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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Higher Diploma
5. Celtic Civilisation

Course Fact File

Code	HDACCV
Duration	1 year Full-time; 2 years Part-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time, Part-Time. See Additional Teaching Mode Information for more info.
Qualifications	HDip in Arts
NFQ Level	Level 8
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

The Higher Diploma in Arts (Celtic Civilisation) is intended for those who already have a degree and who wish to study the literature and culture of the medieval Celtic countries intensively over one academic year full time, or two academic years part time. 

The course is aimed at graduates who would like to study a master’s course in the subject area (but who do not have an honours degree in the relevant area) or who may wish to add the Higher Diploma in Arts subject to their qualifications

The Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation consists of modules to the value of 60 credits taken from a range of existing Second and Third Arts modules in the relevant subject. Suitable modules as well as attendance requirements and coursework are determined by the Department of Early and Medieval Irish and approved by the College of Arts Celtic Studies and Social Sciences. The course of study to be followed may vary depending on your background, preferred area of specialisation etc.

Module options include:

• Exile and Longing: Early Celtic Lyric Poetry
• Celtic Saints
• The Brehon Laws
• The Celtic Languages
• Early Irish Spirituality
• Gender, Image and Identity in Medieval Ireland
• The Mabinogi: Legends of Medieval Wales
• Ireland and Scotland: The Gaelic World in the Middle Ages
• Otherworld Journeys and Saintly Visions in Celtic Literature
• Irish Historical Tales
• The Finn Cycle
• Early Irish Language
• The Roots of the Arthurian Legend
• Directed Research in Medieval Celtic Culture

Additional Teaching Mode Information

The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over 2 years.

Course Practicalities

For the full-time one-year option, you are required to choose modules with a total value of  60 credits from the Celtic Civilisation modules for second and third year. Taught modules have a value of 5 credits apiece, so students limiting themselves to these should take 6 modules per semester. Celtic Civilisation taught modules normally comprise 24 hours of lectures, accompanied by PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Materials presented in lecture, together with supplementary materials, are made available on each module’s Blackboard (UCC’s virtual learning system) site.  There are also project-based modules available, to be undertaken on topics agreed with the Department: CC2010 (10 credits) and CC3009 (5 credits).

You are expected and encouraged to extend and deepen your acquaintance with the topic through reading.  To this end, you are provided with reading lists, and recommended books as well as course-specific sourcebooks are placed for you in the Boole Library’s Open Reserve. Like all Arts subjects, Celtic Civilisation enables you to acquire facility in analysis and presentation of material through class essays.

Assessment

Celtic Civilisation modules are typically assessed through an in-class assessment and a final examination, both of which are in essay format. For module CC2010, you will undertake an extended research project which will be assessed based on an annotated bibliography (25% of total mark), a presentation to Department staff and fellow students (25%), and an essay (50%).

Who teaches this course

Celtic Civilisation is taught by members of the Department of Early and Medieval Irish.

Academic Staff:

John Carey

Kevin Murray

Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh

Emma Nic Cárthaigh

Why Choose This Course

The Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation affords a remarkable opportunity for gaining intensive exposure — tailored to your background and interests — to a subject covered by very few universities and by almost none outside Ireland.

Skills and Careers Information

As well as serving as an ideal entry-point to Celtic Studies for those without a prior qualification who are considering postgraduate study in the subject, the Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation can provide an additional qualification - and a mark of distinction - for students pursuing advanced degrees in such fields as classics, English, history or medieval studies. It is also a useful qualification for those seeking employment in the heritage sector.

Requirements

It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4 year primary degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences, and who wish to the subject Celtic Civilisation intensively over one academic year.   The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme and applicant would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

• In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.

• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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