Trinity College Dublin, MSc Computer Science - Intelligent Systems
Reviewed on May 29, 2025(Enrolled 2024)What Students Say
Likes
- Structure of curriculum : Almost all contents taught are state of art or very least being advancements in field.
- Campus : Campus is huge and there is lot of diversity.
- Lab Infrastructure : All the machines are fitted with latest hardware and software components which are essential for experiments and research.
Dislikes
- Too Fast Teaching Sem : Limited time available, requiring highly efficient time management.
- Compulsory Dissertation : Flexibility to do internship should have been an option.
- Lack of space for eating : Most of the libraries lack eating spacing making it difficult to manage.
Course Curriculum
10
- The difficulty level of my course was around 8/10. It was based on a mixed aspect, i.e., it covered both theoretical and practical. Every theoretical aspect was asked to be implemented in assignments, which were evaluated rigorously.
- Positive Aspect : Students are learning a lot and since every taught subject requires practical implementation, students get a thorough idea of what they have learned and not just an overview.
- Negative Aspect : Since teaching semesters are only 2 and around 6 months, the learning is fast-paced and sometimes learning in depth about one particular area or experimenting with it remains infeasible. Due to this nature, it becomes difficult to focus on personal projects based on teachings.
- Minimum of one class to a maximum of three classes was scheduled during a typical day in the teaching semester. Timings usually range from 10 am to 4 pm.
- Average number of students in my class was 30. Around 25 Indians were enrolled in my course.
Admission Experience
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I applied to the following colleges:
- Trinity College Dublin, Ireland—Admitted
- Griffith College Dublin, Ireland—Admitted
- Illinois Institute of Technology, USA—Admitted
- Kent State University, USA—Admitted
- University of Illinois Springfield, USA—Admitted.
- I received confirmed admission from all the above colleges; however, I chose TCD as my final choice.
- I choose TCD because of its ranking and reputation. TCD ticked all the boxes, such as State of Art teaching, facilities, research opportunities and so on. Moreover, the course I applied for was best suited for my interest in AI and Software Development. All these reasons made TCD my final choice.
- Admission Process for TCD is fairly simple and easy. It begins with an initial application form, and if selected further, applicants receive a test (coding in my case). If the test is cleared, applicants are offered a seat in their applied course.
- Eligibility Criteria is not explicitly stated apart from IELTS or Duolingo as English language tests, of which the minimum criteria is a 6.5 band in IELTS. Rest depends on the candidate's cgpa and SOP.
- Overall, the admission experience was good, right from the application form to starting the semester. College provides all the facilities, such as the Academic Registry for application-related doubts or a regional officer for any queries. Every query is answered. College even organizes meet-and-greet events in major cities.
- I applied for the Fall 2024 Intake. I wanted to pursue a master's to further deepen my knowledge and I found this was the right time to pursue it. This decision was heavily influenced by the boom and recent advances in AI and ML.
- It took around 3 months for me from application to acceptance.
- I applied on 04 January 2024. right after applying, my application was sent to respective professors of mine for letters of Recommendation with a period of 28 days to submit the recommendation. Once the letters were submitted, I was given a test around 3rd February 2024. After giving my test, I received my unconditional offer around 14th March 2024. I accepted this offer within a day, i.e., 15th March 2024.
Faculty
10
- Faculty-to-student ratio was around 1:30. I believe this ratio is sufficient and allows quality interaction with faculty. Faculty have a close look at each and every individual student.
- Teaching methodology involves appropriate presentations with frequent interactions with students and state-of-the-art methodologies being taught. The course content is modeled in such a way that students are provided with accurate and appropriate knowledge, which is essential for securing jobs. I believe the teaching method, along with the course content set up by the faculty, is sufficient for one to pass an interview.
- No, faculty members do not assist students in finding part-time or full-time jobs.
- I admire my dissertation supervisor the most; he not only guided me on the steps to do for my dissertation but also guided me with extra steps, which turned out to be very useful for the rest of the subjects. He outlined the workings for my dissertation and guided me patiently.
Campus Life
10
- My college has one campus that is located at College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
- TCD has a lot of facilities, from libraries and sports to medical services for students. There are multiple libraries and labs depending on the study area of a particular student. These libraries and labs are up to date with modern standards and have few hosts' kitchens, offering huge convenience.
