Seize the opportunity to experience university life with UCD’s Summer School for secondary school students entering 6th Year or (Year 13 A-Level) in September 2026.

PLEASE READ OUR SUMMER SCHOOL GROUND RULES BEFORE BOOKING ANY COURSES

Economics, Information & Communication Studies, Social Policy, Sociology, Archaeology Summer School

Thursday June 4th, 9.00pm-4.00pm

What happens on the day?

Economics – Students will be introduced to economics and an outline of the programme in UCD. This will be followed by an interactive session where students will take part in activities to discuss some of topics in economics allowing students to see how economics can help us understand how households, firms or other economic agents make strategic decisions. Students will also be introduced to other important economic topics such as macroeconomics and banking and the different career outcomes.

Information & Communication Studies gives students the knowledge, skills, and tools to help them to make sense of a world where every aspect of human experience is affected by digital technology, media, data, and information in all formats. During the workshop, students will learn about misinformation and why it exists, reflect on how our own opinions impact the way we evaluate information, discuss and practice how to critically evaluate content that is published and shared on apps such as TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat and how to use google to become a better searcher.

Social Policy – This session will provide an overview of the Bachelor of Social Science in Social Policy & Sociology Degree (DN750). Participants will be introduced to some ‘Key Issues in Social Policy’ reflecting the concepts and issues they would study during this three- year honours degree programme. We will explore some interesting, related questions. What is social policy? What do young people think are the most pressing challenges facing Irish social policy? What are welfare states? Who gets most from the welfare state? Is child-poverty above average for EU welfare states? Do prisons work? During the workshop, students will focus on current social policy issues as well as taking part in fun quizzes and surveys.

Sociology seeks to explain how people relate to each other, how hidden structures play an important role in everyday life and how society shapes the way individuals behave. It is about why individuals organise themselves into groups such as families, communities, social classes, religions, genders, neighbourhoods or nations. But it is also about how these groups come about, what they mean and how they change over time. The Summer School will introduce sociology as a subject.

Archaeology helps us to understand the past through the study of the physical remains that survive. This includes investigating monuments, artifacts, human and animal bone as well as how people interacted with the environment. The summer school will introduce Archaeology as a subject and students will have the opportunity to handle artefacts from the school’s teaching collection and learn about how they were made and used.

Who can register?

The Summer School is for students who are going into 6th year or Year 13 (A Level) in September 2026.

What does it cost?

The UCD Economics, Information & Communication Studies, Social Policy, Sociology, Archaeology Summer School costs €35 and includes a sandwich lunch and tea/coffee. A reduced rate of €15 is available for applicants whose families are in receipt of job-seekers or disability payments. If you wish to avail of this discount rate please email summerschool@ucd.ie for a discount code before booking your course.

Enquiries?

Enquiries in relation to the UCD Economics, Information & Communication Studies, Social Policy, Sociology, Archaeology Summer School can be made to Emma Donovan at emma.donovan@ucd.ie.

Where will the UCD Economics, Information & Communication Studies, Social Policy, Sociology, Archaeology Summer School take place?

The UCD Economics, Information & Communication Studies, Social Policy, Sociology, Archaeology Summer School will take place in the UCD Newman building. The building is number 41 on the UCD Map