Griffith College Limerick (GCL) ( ga, Coláiste Uí Ghríofa, IPA: �kɔlaːʃtʲəˈiːˈʝɾʲiːfˠə is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. D ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

city, Ireland. The college was established in 2006 when the Mid West Business Institute was acquired by

Griffith College Dublin Griffith College ( ga, Coláiste Uí Ghríofa) is one of the two largest, and one of the longest-established private, third level (higher education) colleges in Ireland. Overview Established in 1974, with four campuses in Dublin, Cork and Li ...

. The college runs full-time and part-time courses in

accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "language ...

, business, law, engineering,

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...

, and information technology, and has a range of part-time courses available. Originally located in the Old Town Hall, Rutland Street, Limerick, it moved to a newer and larger premises on 31 / 32 Upper William Street, Limerick, in December 2008. The new building was officially opened by the Minister of Defence

Willie O'Dea Willie O'Dea ( ; born 1 November 1952) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He has served as Min ...

T.D. on 23 January 2009. In 2013 the college moved from Upper William Street to the site of the former HSI Limerick Business School on O Connell Avenue.

Courses

Accountancy

The college offers professional accountancy full and part-time programmes for the

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA). It has 240,952 members and 541,930 future members worldwid ...

(ACCA) and the

Accounting Technicians Ireland Accounting Technicians Ireland is the leading professional body for Accounting Technicians on the island of Ireland. They have over 10,000 members and students in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. The organisation was establis ...

as well as the ACCA Diploma in Financial Management. Griffith College Dublin – School of Professional Accountancy runs the Chartered Accountant (ACA) course in Limerick with lectures at

Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the Univ ...

. As of 2009, ACCA part-time programmes are conducted by lecturers from the Professional Accountancy Department at

Griffith College Cork Griffith College Cork is an independent, third-level, higher education institution which merged with Skerry's College Cork in 2005. Griffith College Cork runs degree and diploma programmes in Business, Law, Computing, Media & Journalism, Pha ...

in Limerick; these are papers F4 to F9, P1 to P3, P6, and P7. Similarly,

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

(CPA) programmes Formation 2, Professional 1, and Professional 2 are also available in Limerick.

Business and finance

The college runs a number of full-time courses in Business validated by

HETAC The Higher Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna) (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland b ...

as well as full and part-time

Institute of Commercial Management The Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), founded in 1979, is a Professional Body for Commercial and Business Development Managers, and an Examining and Professional Qualifications Awarding Body, for business and management students. The ins ...

(ICM) and

Business And Technology Education Council The Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) is a provider of secondary school leaving qualifications and further education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Whilst the T in BTEC previously stood for Technical, accor ...

(BTEC) courses in Marketing, Human Resources Management, Travel and Tourism, Sports Management, and Office Administration. Students can earn a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance (HETAC), a Higher Certificate in Business and Business Administration. The college is on the

Central Applications Office The Central Applications Office (CAO) ( ga, An LárOifig Iontrála) is the organisation responsible for overseeing undergraduate applications to colleges and universities in the Republic of Ireland. The primary mission of the Central Application ...

(CAO) system. In 2009, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (

NCC Education NCC Education Ltd. is a global provider and awarding body
UK Government Recognition as an aw ...

), part of a programme leading to an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

awarded by the

University of Gloucestershire , mottoeng = In Spirit and Truth , established = , type = Public , endowment = £2.4 m (2015) , chancellor = Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie , vice_chancellor ...

, commenced.

Law

Griffith Colleges The Professional Law School runs courses for the examinations for entry to the

Law Society A law society is an association of lawyers with a regulatory role that includes the right to supervise the training, qualifications, and conduct of lawyers. Where there is a distinction between barristers and solicitors, solicitors are regulated ...

of Ireland in Limerick. These lectures were delivered in the Castleroy Hotel until the hotel closed due to financial problems in early 2009. The course was moved to the new college building. The college also runs a number of ICM validated diploma courses in legal studies.

