2013 Press Releases

A passport to travel at UCC

12 Apr 2013

This Thursday 18 April sees the UCC Language Scholarship Awards take place in the Glucksman Gallery, UCC from 5-7pm.

Almost every student in third-level education in Ireland has studied one or more languages to Leaving Certificate level. Yet Ireland desperately needs more graduates who are competent in one or more non-native languages.

This ceremony marks the importance of studying languages, where the first international scholarships from the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences (CACSSS) at UCC will be presented. The scholarships will go towards supporting students who wish to study abroad through the new BA International. If travel broadens the mind, this new BA offers students an unparalleled opportunity to combine their studies with gaining crucial experience of living and studying in another country. Reflecting significant growth in international education in today’s globalised world, where employers increasingly seek international experience and skills, the programme incorporates a year abroad.

The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the annual Mary Ryan Langauge Scholarships from the CACSSS. These awards are made to students with the highest overall Leaving Certificate points who register for two or more foreign language subjects for the duration of their Bachelor of Arts degrees. This scholarship commemorate Mary Ryan, Professor of Romance Languages in UCC from 1909 to 1938, and the first woman appointed to a Professorship in Ireland and the UK.

Professor Caroline Fennell, Head of the CACSSS in UCC, commending the students said: “The Mary Ryan Scholarships signal the importance we attach to the opportunity to study languages to degree level. We have added Portuguese to our range of language choices this year due to the importance of South America and Brazil in particular, to the global economic market. I urge students to consider the options carefully and to think seriously about opting for languages this year”.  

The Action Plan for Jobs 2013 by Forfás’ stresses that ‘A priority must be to boost the domestic supply of foreign language skills - at the scale and proficiency level required by enterprise’. In response to this demand, an increasing range of languages is now being offered in UCC in degree level programmes spanning Arts, Business and Law. In support of Ireland's national strategy to engage more closely with Asia in what is rapidly becoming the 'Asian century', this year UCC also plans to offer Asian Studies as a new subject area in the BA degree. Students, some of whom will take an 'international' degree including a year spent in Asia, will graduate confident in their ability to understand and engage with the peoples and languages of Asia, from the Middle East to India, South-East Asia, Korea, China and Japan.

Speaking about the new BA International degree, programme director, Dr Martin Howard, commented: “The HEA Strategic Plan, 2012-2016, points out that the quality of our system ‘is greatly enhanced by the inward and outward movement of students and enhances the quality of learning, teaching and research in our campuses and contributes significantly to the student experience. The BA International is an ideal opportunity for students to incorporate the international experience employers seek within their programme of study at UCC”.

Students taking the new BA International at UCC will develop a range of skills during their year aboad, which will appeal to both national and international employers. The 4-year programme allows students to choose from a range of subjects similar to the regular BA programme, with an equally wide range of choice of overseas universities where students can spend the third year of their studies, before returning to UCC to complete the final year of their studies. Students can choose from various European universities, or venture further afield to a North American university in either Canada or the US, or an Asian country such as Singapore, Japan, or China. Students on the programme will benefit from Erasmus funding if studying in Europe. During their year abroad, students will be supported by the International Education Office and their academic coordinator.

University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

College Road, Cork T12 K8AF

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