Made in UCC
I felt was an excellent foundational degree that would also offer an intellectual and creative challenge for me.
Jessica Murphy - Senior Manager with Global Management at VMWare
Find Out MoreBachelor of Arts International in European Studies & French https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck108/
I had always wanted to study French, and the BA in European Studies added an additional lens to my knowledge of history at a European level, that I thought could be used in a professional context. The BA also gave the flexibility to choose 4 subjects, one of which was History, so I was happy to keep that for the first year of the program.
I felt was an excellent foundational degree that would also offer an intellectual and creative challenge for me. I had never considered any other track, as the humanities were always my favourite field of study. I loved my time at UCC so much so that I have come back for two further programs; a Cert in Supply Chain, and an MSc in Coaching which is currently in progress.
I manage a team of 20 people from Europe & Asia-Pacific, our primary function is in software logistics and getting product to customers. I find it an advantage to be an Arts graduate in the middle of many business or technology graduates so that it adds a diversity of thinking and working styles to the group.
I have a lifelong passion for Arts subjects, and I think it is important to give yourself a path that will challenge you, but also that you have an interest in. I think an interest in the subject matter is foundational to being successful and will take you places you may never have expected! I’m very proud to have a BA and I would still do it if I were 18 years old again.
Arts degrees do not necessarily teach you how to think, but rather how to choose what to think about, and how to approach an idea from different angles.
Max Darby - Data Analyst at Musgrave
Find Out MoreBachelor of Arts in Digital Humanities & Information Technology https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck118/
I chose Digital Humanities because of my deep desire to understand. I chose philosophy as my accompanying Arts subject in first year because where else would someone who wants to understand the world go? If it wasn’t for my Arts degree, I definitely wouldn’t be able to think as creatively as I do.
Arts degrees do not necessarily teach you how to think, but rather how to choose what to think about, and how to approach an idea from different angles. It’s very hard to describe, but learning to think in this way allows you to come up with multiple ideas without ever having to narrow your focus to just one.
It is almost like you can come up with an idea, hold it out in front of you without getting too attached to it, examine it for flaws, notice where someone else might have an issue with it, amend it, and if necessary trash it and start over. That ability, combined with the technical skill of computer science makes every student a unique asset because they have a way of building technical solutions that nobody else in the industry has.
I am a data analyst in Musgrave. My role is to find innovative solutions to business problems, and to find ways of understanding our company through data. My role is to take a business question and build a solution using any available technology.
My day-to-day projects use all of the technical skills I learned in computer science, such as machine learning and programming, as well as the critical skills I learned from Philosophy, exploring things like ‘is this the best way to approach this issue’ or even 'should we use this technology in this way’.
Arts can take you anywhere. I’ve worked in tech, in communications, in publishing and content creation.
Lynn Harding - Senior Content Designer with Fjord at The Dock
Find Out MoreBachelor of Arts in English & History https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck101/
I loved studying Arts. The degree was varied and so interesting, the lecturers were passionate and the tutorials challenging. I felt like I could study whatever I wanted.
What I really loved was the time that I had to develop outside of my course. Arts isn’t a 9-5 course, so you have the opportunity to really make the most of everything on campus: I joined the UCC Express and became a sub editor; I became a member of the Choral Soc; I went to more gigs than I could count. I was able to get a job and still study well. All of that made for a really rich experience, and it absolutely got me out of my shell and out of my comfort zone in a way that I don’t think a “safer” course with a defined career at the end of it would have done for me.
You get out of Arts what you put into it. I knew going into Arts that I would have to craft a career for myself, because it’s not a course with a cookie-cutter job at the end of it. But it’s so important to see that for what it is: an opportunity, not a limitation. Arts can take you anywhere. I’ve worked in tech, in communications, in publishing and content creation.
Today, I work in design for the global R&D and innovation hub of one of the world’s biggest consulting firms. If you go into Arts with all guns blazing, you really will learn the skills that you need to succeed in the jobs market: how to seize and create opportunities, to think creatively, to build relationships and take chances. Employers will see that in you. Trust me!
Students must consider the educational flexibility and diverse skillset that a degree like Arts and Music provides, in a professional world that demands a range of skills, experience and expertise.
Jack Talty - Professional Musician, Artistic Director and Producer, Raelach Records
Find Out MoreBachelor of Arts with Music https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck104/
Initially, I decided to study a BA in Arts with Music because I had intended on becoming a secondary-level teacher but that ambition changed soon after I began my studies at UCC.
For me, this was a very positive development because it made me aware that I had many eclectic interests within the discipline of music, and my studies at UCC encouraged me to appreciate education for its own value rather than see it as a stepping stone to some ready-made career.
As I look at my career today, I can certainly attribute many of the important and varied professional skills that I have developed, to my education at UCC. It’s a bit of a cliché, but while at UCC, I became determined to make a job for myself rather than get one.
It is undoubtedly difficult for prospective students to know what path to take after second-level education, but I know that for me, my Arts studies at UCC provided me with a wide-ranging educational and professional training that opened up many opportunities after graduation.
I later went on to pursue further education in the form of masters and PhD studies. Few, if any college options will provide a predictable and certain future pathway, so I feel that it is important that students consider the educational flexibility and diverse skillset that a degree like Arts and Music at UCC can provide, in a professional world that demands such a range of skills, experience, and expertise.
The wide variety of subjects offered in first year arts meant that I wasn’t bound with my choice and I was given the chance to try out a few subjects and develop my interests. This fostered many thing
Faye Murphy - Fáilte Ireland
Find Out MoreBachelor of Arts International: Irish and French https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck108/
I guess in school I really didn’t know what I wanted to “be”. I knew what I loved, and that was Irish but I didn’t see a clear career path for myself. I figured if I stuck with what I loved, I would eventually find my footing – and luckily enough, I did!
In first year, my four subjects were Irish, French, Spanish and politics. On day one I had my heart set on carrying Irish and politics through to second year. However, as first year progressed, I realised that I was really enjoying my French classes and I ultimately ended up keeping on Irish and French. This also resulted in me doing an Erasmus Year in France.
The wide variety of subjects offered in first year arts meant that I wasn’t bound with my choice and I was given the chance to try out a few subjects and develop my interests. Throughout my degree in UCC, I was given countless opportunities to put my hand up and get involved, and that is exactly what I did – I just kept putting my hand up.
Throughout my degree, I was presented with platforms to have my voice heard. This fostered many things in me: an interest in media and communications, a belief that change is possible and a passion for the student movement. Be open-minded about subject choice. I took up Spanish and I loved it because of the “newness” of it, it was something I had never done before, and I relished the challenge. Just because a subject may be unfamiliar territory for you, don’t be afraid to try it.