Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
Mary Immaculate College, also known as Mary I or MIC, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts, founded in 1898. It is located on South Circular Road in Limerick. It became academically linked to the University of Limerick in 1991. The college has approximately 3,500 students and 300 staff.HistoryThe College was established as a dedicated primary teacher training college in 1898 by Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick and the Sisters of Mercy. Its foundation stone was laid on the 8th of December 1898 and the college officially opened in 1902, accepting in female students from Munster. In 1969, the college accepted male students for the first time. From 1974 to 1991, Mary Immaculate College was a recognised college of the National University of Ireland. 1974 saw the commencement of the B.Ed. degree with first graduates in 1977 (the course was previously a two year National Teachers Diploma). Since 1991, degrees have been accredited by the University of Limerick.Degree ProgrammesThe role of the College was expanded in 1992 to offer a Liberal Arts programme, while continuing to run both undergraduate and, more recently, postgraduate courses leading to primary education practice. The college also offers an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) degree. The College's flagship programme is the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) with an intake of approximately 400 per year. The output of qualified primary teachers over a three year period is approximately 1500, from a combination of the three year B.Ed. programme and the Grad. Dip Ed. programme (which takes 18 months to complete).
