programme for the first two years. The first year comprises introductory courses in Engineering Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Graphics and Computer-Aided Engineering, and a group design and build project.
In the second year, students take further engineering science modules, such as solids and structures, thermo-fluids and electronics, and complete two more group design and build projects. This allows you to explore all the possibilities open to you in advance of making your final decision about which specialism to concentrate on. You will also take a Trinity Elective module.
While every effort is made to allow students to study the course they choose, in some departments the number of places for students of any one year may be limited (this has never been necessary so far).
At the end of second year you choose from one of the six specialist areas:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Electronic and Computer Engineering (joint programme)
- Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Third and fourth years
Courses in the third and fourth years aim to broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of the specialism you have chosen. You will also have the opportunity to take a Trinity Elective module and approved modules in other disciplines. Subjects are studied in much greater detail and students undertake real-life, practical projects. For example, if you choose Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering you could end up testing the pre-cast concrete used to build the Paddington to Heathrow railway; If you choose Computer Engineering, you might find yourself building a microprocessor system.
Fifth year options with study abroad and internship opportunities
Engineering students require a Master's degree to be directly eligible for Chartered Engineer status with Engineers Ireland. Therefore the School offers several options for a fifth year leading to a masters degree (M.A.I.).
M.A.I (Domestic)
Students can spend the fourth and fifth year in Trinity, undertaking additional modules in their specialisation and approved modules in other disciplines as well as a group project in fourth year and a significant individual Capstone project in fifth year.
Students also have the option of spending the second semester of their fourth year undertaking a supervised internship placement. The remainder of their fourth year and the fifth year are spent in Trinity undertaking additional modules in the specialisation and approved modules in other disciplines. Students complete a significant individual Capstone project .
M.A.I (International)
Students have the option to spend their fourth year abroad as part of the Erasmus/International exchange, CLUSTER or UNITECH programmes. As part of the Erasmus/International exchange or CLUSTER programmes, students spend their fourth year abroad at a partner university and return to complete their fifth year at Trinity. Some of our Erasmus/International exchange partner universities include Institut National de Sciences Appliquées de Lyon – INSA, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Politecnico di Torino and University of Melbourne. The CLUSTER programme is a consortium of 12 universities including Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona; Technische Universität Darmstadt; Technische Universiteit Eindhoven; Institut polytechnique de Grenoble; Instituto Superior Técnico Lisbon; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven/Université Catholique de Louvain; Helsinki University of Technology; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Politecnico di Torino; KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm.
The UNITECH programme is a collaboration of eight partner universities and 16 multinational corporate partners. Students will spend one semester of their fourth year in a partner university followed by a six-month internship with one of the corporate partners and return to complete their fifth year at Trinity. Some of our Erasmus / International exchange partner universities include Institut National de Sciences Appliquées de Lyon – INSA, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Politecnico di Torino and University of Melbourne.
The CLUSTER programme is a consortium of 12 universities including Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona; Technische Universität Darmstadt; Technische Universiteit Eindhoven; Institut polytechnique de Grenoble; Instituto Superior Técnico Lisbon; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven/Université Catholique de Louvain; Helsinki University of Technology; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Politecnico di Torino; KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm.
Assessment in each of the first two years is mostly by means of written examination combined with continuous assessment of coursework during the year. Typically, examinations contribute at least 50% towards your grade in each subject. The design projects are assessed entirely by continuous assessment.
There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.
Click here for further information on modules/subjects.
Dual Engineering Masters Pathway Programme Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University
Engineering (TR032) students can avail of a dual Masters pathway programme with Columbia University leading to the award of a professionally-accredited MAI degree by Trinity Engineering and an MS degree by Columbia. As part of the pathway, students complete the first four years of the five-year integrated Engineering or Engineering with Management (MAI) programmes in Trinity, followed by a year at Columbia, during which they can choose from one of several existing Master of Science (MS) courses. Applications for the pathway open in Semester 1 of Year 4 and students will be required to have achieved an annual average mark of at least 60% (equivalent to a GPA of 3.2) in Year 3 (for approval of their application) and in Year 4 (for admission to Columbia).
