Placement And Career Information

National College of Ireland has a strong employability focus, especially through its Career Development and Employability team and formal work placement routes. Work placement is an integral part of selected programmes in the School of Business and School of Computing.

For international students, this can be valuable because Irish work experience helps build confidence, local references, sector knowledge and stronger graduate job applications.

How Work Placement Usually Works

NCI states that accredited work placements are offered across seven programmes. Placement structure depends on the course.

Business students in selected honours degree programmes can complete a placement year between the second and third taught years. These placements are formal, academically accredited, graded and worth 60 credits. The placement length is usually 8 to 12 months, with June or September start options.

Computing undergraduates in selected programmes usually undertake a 6 month placement in the second semester of third year, starting around January or February, then return to final year in September.

Selected postgraduate computing students may undertake a 12-week work placement as part of the programme. These placements can run May to August or September to December, depending on the course.

Courses With Placement Examples

NCI lists placement options for programmes such as:

• BA (Hons) in Human Resource Management
• BA (Hons) in Business
• BA (Hons) in Marketing Practice
• BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance
• BSc (Hons) in Computing
• BSc (Hons) in Technology Management
• BSc (Hons) in Data Science
• MSc in Cybersecurity
• MSc Artificial Intelligence
• MSc in AI for Business
• MSc in Data Analytics
• MSc in FinTech

Students should confirm the latest structure on the course page before applying.

Career Support At NCI

Before placement, students participate in career preparation such as:

• Career planning
• CV reviews
• Mock interviews
• Networking sessions
• Placement application guidance
• Employer engagement
• Careers resources and templates

The placement process is centrally managed by the Careers team. Employers can share job descriptions, meet classes virtually or in person, review CVs, interview students and complete placement agreements.

Graduate Career Routes

Career routes depend on the course, but NCI students commonly explore:

• Software development and IT support
• Data analytics and business intelligence
• Cybersecurity
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• FinTech and financial services
• Accounting and finance
• HR and recruitment
• Marketing and sales
• Business operations and administration
• Psychology-related or education-related pathways, subject to qualification rules

NCI's IFSC location can be useful for students targeting Dublin's business, finance and technology sectors.

Important Planning Advice

International students should check visa and internship rules carefully. Work placements or internships must be part of the academic programme, accredited and contribute to the final award where required. NCI guidance also notes that international students must follow Stamp 2 visa rules.

For the September 2026 intake, students should prepare a CV early, attend Careers team sessions, confirm whether placement is part of the chosen course, and track placement timelines from the start of the academic year.