Griffith College Dublin

Griffith College Dublin Clock Tower

Established in 1974, with four campuses in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, Griffith College is one of the two largest independent higher education institutions in Ireland, with a student population of around 7,000 with 1,400 overseas students from over 77 countries. It is named after the former Griffith Barracks on the South Circular Road in Dublin

Front of Griffith College Dublin

The 7-acre Dublin campus is close to the city centre, where Griffith College has an additional campus. Student Halls of Residence are located on campus, close to the library, creative studios, the student bar and restaurant, gym facilities and the Students Union.

Griffith College runs full and part-time degree and higher education qualifications in Law, Accountancy, Business, Computing Science, Journalism, Media, TV Production, Film Production, Design, Fashion, Music and Drama.

The college offers professional accountancy programmes for Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), ACA, CPA and IATI,[1] Griffith College is a goldStar CPA approved Educator.[2]
The ACCA has awarded Griffith College Dublin the Platinum accreditation – the highest recognition by the ACCA,[3] and is also an ACCA CPD registered course provider.[4]

The Griffith College Dublin campus is the home of the Leinster School of Music & Drama. Established in 1904, the Leinster School offer theory classes in Music & Drama to groups and individuals subject to availability. The Leinster School is also an examining body and have a Theory Examinations Syllabus with levels from Preparatory to Grade 8.

The college was established in 1974 by Diarmuid Hegarty and incorporated in 1978 as the Business and Accounting Training (BAT). Originally located on Morehampton Road, in 1991 the Business and Accounting College moved from Milltown Park, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, to the Griffith Barracks site changed its name to Griffith College Dublin.
In 1979 Griffith College was designated as being an institution under the Irish Government's National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) Act.
In 1990 the first degree course was offered by Griffith College in Computer Science and it was validated by the University of Ulster. In 1992 it was followed by a Business Studies degree,[5] this arrangement ceased in 1996 and the degrees were validated by Irish National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) the predecessor of HETAC.

In 1992 the Tiernan Design School moved to the Griffith Campus becoming the Griffith College Faculty of Design. In the late 1990s Newman College, Dublin became part of Griffith College.

In 2005, Griffith College Dublin merged with Skerry's College to form Griffith College Cork. Skerry's College had been active in Cork since 1884.

In September 2006 Griffith College Dublin merged with the Mid-West Business Institute to form Griffith College Limerick.

Griffith College Dublin campus green.

The College is divided into a number of faculties:

• Faculty of Business
• Graduate School of Business
• The School of Professional Accountancy
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science
• The Professional Law School
• Faculty of Computing Science
• Faculty of Journalism & Media Communications
• Faculty of Design
• The Leinster School of Music & Drama
• Faculty of Training & Education
• Corporate Training
• Short Courses
• Griffith Institute of Language

Faculty of Law & the Professional Law School

Griffith College Dublin is home to Ireland's largest law school, incorporating the Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Professional Law Schools.

Aerial view of Griffith College Dublin campus

Griffith College Dublin welcomed students from Brazil through the Science Without Borders programme. The Brazilian government aimed to place over 100,000 Brazilian students in higher education institutions worldwide from 2011 to 2015.

As part of the Science Without Borders programme, which was partly funded by the Brazilian government, Griffith College had offered a variety of undergraduate courses to the students.

The "Creative Week"[19] takes place annually and showcase the student work of the creative disciplines, Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Fashion Design, TV & Video production, Photography, Digital Media, Sound Engineering, Journalism and Visual Media.[20]

Griffith College is partnered with a number of international universities in Norway, Germany, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, USA, Mexico, Brazil, India, Korea and China.

Griffith College Dublin is a participant in the Erasmus / Socrates mobility programmes.

There are seven publicly funded universities in Ireland and 14 Institutes of Technology. There are also a number of independent higher education colleges and universities. Griffith College is one of the latter.[21]

Ireland is a member of the Bologna Process (a European reform process aimed at creating the European Higher Education Area which in turn improves transparency between higher education systems, as well as implementing tools to facilitate recognition of degrees and academic qualifications, mobility, and exchanges between institutions across Europe).
Griffith College is an active promoter of the Bologna Process.[22]

The generic outcomes for Irish degrees are laid out in the National Framework of Qualifications.[23]

In 2006 Ireland became the first country to verify the compatibility of its national framework with the overarching framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and Griffith College’s degree programmes adhere to this framework.[23]

Griffith College works in partnership with a number of validating bodies in Ireland and the UK. This ensures that all programmes are recognised nationally and internationally.

The college facilities include Library, Common room, Computer Laboratories (248 workstations across 10 labs), CAD Lab, Photography Lab, Fitness Room, Sound Studios, Shop and Bar & Restaurant. The college also offers students a career advice service there is also a professional counsellor off campus providing an advice and counselling for personal and non-academic issues.

