Message from the Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences

Welcome to UCC's College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences webpage. The College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences has been in existence for over 150 years, is still flourishing and going from strength to strength. At the moment over 3000 undergraduate students are registered for degrees within the College while 900 are either taking taught postgraduate ( Higher Diploma and MA) courses or undertaking research degrees. Over 20 departments offer courses in the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences .

Like all Irish Universities, most of the students have come to the College straight from school, but our classes are enriched with large numbers of mature students and overseas students. These include a large number of North American students who are studying here for up to a year, and numerous students who have come to UCC through our extensive Socrates network with many partner Universities in different parts of Europe.

Most of our students are registered for the undergraduate BA programme where the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences offers in First Year a wide choice of subjects (24 at present) ranging from introductory courses in Applied Psychology and Archaeology to Philosophy and Sociology. In later years students may specialise in one or more of the subjects they have chosen to take in First Year.

There is also an option to take the BA degree through more specialist programmes including European Studies, Language and Cultural Studies, Applied Psychology, Early Childhood Studies as well as Arts-Music and Drama and Theatre Studies.

Besides the BA degree, students in the College are also studying for the Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Social Science and Bachelor of Social Work.As part of its commitment to increase access to third level education, the College has an active Evening Arts programme which allows students to: (i) Study for a BA degree; (ii) Take one subject of particular interest to the student to degree level; (iii) Take, in certain cases, one year Special Interest Course.

In conjunction with the Centre for Adult Continuing Education, the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences has an active policy of offering credit exemptions and allowances for appropriate courses of study which are felt to be of a similar standard to First Arts third level courses. Each year, large numbers of students take postgraduate courses ranging from the Higher Diplomas in Education and Counselling and through Masters programmes which are offered by nearly all the Departments. Several masters courses such as Medieval and Renaissance Studies or Womens Studies are taught in a collaborative manner by the staff from several departments.

The College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences has an active policy of encouraging Postgraduate Research. Departments in the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences have been successful in attracting a large number of students who have been awarded Government of Ireland Scholarships. Obviously, much of the research carried out by members of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences is grounded in areas connected with Ireland. This can be into the needs and problems of our rapidly changing society of today, the appreciation and understanding of the many diverse forms of Irish culture in the present and in the past as well as into topics such as the risks of environmental change. College members also carry out research in areas as far apart as the European, the Arctic and Africa and from Brazil to the Middle East.

Professor David H. Cox,
Head, College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences