study abroad in Ireland with IFSA
Belfast
, Ireland

Stranmillis University College Teacher Education

Program Overview

With a wooded campus near the heart of Lonely Planet-favorite Belfast and acclaimed programs geared to help you excel in education or special education, Stranmillis draws students from near and far. Benefit from a dedicated tutor as you explore classes in early childhood, primary education, post-primary education, or health, sport and physical activity and gain hands-on experience with a practicum.

Details at a Glance

Application deadline

Fall: April 1
Spring: Oct. 15

Minimum GPA

3.00

Credit load

15

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Instruction language

English

Prerequisites

None

Apply Now

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Academics

Looking for specific classes? Explore CHART, our exclusive class database—if the Stranmillis University College Teacher Education Program is preapproved at your institution, you’ll find classes recently taken by other IFSA students.

At Stranmillis, you will choose a full semester load of classes from one of the four pathways below and work with a dedicated academic tutor. More details about each pathway and its modules can be found here.

  • Primary (Elementary) Education
  • Post-Primary (Secondary) Education
  • Early Childhood Studies
  • Health, Physical Activity, and Sport

Electives span child development and intercultural studies as well as teaching for literacy, mathematics, the arts, religious education, physical education, and English as a second language. In addition, unique options are available for future teachers who wish to specialize in special education.

Stranmillis also offers the following special classes to visiting international students:

  • Work Based Professional Practice, which includes field placements
  • Peacebuilding Education and Social Justice (fall only)
  • Aspects of Peacebuilding Education and Social Justice (spring only)
  • Northern Ireland Culture and Education (fall only)
  • Aspects of Northern Ireland Culture and Education (spring only)
  • Learning and Assessment in Diverse Classrooms (spring only)

Credit Conversions
A full class load at Stranmillis University College is 60 CATS credits for the semester, equivalent to 15 U.S. semester credit hours. Some modules have different credit values in the fall and spring terms.

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and class materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.

While not required, Work Based Professional Practice is overwhelming popular with IFSA students and often the highlight of their Stranmillis study abroad experience.

All pathways at Stranmillis offer you the opportunity to complete school-based work (for the Primary, Post-Primary, and Early Childhood pathways) or take practical studies (for the Health, Physical Activity, and Sport pathway). School-based work students spend approximately 25 percent of their time working directly with local pupils. Community-based placements are also available with local non-profit organizations for students interested in working with students outside a school setting.

Supervision is provided by Stranmillis teacher education faculty. IFSA recommends you speak with your home institution academic advisor on how this unique class may count toward U.S. state requirements for teacher education licensure.

You must apply for and receive a PBS Tier 4 visa in order to participate in any Work Based Professional Practice. IFSA will guide you through the visa process; however, you are responsible for the cost of the visa.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
  • You must have completed at least one (1) year of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.

Recommendation Letter
Your application to this program will require one (1) academic letter of recommendation.

Visa Requirement
This program requires a visa for all students.

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects courses taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.

Excursions

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t our control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

  • Rugby matches
  • Theater performances
  • Comedy gigs
  • Castle tours
Excursions
  • Trip to rural Connemara in County Galway.
  • Trip to Belfast and the Antrim Coast include visits to Dunluce Castle, Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge, and Giant’s Causeway.

Housing and Meals

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Meals

Most Included

Details

The meal plan (included) provides breakfast and dinner daily. Students can purchase lunches at the cafeteria on campus or make their own lunches in the housing facilities. For spring students, meals are not available in university dining for three weeks over the Easter break. However, cooking facilities will still be available in Stranmillis housing during this time.

Dates and Fees

Term

Term begins

Term ends

Program costs

Application deadline

Fall 2023

September 11, 2023

December 16, 2023

$22,575

April 1

Spring 2024

Mid-Jan. 2024

Early June 2024

$26,075 (estimated)

Oct. 15

Fall 2024

Mid-Sept. 2024

Mid-Dec. 2024

$22,575 (estimated)

April 1

Term

Fall 2023

Term begins

September 11, 2023

Term ends

December 16, 2023

Program costs

$22,575

Application deadline

April 1

Term

Spring 2024

Term begins

Mid-Jan. 2024

Term ends

Early June 2024

Program costs

$26,075 (estimated)

Application deadline

Oct. 15

Term

Fall 2024

Term begins

Mid-Sept. 2024

Term ends

Mid-Dec. 2024

Program costs

$22,575 (estimated)

Application deadline

April 1

Get started

Apply Now
schedule time to talk
Vineeta Chauhan

Vineeta Chauhan

Admissions Counselor

Zipporah Gaines

Zipporah Gaines

Prearrival Counselor

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