BSc Government students on work placement in the New York State Assembly
The BSc Government is one of an exciting new generation of degrees emerging in the Irish university system. Based in the Department of Government, University College Cork, the degree combines political science with business, law, modern languages, social science and IT. An important element of the degree is a fourteen-week work placement in year three.
This gives valuable experience of the real world of work and allows students to practise the skills they have acquired during their degree studies. Students are placed in private and public sector organisations as well as in voluntary agencies. Government departments, local authorities, PR firms, political parties, interest groups, research bodies, enterprise boards and the broadcasting industry are just some examples of where people are placed. Placements are not just confined to Ireland. Some twenty-five percent of students travel abroad to countries such as the United States of America, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain to complete their placements. At present students are working in the New York State Assembly, Massachusetts State Legislature and the European Parliament.
The Department of Government believes that work placement is an important element of the four-year degree. “We offer students many different opportunities to find interesting and rewarding work placements. Whether students want to work in Ireland or abroad, the Department of Government has established an array of links that allow students to pursue their individual interests and goals. Not only do work placements allow students to put their interest in politics to work in a practical setting, but they can also learn about career opportunities and develop contacts with people who can help them decide how to get the type of employment they seek” Fiona Buckley, Work Placement Officer.
For further information on the BSc Government degree and its work placement programme, please contact the Department of Government on 021-4902770.
Fiona Buckley
Department of Government
