Completing an MBA (Master of Business Administration), while a huge opportunity, is a big commitment in terms of time and money. While most courses offer full-time, part-time and increasingly flexible options for working professionals looking to incorporate their studies into their already busy working life, there are many other factors that go into deciding which programme best suits your needs and expectations.
Here is a rundown of some of the most popular MBAs in Ireland to help you survey your options.
University of Galway
The University of Galway’s two-year, part-time MBA is taught across four semesters, each comprising five two-day blocks of lectures and a weekly online class. Modules cover a variety of areas, including Leadership Development, Financial Management and Taxation, Economics and the Business Environment and Marketing Leadership.
Distinguishing this programme, however, is its International Leadership Gateway experience to Fordham University in New York. Students complete a week-long tailored programme at the Lincoln Center Campus in Manhattan, getting the opportunity to visit businesses, attend lectures and meet with international business leaders. This complements the programme’s focus on practical teaching and real-world experience. Its masterclass series forms an integral part of the programme and invites national and international business leaders, entrepreneurs and academics to provide expert input and discussion to students.
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Applications for the September 2026 intake are now open and will remain so until July, although early application is recommended.
Fees: €16,300 per annum (two years, part-time), plus €105 Student Levy, and €1,000 Leadership Gateway Experience to New York
University College Cork
UCC’s Executive MBA is a part-time option that is completed over two years, starting in September 2026 and running through to April 2028. The course is taught in three-day block lectures on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 6pm at the UCC Centre for Executive Education on Lapp’s Quay in Cork.
The programme is split across four parts that cover the core principles of business management, development, investment, sustainability, marketing, and digital transformation. The final part is made up of a leadership project, an integrated strategy project and an elective in either People and Talent Management or Public Sector.
Applicants are required to have a primary honours degree, or a primary ordinary degree, with a minimum GMAT score of 600 and at least three years of significant managerial experience. Those with an appropriate professional qualification are also encouraged to apply.
There is a rolling deadline, with applications remaining open until all places have been filled, but early application is advised.
Fees: €16,000 per annum (two years, part-time), plus €210 Capitation Fee
Queen’s University Belfast
Queen’s offers an MBA programme that can be completed full-time over one year, or part-time over either two or four years. An alternative programme involves an additional year-long internship arranged through the university. Both strands cover the same course content over three semesters, covering a wide range of areas to ensure students gain a robust education in business management and practice.
From entrepreneurship to marketing to corporate finance and business analytics, the course’s core modules give students a multi-dimensional education that integrates theory and practice. Meanwhile, the electives allow students to focus on a particular area of expertise in either Sustainability and Social Innovation, Global Technology Innovation or International Business Negotiations.
Students can expect between 15 and 22 contact hours of teaching, with a range of e-learning experiences also incorporated into the programme. Applicants are required to have a minimum of a second-class honours bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and should apply no later than August 14th, 2026.
Fees: £25,000 (one year, full-time), adjusted accordingly for different part-time options (two and four years)
qub.ac.uk/schools/queens-business-school
Maynooth University
Maynooth offers a distinctive 16-month programme. The full-time MBA course runs from September 2026 through to December 2027, with students attending classes over two semesters from September to June, and then completing an industry placement or business consulting project between July and December.
The curriculum is geared towards assisting students in developing their careers in business and management, while the placement gives them the opportunity to apply these skills in practice. Modules include Career Planning and Development, Leadership and Team Management, Global Business, Sustainability in Business, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Marketing in a Digital World and Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Applicants are required to have a minimum of a second-class honours bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline. Those who do not hold a primary degree must have at least 10 years of relevant work experience, three of which were in a management position. The latter may apply via Maynooth University’s RPL process for Non-Standard Entrants. The closing date for applications is August 14th, 2026.