Computing and information technology

There are a number of day and evening courses in Computing and Information Technology at GCL. In line with the computing courses in Griffith College Dublin, 2010 saw the commencement of the Higher Certificate in Computing, the BSc in Computing, both validated by HETAC. Other courses include the Higher Diploma in Computing, the Higher Diploma in Science in Web Development and the Higher Diploma in Science in IT Infrastructures, (all validated by HETAC), the Diploma in Business Computing (ICM), Advanced Diploma in Personal Computing, Certificate/Diploma in Web and Internet Technologies (ICM), and International Diploma in Computer Studies (IDCS). There is a Postgraduate Diploma (awarded by NCC Education) and an MSc in Strategic Business Information Technology (awarded by

University of Portsmouth The University of Portsmouth is a public university in Portsmouth, England. It is one of only four universities in the South East England, South East of England rated as Gold in the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework. With approximately 28 ...

Engineering

In 1998, the first engineering course commenced at the Mid West Business Institute, and GCL remains the only private third level college in Ireland providing engineering courses. Griffith College Limerick offers part-time and full-time courses in Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronic Engineering.

Evening courses

Griffith College Limerick also provides a number of training courses in Engineering, Business, Computing, Law, Media, Psychology, Operations and Training, and Production and Inventory.

In the past

In the past the Mid West Business Institute provided MBA programmes awarded by

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...

in the UK. Other programmes were awarded by

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

in the UK, and some business degree programmes were run in conjunction with the

Limerick Institute of Technology The Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Luimnigh) was an institute of technology, located in Limerick, Ireland. The institute had five campuses that were located in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, as well as a r ...

(LIT). The BSc (Hons) in Computing and Internet Systems was also awarded by

University of Huddersfield , mottoeng = Thus not for you alone , established = 1825 – Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute1992 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £2.47 million (2015) , chancellor = George W. Buckley , vice_chancel ...

Facilities and services

The college has four lecture halls with ceiling-mounted overhead projectors that seat over four hundred students. A large quiet area beside the library for study is available to students. There is a canteen / recreation room available to students to meet and relax. Tea, coffee, and vending machines provide light snacks.

Computer rooms

The college has three modern networked computer rooms with wired and wireless internet access, printers, and all software required for the various IT and Engineering courses that are delivered at the college.

Engineering labs

The college has two Engineering labs with electronic test equipment, pneumatic boards, and equipment and components for experiments associated with the Engineering programmes.

Library

Course-related books and journals are available from the library. On-line research facilities are available for students as well as the ability to access course materials and lecture notes.

Student services

Griffith College Limerick offers its students academic and pastoral counselling, assistance with professional course-based work placement and casual employment, and assistance with visa extensions, opening bank accounts, medical insurance, accommodation, and travel. As in the MWBI days, a number of full-time programmes are entitled to tax relief such as the HETAC Higher Certificate in Business.

Graduation

The graduation ceremony takes place each November. The 2010 ceremony took place on Monday 8 November. The graduation ceremony was hosted in St Mary's Cathedral; in attendance were Deputy Mayor of Limerick Cllr. Diarmuid Scully; Mr. Willie O'Dea TD; Mr. Gearóid Ó'Conluain – chief executive, Higher Education & Training Awards Council (HETAC); and Mr. Diarmuid Hegarty – President, Griffith College. The 2009 ceremony took place on 5 November, with students graduating from the college's HETAC, BTEC/EDEXCEL, NCC Education, and ICM programmes. The 2008 ceremony was attended by family and friends of graduates, representatives of validation bodies such as HETAC, BTEC Edexcel, ICM, and NCC, and local elected representatives including Councilor Kathleen Leddin, Deputy Mayor of Limerick City, who assisted in the presentation of awards. The 2007 ceremonyGraduation 2007 Photographs
–

Limerick Post The ''Limerick Post'' is a free weekly newspaper, distributed throughout Limerick city and county, parts of counties Clare, Tipperary in the province of Munster, Ireland. The ''Limerick Post'' was established in 1986 and remains the only local ...

, Saturday, 17 November 2007 was addressed by the then Deputy Mayor of Limerick, Councillor John Gilligan, who helped present the awards to the graduates. The 2006 ceremony was attended by Mayor of Limerick City Joe Leddin. A number of additional College awards are presented at graduation, such as the ''GCL – HETAC Student of the Year'', ''GCL – BTEC Student of the Year'', and ''Overall Griffith College Limerick Student of the Year''. Separate award ceremonies take place for ACCA, ATI, and other students with their awarding bodies.

References

External links

Griffith College Limerick – official websiteGriffith College Dublin – official websiteCPA Exam ReviewGriffith College Cork – official websiteGriffith College in Moscow – official website
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Buildings and structures in Limerick (city)