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Courses
Courses
Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.
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University Life
University Life
Each year more than 4,000 choose NUI Galway as their University of choice. Find out what life at NUI Galway is all about here.
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About NUI Galway
About NUI Galway
Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
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Colleges & Schools
Colleges & Schools
NUI Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching across a range of key areas of expertise.
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Research & Innovation
Research & Innovation
NUI Galway’s vibrant research community take on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
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Business & Industry
Guiding Breakthrough Research at NUI Galway
We explore and facilitate commercial opportunities for the research community at NUI Galway, as well as facilitating industry partnership.
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Alumni, Friends & Supporters
Alumni, Friends & Supporters
There are over 90,000 NUI Galway graduates Worldwide, connect with us and tap into the online community.
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Community Engagement
Community Engagement
At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
Laptops
Guidance on laptop selection
The School of Computer Science offer some basic guidance when choosing the correct laptop to help find the balance between our requirements and your budget. Laptops used for Computer Science subjects require a higher spec than casual laptop use however that does not necessarily mean the most expensive models. For operating systems, Windows, Mac, and Linux will all meet the requirements of the course however please note that Apple and Android tablets, Chromebooks, and similar devices will not meet the minimum requirement.
Hardware
Minimum Recommended
CPU Dual-core Quad-core
RAM 8GB 16GB
Disk 256GB 512GB SSD
For health and safety reasons, prolonged use of a laptop without an external display, keyboard and mouse should be avoided.
An external mouse and keyboard are required. A webcam and microphone are required (built-in ones are sufficient).
A USB-C connector which supports DisplayPort over USB-C and Power Delivery is recommended, in order to dock the laptop with the new docking stations available in someof our labs, which offer charging, an external display, and a high-quality wired network connection (For referece, here is a link to the Dell Docking Station WD19: https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-ie/sln316828/how-to-use-and-troubleshoot-dell-docking-station-wd19?lang=en). Note that not all laptop USB-C ports support such docking.
Software
Most software used in our programmes is free and open-source. Other necessary software such as Microsoft Office and VMWare is provided by NUI Galway at no cost to registered students.
Price Discounts
Many manufacturers and suppliers offer discounts to students and it worth asking prior to purchase. Dell Student offer: http://www.nuigalway.ie/dellstudentoffers/
The Higher Education Authority offer links to obtain some discounts: https://www.heanet.ie/store , some of which may require your NUI Galway account info.
As part of the package of COVID supports for higher and further education institutions, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has allocated funding to support disadvantaged students in the higher education sector in accessing ICT devices. Please follow this link for details on the scheme.
Any student who does not qualify for the above scheme and cannot afford a suitable laptop is welcome to contact us confidentially at ComputerScience@nuigalway.ie, as we will have a small number of laptops in the School available for long term loan.
*All prices based on research 10th August 2021
Examples of laptops meeting recommended requirements
€2,094.69 https://www.apple.com/ie-edu/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro
Examples meeting minimum requirements (with DisplayPort over USB-C and Power Delivery)
€689 https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/new-inspiron-14/spd/inspiron-14-5415-laptop/cn51101
€1,361 https://www.apple.com/ie-edu/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro
Examples meeting minimum requirements (no DisplayPort over USB-C and Power Delivery)
Further recommended impartial advice
Enhancing Digital Teaching & Learning Project: https://edtl.blog/for-students/buyers-guide/