What Our Students Say

‌Studying history at NUI Galway was a fantastic experience. The wide range of courses provided an excellent grounding in different periods, while also allowing me to specialise in areas I was particularly passionate about such as international relations, development and gender studies.  My History lecturers were always very approachable, and were genuinely interested in my progression.  During my course, which included a year spent at Boston College MA, I developed excellent research, analytical, and writing skills; ‌ I gained subject knowledge and skills for employment, including the ability to work independently, to engage in written and oral debates, and to think critically about information presented to me.  These were vital to securing a full-time job with the Immigrant Council of Ireland once I left NUIG, and I now work on a variety of human rights campaigns and coordinate a European project on sex trafficking.  I am also about to complete a postgraduate course in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics.‌
Aibhlín O’Leary, BA

I enjoyed History at school, so studying History at university seemed like a natural progression. The variety of courses in History at NUIG really appealed to me, and allowed me to discover a particular interest in modern European History. Having chosen to study History as a single subject (single honours) for my degree I benefited from small class sizes, which allowed lecturers to offer guidance on an individual basis. Having access to lecturers with diverse research interests helped me to realise the wealth of career opportunities available to me. While I was initially worried about having only one subject in my degree, I quickly realised that my history study, in particular modules that focused on state formation in Europe from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, had provided me with a great foundation from which to study international relations.  I have just begun my Masters in International Relations at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands. Given the interdisciplinary nature of international relations, History has proven to be the perfect background from which to begin my masters.
Jakob McKernan, BA History 

NUI Galway History is a broad collection of some of Ireland's finest researchers and lecturers, people whose collective knowledge and interests cover a wide spread of topics across many different periods and methodologies. Throughout my four years as an undergraduate in NUIG, I always found the staff of the department to be approachable, helpful, and thoroughly dedicated to their craft (and always keen to pass on their love for history). Even after I graduated, and pursued a masters degree at the London School of Economics, the staff of NUIG History continued to provide me with encouragement.

Currently I work in Ex Ordo, a Galway-based start-up specialising in abstract management for conferences, which provides advice and support to academics across many disciplines - from American corporate pharmaceutical research to Cambridge sociology - and I play my part in every level of conference organising. Respect for academia, appreciation for the work of researchers, and the dedication instilled in me during my time studying history have proven fundamental to my work with conferences; most importantly studying history has been one of the best experiences of my life - one I will always carry with me - and an experience that has shaped my understanding of humanity.
James Field Corbett, BA Connect