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Arts (BA) Hons - CK101

College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences
CAO Course Code: CK101
Duration: 3 or 4 years
Qualification: BA (Hons)
NFQ: Level 8
Work Placement & Study Abroad: Depending on subject combination/pathway, students may study abroad or have the opportunity to go on fieldwork placements.

What is Arts (BA) Hons?

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 be less familiar with (Archaeology, 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. At the end of First Year, depending on their choice of subjects, students may choose the Chinese Studies, the European Studies or the Language and Cultural Studies pathways. These students takea four-year degree and spend the Third Year studying at a university in another country.

An Arts degree offers you the opportunity to learn about how people and society operate, communicate, interact and evolve through the ages.

What will I be Studying?

First year students take four subjects, one from each of the groups listed below, and then continue with two of these subjects over the following two or three years.

Subjects
Group 1	Computer Science; History
Group 2	Applied Mathematics; European Studies; Folklore; Gaeilge/Irish; Greek & Roman Civilisation; History of Art; Studies in Psychology
Group 3	Archaeology; Chinese Studies; German; Latin; Mathematics; Mathematical Studies; Politics
Group 4	French; Sociology; Studies in Music
Group 5	Economics; English; Greek; An Léann Duchais; Religions and Global Diversity
Group 6	Geography; Italian
Group 6b	Celtic Civilisation; Philosophy; Spanish

At the end of first year, depending on their choice of subjects, students may choose one of the following pathways:

Chinese Studies - First Year students wishing to take the Chinese Studies Pathway must choose Chinese Studies as a subject in First Year.
European Studies - First Year students wishing to take the European Studies Pathway in Second Year must choose European Studies, one or two languages (French, German, Spanish, Italian) and one or two other subjects from the table below. Third Year is spent studying in another EU country.
Language and Cultural Studies - First Year students wishing to take the Language and Cultural Studies Pathway in Second Year must choose at least one language from French, German, Spanish or Italian. Third Year is spent studying at a university in France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

Students one one of these three pathways take a four-year degree and spend Third Year studying abroad in a European or Chinese university. Otherwise, an Arts degree is normally completed in three years.

Only one subject is available from each group, and specific subject requirements need to be considered. Students continue with two subjects from Year 1 in one of the following options:

Single Subject: 50 credits in one subject and 10 credits in the other.
Major Subject: 40 credits in one subject and 20 credits in the other.
Joint Subject: 30 credits in each subject.

Before registration in September, first year students are asked to choose six subjects, in order of preference, from which they will take four in First Year. All students are guaranteed their first three subject choices in first year, provided that they meet the subject requirements (if applicable). In the case of the fourth subject, where the number of student requests for a particular subject exceeds the quota, places are allocated on the basis of Leaving Cert points.

Entry Requirements for Arts (BA) Hons

Irish School Leavers:

C3 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at H or O level in the Leaving Certificate from: Irish, English, another language and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes. There are also specific requirements for students wishing to study particular subjects, e.g. languages or mathematics.

Below are the Irish Leaving Certificate points that were required for the last four years.

CAO Points 2008 - 2011
	2008	2009	2010	2011
Points	335	360	350	345

FETAC Requirements:

FETAC applicants must have completed one of the following courses:

Cultural & Heritage Studies (ECHSX)
Language and European Studies (ELESX)
Media Production (EMPXX)
Applied Language & IT (BITSX)
Liberal Arts (ELAXX)
Applied Social Studies (EASSX)
Radio Broadcasting (ERPXX)

FETAC applicants must meet the module requirements and have achieved distinctions (i.e. 80% or greater) in five modules as outlined in the FETAC Links Information.

Mature Students Requirements:

Mature applicants (those over 23 years of age by 1^st 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.

Postgrad. and Career Opportunities for Arts (BA) Hons

Postgraduate Opportunities

Many of our graduates proceed to higher degrees, e.g. Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters and PhDs. Some have taken one-year conversion courses in areas such as computer science, management and marketing, or psychology, while others go on to enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma in Education, with a view to becoming a secondary school teacher.

Career Opportunities

During their time at UCC, Arts students develop a portfolio of transferable skills such as critical thinking, report writing, presentation skills, oral/written communication, dealing with complex ideas etc. Today's market already requires graduates whose education has equipped them to be flexible, innovative and imaginative and many different kinds of employer value the combination of intellectual, imaginative and practical skills the BA degree aims to develop.

Arts graduates are not drawn into any one profession in particular. Most graduates embark on a wide variety of postgraduate training programmes and careers. An Arts degree lays the foundation for successful careers in both the public and private sectors, such as the Civil Service, the Semi-State sector, radio and television, librarianship, teaching, business, arts administration and heritage management.

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.