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Stage 3 Subject Selection

For the 2022-2023 academic year, students will choose their preferred major for Stage 3 online before module registration in August. The details are yet to be confirmed and we will contact you when we have this information.

For oversubscribed majors, allocation to these majors is managed by the College office.

For planning purposes, we ask that you complete this SURVEY by Thursday, 14 April at 5pm.

The data will be provided to Schools in the College of Science to estimate the number of students who plan to register to majors in each School. This helps us with capacity management.

We will also use the information from this survey to allocate places to majors where demand outweighs capacity. In these cases we will review the number of credits completed and Stage 2 GPA of the students who include these majors as their first preference in the survey.  We will contact these students after the release of results for the Spring Trimester.

Please note: completing this survey is not subject registration. You are not bound to the major you list below as you will manage your major registration during the online registration process, except in the cases where demand outweighs capacity. 

Pre-Stage 3 Academic Advisory Session

This section includes the slides and FAQs from the Pre-Stage 3 Academic Advisory which was held on 16 February 2022. 

Due to the pressure of laboratory space, certain majors have restricted places.  With 27 degree majors available, most (usually >98%), if not all, students progressing to Stage 3 will be given their first preference.

If the demand for a degree major exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated to progressing students based on the student's Stage 2 performance, including number of credits and GPA.

Can I do a Minor as part of the BSc Degree programme?

Minors are not offered as part of the BSc Degree programme.

Can I do a Joint Major as part of the BSc Degree programme?

Joint Majors offered in 2021-2022 included: Applied and Computational Mathematics; Mathematics; Statistics and Physics.

Students can make changes to major and module registration during the online registration period for the autumn trimester. Before you make changes to your major registration, please contact the Science Programme Office for advice.

Will the Stage 3 GPA count towards the Final Degree GPA?

  • Students will have their degree GPA calculated on the basis of their performance in the final and penultimate stages of the programme.
  • For a four year programme, this means that your final degree GPA will be calculated on Stages 3 and 4, and for a three year programme (BSc General Science)  on Stages 2 and 3.  The award  will be based 70% on your final stage and 30% on your penultimate stage.

Students should also note that a minimum Stage 3 GPA is required to be eligible to progress to Stage 4.  Students must achieve a GPA of 2.48 or higher to progress to Stage 4.  Students who do not meet this GPA requirement will be put forward for the BSc General Science degree.

What happens if we put our first preferred major choice down on our Exchange application and don't get our first choice for third/fourth year?

If you do not get a place in your preferred major, as indicated on your Exchange application, you will need to complete the module approval process again and ensure that the nominated institution is approved.


Any further questions or concerns you have can be emailed to averil.clarke@ucd.ie or jamie.wells@ucd.ie

What opportunities are available between now and graduation for internships?

Further information on Internship Opportunities is available here or by emailing: scienceinternships@ucd.ie

What careers are available to graduates of the BSc degree programme?

Student should contact the Careers Network Team for further information on the supports and guidance they provide to students.  Appointments can be made on CareersConnect through their website and a member of the team will assist with any queries you may have on the opportunities available to Science graduates

Students may also contact the School representatives who attended the Advisory if they have further queries about career opportunities within each field.  Please see contact details below under the Research section of the FAQs.

What subject choices offer Graduate Entry Medicine and Veterinary Medicine?

Students across a number of degree majors go on to pursue Graduate Entry Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.   Information on graduate programmes is at https://www.myucd.ie/courses/

For Graduate Entry programmes offered outside of UCD, please contact the Careers Network for further information.

Queries in relation to subject choices and how subject areas would link in with research opportunities on completion of your degree can be answered by the School representatives who presented at the Academic Advisory session.  Please see their contact details below:

SBBS John O’Connor (john.oconnor@ucd.ie)

SBES Evelyn Doyle (evelyn.doyle@ucd.ie)            

Chemistry Mike Casey (mike.casey@ucd.ie)

Earth Sciences Patrick Orr (patrick.orr@ucd.ie)

Maths and Statistics Maria Meehan (maria.meehan@ucd.ie)

Physics Emma Sokell (emma.sokell@ucd.ie)

Physiology Katherine Howell (katherine.howell@ucd.ie)  

UCD College of Science

Room E1.09/E2.09 UCD O'Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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