Mater Dei Institute of Education
Encyclopedia
Mater Dei Institute of Education is a linked college of Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...

 since 1999, located in Drumcondra
Drumcondra, Dublin
Drumcondra is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.-History:...

, Dublin City, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, near Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

, on the site of what was formerly Clonliffe College, the Roman Catholic Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 for the Archdiocese of Dublin. The college has been in existence since 1966 when it was founded as an institute for the training and formation for teachers of religion in secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Founded by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...

 like Clonliffe it was affiliated to the Angelicum in Rome it offered a three year course leading to a diploma and a four year course leading to a Masters, Fr. Joseph Carroll was its first president. The foundation of the college was a response to the challenges posed by the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

. It has a Roman Catholic ethos and currently has approximately 800 students.

The college offers a number of undergraduate courses, primarily in secondary religious education and currently postgraduate courses, (including Doctorates), primarily in religion, the humanities and education; faith and culture as well as theology and philosophy in dialogue.

In 1999 Mater Dei Institute of Education along with became a College of Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...

.

Since 2002 it has opened an Irish Studies Department and is offering a BA programme in Religious Studies and Irish Studies. The Institute sees this as a contribution to the understanding that is engendered by the Good Friday Agreement. The Institute also has links with colleges in Northern Ireland, France, Italy and the USA. Mater Dei in partnership with the Methodist Edgehill Theological College in Belfast run courses such as a BTh exploring faith together.

In 2008 the relationship linking Dublin City University with All Hallows, St. Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra and Mater Dei Institute of Education was revised.
The Institute is engaged in the Erasmus
Erasmus Student Network
Erasmus Student Network is a European wide student organisation. Its goal is to support and develop student exchange. It is composed of over 12'000 members from more than 370 local sections in 36 countries in Higher Education Institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and university...

student exchange programme with other colleges in Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
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