The Course
Four years. Five paid residencies. An integrated MSc.
ISE is a computer science degree where you learn by doing. You graduate with an integrated BSc and MSc, with the option to exit after three years with a BSc (Hons).
Course details
You learn software engineering by doing it
ISE is a computer science degree where you learn by doing, and you graduate with an integrated bachelor's and master's qualification. You spend half your time learning on campus under continuous assessment, and the other half getting paid to solve real problems on residencies in leading companies.
Over your four years you complete five paid residencies, spending more than 40 weeks each year learning in a personalised, highly interactive environment, working in small groups with your peers and mentors.
Award codes: LM173 BSc and LK315 MSc in Immersive Software Engineering.
The shape of the degree
Four years, five paid residencies
Roughly half the degree is spent on paid residency. Exit with a BSc (Hons) after Year 3, or continue to the integrated MSc in Year 4.
What you will study
Blocks, year by year
Year 1
BSc, LM173
Semester 1
- CS4421 Problem Solving with Computers
- CS4431 Effectively Building Software with Others
Semester 2
- CS4422 Data Centric Computing
- CS4431 Computation and Architecture Part 1
Semester 3
- CS4443 Computation and Architecture Part 2
- CS4453 Residency 1: Software Systems / Dev Part 1
Year 2
BSc, LM173
Semester 1
- CS4444 Residency 2: Software Systems / Dev Part 2
Semester 2
- CS4445 Human Centric Computing
- CS4455 Ethical Hacking and Security Part 1
Semester 3
- CS4436 Ethical Hacking and Security Part 2
- CS4446 Residency 3: User Interaction in Practice
Year 3
BSc, LM173
Semester 1
- CS4437 Scaling for Reliability and Performance
- CS4447 Computational Thinking
Semester 2
- CS4448 Residency 4: Immersive Software Project
Year 4
MSc, LK315
From Year 3, Semester 3
- CS6513 Research Methods
Semester 1
- CS6514 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- CS6524 Software meets World
Semester 2
- CS6515 Residency 5a: ISE Research Project Part 1
- CS6525 Residency 5b: ISE Research Project Part 2
What you need to know
Entry and key facts
Award
LM173 BSc and LK315 MSc in Immersive Software Engineering.
Duration
Four years, an integrated BSc/MSc at level 9 on the NFQ, with an exit opportunity after Year 3 with a BSc (Hons) at level 8.
Subject area
Engineering and Science.
CAO points
Entry in 2025 required 651 points. Points combine the Leaving Certificate (up to 625) with the Entrance Submission (up to 200).
Leaving Certificate
A Leaving Certificate, or an approved equivalent, with at least two H5 grades and four O6 grades, or four H7 grades.
Subjects
A minimum grade H4 in Mathematics, plus Irish or another language, and English. Contact UL admissions for full details.
Course fees
ISE fees are the same as for any other BSc in the UL Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Applying
Entrance submission and routes in
Entrance submission
Applicants submit either Route A or Route B. You may also be invited to an interview to discuss your submission.
Special Mathematics Examination
A Special Mathematics Examination is offered at UL after the Leaving Certificate results if you did not meet the Mathematics requirement.
Mature students
Applications from mature students are welcome, through the CAO. See UL's Mature Student Guide and the Mature Student Office.
International applicants
Details for international applicants are available through the University of Limerick International Students pages.
Inside ISE
Where the learning happens
Studios, whiteboards and real projects, students work through problems together, closer to an engineering floor than a classroom.
How you're taught
Learning by doing
Studio-based
Small teams in a studio, closer to a real engineering floor than a classroom.
Project-driven
Every block is anchored in building something real.
Continuously assessed
Progress is measured through the work itself, not end-of-year exams alone.
Immersive Software Engineering, University of Limerick. A radically practical computer science degree.