College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences CAO Course Code: CK101 Duration: 3 or 4 years Qualification: BA (Hons) NFQ: Level 8
An Arts degree offers students a variety of subjects to choose from. These can range from subjects studied at school (Mathematics, languages, History, Geography etc.) or new subjects that you may not be familiar with (Politics, Sociology, Studies in Psychology etc.).
Students select four subjects out of a possible 29 to study during first year and continue with two of these subjects for the next two years. An Arts degree offers you the opportunity to learn about how people and society operate, communicate, interact and progress through the ages.
Students choose four subjects at the start of first year, one from each of the groups listed below. Two subjects are then continued on for the following two or three years. At the end of first year, depending on their choice of subjects, students may choose the Chinese Studies, the European Studies or Language and Cultural Studies pathways. These students take a four-year degree and spend Third Year studying abroad in a European or Chinese university. Otherwise, an Arts degree is normally completed within three years.
In second and third year, students must decide which of their two subjects they wish to focus on or if they would like to study both equally. The options are:
Below are the Irish Leaving Certificate points that were required for the last four years.
Mature applicants (those over 23 years of age by 1st January of the year you hope to enter UCC) must complete the Mature Students’ Admissions Pathway exam and also make an application through the CAO. There are 100 places available for mature students in the Arts programme.
Whatever subjects you choose, an Arts degree provides you with lifelong communication, research and critical thinking skills that employers value. Arts graduates are drawn into a wide variety of postgraduate programmes and careers. These may include careers in the Civil Service, radio and television, tourism, librarianship, teaching, arts administration or town planning.
In the details given on each subject, you can also read about more particular postgraduate and careers opportunities open to arts graduates.
An important thing to remember is that the quality of your final grades are very often more important than the actual subjects selected. About 70% of the employers who contact UCC look for graduates with overall good marks, rather than from a specific discipline.