- There is always an event happening in college on any given day, but major events include the freshers' fair, the TCD ball, and TCD Holi.
- TCD is known for its societies; there are around 120 societies where one can join and have some off-study work or fun. Trinity offers a wide range of sports facilities; there is a dedicated sports center where students can enjoy activities such as Rock climbing, Gym, Swimming and many more.
Part Time Jobs
- Very few master's students get an opportunity to be a TA, RA or DA in my college. These positions are mostly offered to PhD students or Undergraduate students during their summer break.
- Pay range for a TA is around €2000 for 6 months.
- There are few on-campus jobs available, which are mostly working in university roles such as social media handlers or student union roles.
- Only 20 hours per week are allowed to work during the teaching semester; however, one can work 40 hours per week during break.
- On a scale of 1-10, 8/10 is the difficulty in finding on-campus part-time jobs since they are either allotted for PhD holders or undergraduate students. As master's students have their academic curriculum structured in a very packed and fast-paced manner, it is difficult to secure a job while doing your study, and students doing an MSc are not preferred for campus jobs.
- Students usually earn around a minimum of €12.70 per hour. Securing part-time employment is difficult since there are few openings and a large number of students. Application Part-time jobs in Dublin are mostly in two forms: either physical communication with the respective person for a job or online job applications through appropriate job portals. Any successful application requires an interview to be given and documents such as a college offer letter, IRP and PPSN are essential.
Placement
8
- From my college, around 60 to 80% of the students secure employment within 6 months of completing their course. Average salary ranges from 32,000 to 42,000 € per annum.
- Students secure full-time roles through internships and online job portals. Networking does help in getting an opportunity for an interview. Placement experiences of batchmates: It involves a preliminary round, which is usually a coding test, followed by two or three interviews, depending on the nature of the job. Major companies include Susquehanna International Group, AutoDesk, Amd.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I found my accommodation via a real estate agent. However, there are multiple online platforms and groups on social media, i.e., WhatsApp and Facebook, that can be looked for accommodation.
- My monthly rent was around 550 € (a total of 2200 € for 1 Bhk) with the water bill included. However, electricity was charged extra as per use and came to around 50 € per person.
- Challenges: Suitable apartments are difficult to find and more delays lead to an increased amount in student accommodation. In my case, I had to pay extra brokerage to secure my apartment apart from the deposit.
- My recommendation would be students should look out as early as possible; however, do not fall for a scam and verify the landlord, real estate agent or any responsible person for the deal.
- My apartment was 3 km away from the college campus. Most Indians choose student accommodation, which is situated near universities in most cases.
Exams
- Exams required by my college are IELTS with a minimum score of around 6.5. In terms of documents necessary to complete the admission process, which are as follows: Statement of Purpose (with a word limit of around 500 words). Two letters of recommendation (with the option to send two from professors or one from a professor and another from a team manager or any high-post employee whom you have worked under).
- There was no interview as such for my course; however, I was required to give a coding test with 3 questions in languages either in java or c. Questions were of medium difficulty. This Test showed how the university evaluated the applications and how rigorous it was with application selection, which further influenced my decision to choose TCD as my final choice.
Fees
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Full Fees:
- Tuition Fees – 27,293 €
- Student Levies and Charges—304 €
- The fees are charged yearly with an option to pay in the following manner:
- Entirely at once
- With three instalments in total, one [Half of the entire tuition fees] before the end of August, followed by two instalments at the end of January and February month [For the other half of the tuition fees].
- Monthly Expenses : Around 700 €.
- Breakdown as follows:
- Rent—550 € (Near Dublin city center areas)
- Electricity—50 €
- Food and miscellaneous – 100 €
- Bus—1 to 2 € daily.
Scholarship
- I did not receive any scholarship.
- Two available scholarships that I know about, which my friends got.
- Global Excellence Postgraduate Scholarships—2000 to 5000 €
- Postgraduate E3 Balanced Solutions for a Better World Scholarship—2000 to 5000 €
- Around 12 students, on average, receive two scholarships each year, amounting to €5000.
