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Portuguese

BA (NFQ Level 8)
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Study Abroad

This course is available through the following application route(s)

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Portuguese is a global language, spoken across four continents by more than 250 million people. Studying Portuguese offers valuable career opportunities in many areas of business and society both in Ireland and abroad. During your degree at UCD, you will delve into the language and the cultural diversity of the Portuguese-speaking world. You will also enhance your critical thinking, intercultural understanding and communication skills.

Our students are strongly encouraged to spend a year abroad at a host university in Portugal or a Portuguese-speaking country as part of their degree. This experience will enable you to perfect your language skills and to broaden your horizons. We welcome both absolute beginners and non-beginners.

About This Course

This is an exciting time for Portuguese in Ireland as it is a NEW degree subject introduced last year at UCD! We warmly welcome both Portuguese heritage speakers and those with absolutely no Portuguese at all. Studying Portuguese can help set you apart from the masses studying other popular languages and makes a powerful combination with other Languages, Linguistics, History, Drama and Film Studies, Music, Global and European Studies, Education among many others.

Learning Portuguese will help you connect with rich and diverse cultures.

Portuguese is a global language, spoken across four continents by more than 250 million people. Studying Portuguese offers valuable career opportunities in many areas of business and society both in Ireland and abroad. During your degree at UCD, you will delve into the language and the cultural diversity of the Portuguese-speaking world. You will also enhance your critical thinking, intercultural understanding and communication skills.

Our students are strongly encouraged to spend a year abroad at a host university in Portugal or a Portuguese-speaking country as part of their degree. This experience will enable you to perfect your language skills and to broaden your horizons. We welcome both absolute beginners and non-beginners.

You will study core language modules alongside a range of option modules which focus on Portuguese-language culture, history, literature and film across our threeyear or four-year BA and BHum degree programmes. If you wish to study more than one language, with a built-in year abroad, you might choose Portuguese as part of the DN541 Modern Languages (BAIML) degree.

Sample modules include:

First Year

Portuguese Language modules (1a and 1b) • Film and Fiction in the Portuguesespeaking World • Global Portuguese cultures & societies

Second Year

Portuguese Language modules (2a and 2b) • Migration and Displacement in Portuguese- Language Cinema • The Postcolonial Portuguese World • Reading Portuguese Texts • Portuguese Today

Third Year

Portuguese Language modules (3a and 3b • Global Challenges in the Portuguese-speaking world • Female perspectives in Contemporary Portuguese Literature and Film • Modernist Brazilian Literature • Social Issues in Portuguese and Brazilian films

Studying Portuguese

Celtic Civilisation Irish/Gaeilge
Drama Studies Irish Studies
English Italian
Film Studies Latin
French Mathematics
German Music
Greek Spanish
History Statistics

The third year abroad for students of Portuguese may be spent at one of our partner institutions in Portugal, such as the University of Porto, University of Lisbon or the University of Coimbra (the latter is one of the oldest universities in the world), or further afield, such as Brazil.

The communicational and intercultural skills, coupled with critical awareness and cultural sensitivity which are fostered through studying Portuguese, open a wide range of career opportunities, including: Roles in international organisations such as the EU, UN and NGO´s; International Business; Diplomatic Service; Translating and Interpreting; Humanities research; Teaching; Journalism and Digital Media; Tourism; Cultural Production and Arts Management

Studying Portuguese as part of a BA, BAIML and BHum degree may lead to further study of Portuguese on the UCD MA in Modern Languages or Portuguese may be studied at any level (beginners through advanced) as part of the new UCD MA in Languages and Image Studies.

UCD School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
p. +353 1 76 8302
e. slcl@ucd.ie


Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
PORT10030 Portuguese Language Ib Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 1 of:
An Option module may also be taken in lieu of an elective.
PORT10020 Portuguese Language Ia Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 1 of:
An Option module may also be taken in lieu of an elective.
PORT10110 Postcolonial Portuguese World Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 1 of:
An Option module may also be taken in lieu of an elective.
PORT10090 Film and Fiction (in the Portuguese-speaking world) Spring  5

I have really enjoyed studying a wide range of Portuguese modules throughout my three years at UCD. With over 230 million speakers, Portuguese opens so many doors to global career opportunities and has really opened up my perspective of the Portuguese speaking world. I have enjoyed learning how to speak and write Portuguese. I have also really liked the modules associated with the Portuguese cultural world, such as cinema and society! This is a great subject and I am delighted Portugese is becoming a much bigger subject at UCD.

Karolina Sobocińska, Student

General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to Portuguese:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2024
Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates
Closed
showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates
Apply
showAudience-audienceEU DN520
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
Application through CAO Apply via CAO
* you can change options at the top of the page

Additional special entry route(s) to Portuguese:

These options have additional eligibility requirements to cater for specific applicant cohorts. You should not apply via these routes before consulting the requirements or contacting the responsible UCD office.

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time

Commencing September 2025
Access Progression Pathway
Access Progression Pathway
Application to this Non-EU Access Progression Pathway is by invitation only. If you are not currently enrolled on an Access programme at UCD, your application will be marked as invalid.
If you are not a current Access student, but you are a non-EU applicant seeking admission to an undergraduate degree, please submit an application via the "Undergraduate Degree (Non-EU)" course type.
Apply