Griffith Conference Center is located on the college campus. The facilities include a 575-seat Auditorium, as well as smaller Suites and Rooms for hire. The Buildings were officially opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in September 2006.[35] The Conference Centre has been used for a variety of functions such as conventions of political parties, medical bodies, industry groups or for television programmes such as the You're a Star auditions.[36]

• Vincent Browne, journalist and broadcaster, lectured in Journalism and Media at Griffith College Dublin.
• Cecelia Ahern, author, is a Journalism graduate from Griffith College.
• Laura Woods, RTÉ announcer, is also a Journalism graduate.
• Frank Dunlop, former Irish government press secretary, studied for an LLB in Irish Law, graduating in 2007.[37]
• Mark Vaughan, Dublin Gaelic footballer, also studied at Griffith College.[38]
• Laura Whitmore, graduate of the LSMD at Griffith College, is a TV Personality and MTV Presenter [39]
• Maria Walsh, Media and Journalism graduate (2009), won the Rose of Tralee festival in 2014 and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2019.
• Seán O'Brien, Seán Cronin, Fergus McFadden and Jordan Larmour, all Ireland national rugby union team members, attended the college.
• Michael Conlan, Irish Olympian and professional boxer, attended the college.
• Helen McEntee, Fine Gael TD and Minister for European Affairs, studied Journalism and Media Communications at Griffith.[40]
• Emmet McNamara, who won the 2020 Epsom Derby on Serpentine, graduated from the Accounting and Finance program in 2018.[41]

Arthur Griffith Building

Wellington Building

• Daniel O'Connell Building – North Wing, International Office, Accounts, DIFC, Admissions, Journalism & Media faculty, Business Faculty.
• Arthur Griffith Building – West Wing, Reception, Lecture Rooms, Library, Fashion Design, Law Faculty, Graduate Business School.
• Meagher Building – houses the Griffith College Students Union
• James Stephens Building – Computer Labs, CAD Labs.
• Richmond Building – Photography Studios, Radio & Sound Engineering Studios.
• Wellington Building – Houses the Faculty of Computing Science, IT Department & Computer Labs.
• Cavalry Buildings – Photography Dark Rooms.
• Stables – Video Editing Studios.
• Academic Facilities Building – Restaurant, Auditorium, Conference Centre, School of Professional Accountancy (Opened in 2006)
• Design Studio (Opened in 2007)

Over the years Griffith College has expanded beyond its base in Dublin.

Having previously established its Professional Accountancy Programmes in Cork in 2000, offering training in ACCA, CIMA, CPA and IATI, Griffith College acquired Skerry's College Cork in 2005, forming Griffith College Cork the college runs a variety of full- and part-time courses in Business, Law, Media & Communications, Design, Secretarial and Office skills.

In 2006 Griffith College opened in Limerick with the acquisition of the Mid West Business Institute, creating Griffith College Limerick. In 2009 Griffith College Limerick moved into new premises which were officially opened by the Minister of Defence Willie O'Dea T.D. on 23 January 2009.[42]

There is also one campus based in Moscow which mainly offers accountancy courses.

In 2009 the Professional Law courses were made available completely online – such as the FE1[43] and IILEX courses.[44]

In Spring 2013 Griffith College Cork expanded to a 5.3 acre campus on Wellington Road, Cork City, on the former site of St. Patrick's Hospital and Marymount Hospice.
The Campus is called 'Griffith College Cork, Wellington Road Campus'. Teaching commenced at the Wellington Road campus in Summer 2013 with an English Language Residential School.

Since August 2013 all evening undergraduate, postgraduate, short-term and professional programmes in the areas of Law, Business, Journalism and Media Communications, Accountancy and Drama have moved to the facility.

St. Angela's College, Cork has sub-let the former hospital and hospice areas of the campus for three years, to facilitate a major renovation of their existing school, and the construction of new buildings, on St. Patrick's Hill.

The St. Angela's Development Plan has been in place for some time, and their architects, O'Donnell and Toomey, have designed an adaptation of the old Marymount buildings. The conversion of Marymount will provide St. Angela's College with extra facilities including more classrooms, ICT and Science facilities. Within the campus Griffith College and St. Angela's will operate as separate entities, having different entrances and buildings.

St. Patrick's Hospital and Marymount Hospice occupied this building until 2011, when, 141 years after it first opened its doors, the institution relocated all of its services to new premises at Curraheen in Cork.

The college graduation ceremonies take place over two days each November in the Conference Center. In previous years the ceremony took place in Royal Hospital Kilmainham in 2004 and 2005, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin the year before that.

The 2002 graduation was addressed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Education Minister Noel Dempsey address the 2003 Graduation[45] and in 2005 justice minister Michael McDowell addressed Law graduates. In attendance are graduates with their families and friends, representatives of Validation Bodies, as well as political and diplomatic dignitaries.
At the graduation ceremony there are prizes awarded such as HETAC Student of the Year Award and Best Academic Achievements for each faculty and school.