By Paddy Henry
Two new undergraduate Law courses have been announced for NUI Galway.
The two new courses, Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Law and Taxation will begin enrolling in September 2020.
The new degree in Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice will aim to provide prospective students with the opportunity to combine their studies of a full undergraduate law degree with specifically developed modules including criminal law, criminology and criminal justice.
Director of the new programme, Dr Diarmaid Griffin, highlighted the benefits of the new specialised courses in the field, stating, “Graduates of this programme will be well positioned to pursue careers as barristers or solicitors specialising in criminal law or working with the agencies and organisations of the criminal justice system”.
Similar to the new degree in Criminology, the Law and Taxation course will allow new students to combine their studies of a full undergraduate law degree with taxation while exploring other related areas of law and commerce including business and commercial law, accountancy, economics, digital business and management.
Senior Lecturer in Taxation and Finance at NUI Galway, Dr Emer Mulligan, spoke of the importance of the new degree in taxation for Irish students, with Ireland becoming a hub for business involved in the area in recent years. “Ireland is an increasingly important hub on the international taxation landscape”, she said. “Irish law and other professional services firms advise leading domestic and international corporations and financial institutions, who undertake their business in and from Ireland. This Law and Taxation degree will equip students with the graduate attributes, knowledge and practical work experience needed to pursue a range of careers in taxation across tax advisory roles and industry”, she continued.
The creation of the two new courses follows on from the creation of degrees in Law and Business and Law and Human Rights in 2019 and all new programmes have study abroad options included within them.
NUI Galway’s School of Law has enjoyed much success recently, having been named Law School of the Year in 2019. Head of School of Law at NUI Galway, Dr Charles O’Mahony, spoke of his delight at the announcement of the two new courses, which he says will provide both the practical and academic skills necessary to thrive in the field. “It is a great time to consider studying Law at NUI Galway, especially with the new and innovative changes around our undergraduate programmes”, he said. “We are very proud that the School of Law was named the ‘Law School of the Year 2019’ at the recent Irish Law Awards. NUI Galway Law students become highly skilled, employable graduates able to progress to professional qualification and to pursue a range of other careers locally, nationally and globally. Our new Law degrees allow students to specialise in areas of interest to them, equipping students with both the academic and practical skills required for successful careers”.