The Awarding Bodies - UCD

Awarding Bodies are organisations that are authorised to make awards, certification, or award qualifications

Listing Awarding Bodies

WhichCollege.ie provides an overview of awarding bodies operating in Ireland, the UK, and internationally. While many postgraduate qualifications are issued by organisations with statutory authority, a wide range of professional bodies also grant their own awards linked to advanced study. Although most Irish courses lead to qualifications from domestic awarding bodies, some programmes result in international or non‑Irish awards, depending on the institution or field of study.

A number of Irish institutions act both as education providers and as awarding bodies in their own right. This includes the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), which have the authority to confer postgraduate qualifications.

An academic award (whether a degree, diploma, or certificate) is granted when a learner successfully completes a recognised programme of higher education at undergraduate or postgraduate level. These awards are issued by designated awarding bodies and are aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NFQ distinguishes between major and non‑major awards, with the latter covering minor, special‑purpose, and supplemental awards.

Major awards represent the primary qualification type at each NFQ level and correspond to substantial learning achievements. Examples include an Honours Bachelor Degree at Level 8, a Master’s Degree at Level 9, and a Doctoral Degree at Level 10.

Recent legislative changes have streamlined Ireland’s qualifications system, reducing the number of statutory awarding bodies. The responsibilities previously held by organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, CERT, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have been consolidated under the awards councils FETAC and HETAC.

Below, WhichCollege.ie outlines the awarding bodies responsible for certification across Ireland and the UK.

young female student sitting with a laptop on her lap smiling

University College Dublin (UCD) was founded in 1854 under the leadership of renowned educationalist John Henry Cardinal Newman.

University College Dublin is Ireland’s largest university. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate degrees. The university is also conducts research, innovation, and community engagement. The main Dublin campus is an extensive parkland estate of more than 130 hectares. It includes world-leading facilities such as the O'Brien Centre for Science, the Sutherland School of Law, and the Lochlan Quinn School of Business.

Research at UCD

University College Dublin is also one of Europe's leading research-intensive universities. Research and innovation at UCD encompasses individual scholars, small, medium and large research groups, start-up companies and large-scale collaborations with industry and other partners. In addition, UCD offers the biggest start-up incubator centre and support in Ireland.

Centre of Excellence

Nine UCD subjects are ranked in the top 100 in the world out of 30 subjects (QS World University Ranking by Subject 2015). In addition, the university is first in Ireland in 12 subjects.

University College Dublin has over 8,000 graduate students, almost a quarter of whom are graduate research students; 1,580 PhD students benefit from a structured PhD programme, as well as the research-led education culture at UCD.

Awarding Body

University College Dublin is a recognised awarding body. This means the university has the authority to make awards in accordance with the National Framework of Qualifications. The university is subject to periodic reviews of effectiveness of quality assurance procedures by Quality and Qualifications Ireland. National and international organisations, educational institutions and employers recognise their degrees.

Many of the world's leading professional organisations recognise UCD degrees. This includes organisations in the following disciplines:

Veterinary Medicine
Medicine
Architecture
Regional and Urban Planning
Engineering
Diagnostic Imaging

The Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business is one of less than 60 schools worldwide to hold triple accreditation from the US, Europe and the UK accrediting bodies.

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