August 2011 NUI Galway Offers Leaving Cert Students Second Chance with Special Maths Exam

The College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway has announced details of a Special Entrance Maths Examination which will give students a second chance to pursue a career in Engineering. The exam, which takes place on Wednesday, 24 August, is for students who achieve the CAO points for an undergraduate Engineering Degree courses at NUI Galway but have not met the obligatory maths requirement.

In advance of this exam NUI Galway will hold an intensive preparatory course for applicants intending to sit the exam. This free course will run for five days, from Thursday, 18 August to Tuesday, 23 August.

In addition to preparing students for the Special Entrance Examination, lecturers will demonstrate the relevance and application of mathematics to Engineering and will highlight the applicability of mathematics to some illustrative engineering examples. The aim of the preparatory course is to bridge the gap between the Leaving Certificate lower level and that required to be successful in the entrance exam; this will be achieved by tackling a variety of problems of increasing difficulty. Learning how to approach a problem and apply the knowledge available will be emphasised.

For more than 20 years, NUI Galway has provided this special entrance exam to help applicants who did not achieve the required grade C3 or better in Higher Level Mathematics. Those who took lower level Maths in the Leaving Cert may also apply for the exam. Students who pass this examination will be deemed to have satisfied the maths requirement and providing they have the necessary points, will receive an additional CAO offer at Round Two.

Dr Mike Hartnett, Vice-Dean of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, says: “Each year a cohort of students gain entry to our Engineering programmes based on their results in our Special Entrance Maths Examination. These students are often high-achievers and as a result, have very successful careers in Engineering.”

Demand for Engineering programmes at NUI Galway continues to rise year on year and theCollege ofEngineering has expanded its degree programs to meet this rising demand. Engineering is at the heart of the emerging 'Smart Economy' and NUI Galway realises its role in providing world-class graduates to meet the needs of Industry and the Smart Economy.

The new four-story EngineeringBuilding, opening in September, is the largest Schoolof Engineeringin the country and will accommodate some 1,100 students and 110 staff with its 400 rooms. The 14,250 sqm building will support an emerging generation of engineers, engaged in a new wave of technologies, embracing innovation and entrepreneurship. The building has been designed to be a teaching tool in itself, with exposed construction techniques and an array of ecological building methods.

New courses such as Energy Systems Engineering, which is designed in response to a growing demand for professional engineers to work in the energy sector have continued to meet this growing demand. NUI Galway also offers students an 'undenominated' entry to Engineering which allows them to delay their choice of final discipline.

NUI Galway also offers unique Engineering courses such as Sports and Exercise Engineering, designed to develop the skills and expertise to design sports and exercise equipment of the future and Engineering Innovation – Electronic which is designed to prepare engineers of the future, with the unique mix of engineering, innovation and business skills.

Applications for the Special Maths Examination will be accepted at the Undergraduate Admissions Office reception desk up to 5pm on Monday, 22 August. Those interested in the revision maths course and the examination should call 091 492101 or visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering/specialmaths.html for further detail.

ENDS