Fees: €25,000 (16 months, full-time)
maynoothuniversity.ie/school-business
Setu Waterford
Setu’s Executive MBA has a particular focus on business sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and aims to equip students with an innovative and adaptable understanding of the challenges and possibilities of business development in 2026.
The part-time programme is offered over two-years, with the course delivered in-person through evening lectures on Thursdays and a half day of classes on Saturdays. Across two semesters, students complete a module in Organisational Change that prepares them for a research project on the topic in their final semester which explores the role of leadership in bringing about organisational change and development.
This programme also features an international element, with students invited to attend a week of lectures and workshops and networking events at Boston University as part of the International Management module.
Notably, Setu allows multiple entry points to their MBA. As a result, semester one is only offered every two years, but students can enter the MBA at the beginning of either semester one, two, or three.
Applicants are expected to have a degree or its equivalent. Managers with at least 10 years of relevant experience may also be considered. All applicants must have at least three years of relevant professional business experience. The application deadline is August 28th, 2026.
Fees: €9,500 per annum (two years, part-time)
setu.ie/courses/executive-mba-part-time
University of Limerick
UL’s triple-accredited business school – accredited by AMBA (UK), AACSB (US) and EQUIS (Europe)– offers an Executive MBA that is ranked in the top 1 per cent of programmes globally. The course is designed to accommodate working professionals eager to progress their careers without disrupting it.
Taught over two years, this part-time MBA is delivered across eight intensive, three-day blocks each year. The course also includes two so-called “winter schools”, held each January, where students are able to complete their electives.
Students have to complete a final dissertation project, which they begin the summer after their first year and submit in the summer of their second year. Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree with at least a second-class honours grade or an approved professional qualification. All students are expected to have at least four years of managerial experience. This MBA operates on a rolling admissions basis, but applicants are encouraged to apply early due to high demand.
Fees: €15,300 per annum (2 years, part-time)
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity offers three different MBA courses: full-time, executive and flexible. Its one-year, full-time MBA was ranked Ireland’s top programme in the QS Global MBA ranking in 2026 and combines around fourteen hours of in-person classes with real-world business experience. All students complete a strategic company project with one of the programme’s partner companies, providing them with hands-on experience in addressing real business challenges. This course also features an international residency option with students offered the chance to spend a week in Leuven Institute in Belgium to attend a series of lectures and workshops as well as a field trip to the European Commission and parliament.
The executive option is delivered part-time over two years so that students can balance both their academic and professional obligations. Classes take place two evenings a week with this option, with additional sessions on selected Saturdays.
Finally, Trinity’s Flexible Executive MBA is based almost entirely online, with the exception of its two “On Campus Immersion Weeks” at the beginning of each year. This option is designed to allow participants to combine the flexibility of online study with their busy work lives.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, but class sizes are small on these programmes and so early application is advised.
Fees: Full-time - €37,300 (1 year, full-time), Executive/Flexible - €18,650 per annum (2 years, part-time),
tcd.ie/business/programmes/mba/full-time-mba
University College Dublin
UCD Smurfit School is Ireland’s leading business school and holds triple accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. Its MBA was the first offered in Ireland and has thus been highly ranked globally. The school offers two MBA options – the full-time, one-year programme and the two-year, part-time executive MBA.
The part-time option requires students to be on campus for in-person classes once a month on a Friday and Saturday, from 8.30am to 6.30pm. There are additional online sessions for each module and a series of week-long modules.
Both the full-time and part-time courses are completed by a final year Capstone Project, which involves students developing a solution to a real problem faced by an organisation. Students work in groups to complete a complex business project for a client company based in Ireland, allowing them to integrate the knowledge acquired during their studies with real-world challenges.
Applicants are required to have a university degree and a minimum of three years’ (for full-time MBA) and five years’ (for Executive MBA) quality professional experience at the time of application. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis but, of course, with it being a competitive programme, candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
Fees: MBA - €38,860 (one year, full-time), Executive MBA - €19,410 per annum (part-time, two years)
