USIT aims to enable people of all ages and all backgrounds to encounter other cultures. So in addition to a range of youth and independent travel services, we also organise educational and cultural exchange programmes. From university accredited courses to work exchange programmes to a week of travelling around the ancient monastic sites in Ireland, anything is possible!

What can we do for you?

We can arrange study tours or courses on any aspect of Irish life. We have long experience of arranging academic and/or cultural seminars in the areas of theatre, literature, traditional music, Gaelic culture, visual studies, politics, Celtic spirituality, women's studies, advertising and media, education, conference management, law, and peace and conflict studies and anything else you can think of!

The Drawing Board

Our Incoming Programmes Department will help you to plan your study programme, field trip or study tour to Ireland from start to finish. We work with you to design the perfect course to suit your budget and your special interests, whether it's for a semester, a summer, a week or a weekend in Ireland.

Academic Content / Faculty

Our experienced staff can help you devise the content of your programme to meet the academic requirements of visiting faculty. Our lecturers include professors, journalists, leading critical commentators, playwrights, musicians, film directors, Nobel laureates and even past presidents! We also provide classrooms and other teaching facilities.

Field Trips

Field trips give a physical and cultural context to any study of Ireland. Whether it's a visit to the Irish Parliament or a Neolithic burial chamber, court sessions or artists' studios, we tailor field trips to complement your particular programme. We are particularly keen to help you take advantage of your locations by providing on site lectures.

Cultural Activities

Traditional music sessions, poetry readings, theatre performance, film screenings, acting workshops, gallery visits and the essential literary pub crawl are among the many cultural activities you can choose to add to your programme.

Housing

Accommodation is carefully selected to suit the budgetary requirements of each group, and provision is always made for faculty housing. The USIT group also includes the Kinlay House network of budget hostels in Dublin, Cork and Galway, campus apartments at University College Dublin and The Harding Hotel, Dublin.

Northern Ireland

Since no Irish Studies programme is complete without an exploration of similar aspects in Northern Ireland, USIT now is pleased to offer the same services and facilities on both sides of the border. With four offices in Northern Ireland, we have used our close links with local student bodies and faculty to develop courses of seminars and field trips, which include meetings with leading cultural commentators, artists, political leaders and community activists - a truly rewarding experience.

On campus at Trinity College Dublin

Now in its seventeenth year, the USIT / Trinity College Irish Studies Summer School is a 7-week accredited academic programme aimed at North American students. Also on campus at Trinity College, the Ireland in Europe Summer School brings together people from all over the world for two weeks of lectures, tours, evening events, music and fun!

The Experience

USIT has played host to faculty, students and administrators from colleges all over the world. The following are among the many universities and organisations we have worked with to create specially designed programmes

Bethel College, Carleton College, Carroll College, Danish Association of Teachers of English, Danish Association of History Teachers, Drew University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hiram University, Hunter College, Loyola University New Orleans, Northern Illinois University, Old Dominion University, People to People, Pilgrim Travel, Queen's University Ontario, St. Mary's College London, Seminars International, Syracuse University, University of California Berkeley, University of Cincinnati, University of Iowa, University of Linkoping, University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of North Texas, University of Wisconsin, Washington & Lee University.