WRY study arts? Many parents are concerned that there is no obvious path from an arts degree to a job and they wonder about the value of spending three or four years studying esoteric subjects.
Careers officers in colleges are quick to point out the intrinsic value of such an education. Ms Eileen Cosgrove, UCC's careers adviser for arts, says arts programmes provide young people with an invaluable training.
"They have to use initiative and develop good research skills. These skills are highly transferable and will serve people well in the real world," she explains.
Another advantage of opting for an arts degree is that it allows you to defer making a decision about which career path to take. Ms Loretta Jennings, careers and appointments officer at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, says first year students often ask which subjects will make them more employable.
She advises them to do the subjects at which they are best. "It's preferable to do something you are good at and that you enjoy rather than something you'll have to struggle with. It's the skills that you have developed and the standard of your degree rather than the particular subjects studied that employers are looking for," she says.
At Maynooth, almost three quarters of the job vacancies that come into the careers service office are not specific to any discipline. So, where do most arts graduates end up? Of the 1995 arts and social science graduates who went directly into employment in Ireland, most found work in the insurance, financial, business and the commercial computing sectors.
Fewer arts graduates are entering teacher training but many will top up their degree with a vocational qualification, such as a one year computing or business postgraduate qualification. Ms Jennings says many graduates think they have to get additional qualifications, whereas many of them could find work directly after graduation if they simply applied for the jobs.
When school leavers think of arts they tend to focus on the traditional universities - in fact there are arts degrees available in two collages which people often associate with teacher training - St Patrick's, Drumcondra, Dublin, and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.
The BA in humanities in St Patrick's is a three year honours programme, with first year students selecting three subjects from a choice of bioscience, English, French, Irish, geography, history, human development, maths, music and religious studies. Then students continue with any two of their subjects other than bioscience.
In Mary Immaculate, the arts programme includes options in English, Irish, French, history, geography, maths, music, philosophy, German, media studies, religious studies and Irish heritage studies. The programme is unusual in that arts students go on placement in their third year, both in work experience and in other academic institutions.
The University of Limerick has two new arts programmes this year - a BA in history, politics and social studies and a BA in language and cultural studies. The history, politics and social studies programme will give students a broad general arts education while developing awareness of the historical, political and social feature of modern Irish and European society.
Course subjects include history, politics and sociology (all of which are available as major or minor subjects) and economics, human geography, public administration and women's studies (as minor subjects only). The language and cultural studies programme offers students a choice of majoring in French, German, English literature or Irish studies.
Psychology
Psychology is a perennial favourite with school leavers, so it is not easy to secure one of the scarce places available. Students can opt for direct entry psychology programmes - offered by TCD and UCC - or they can study psychology through omnibus entry programmes such as arts and science.
If you know psychology is the only thing for you, then direct entry makes sense but if you're still unsure, a more general first year will allow you time to make up your mind. The catch is that psychology is a much sought after option and you will have to do very well in your first year exams to be sure of a place in second year.
To work as a professional psychologist, some post graduate training is usually necessary. In fact, many psychology graduates will not end up working as professional psychologists but it is an excellent grounding for a wide range of occupations.
UCD:
Psychology is entered through science and arts: Arts students who want to specialise in psychology must score very highly in their first year exams as there are usually about 400 first arts students attempting to get one of the 70 second year psychology places offered each year.
In science there are only 15 second year psychology places. If you go through arts you end up with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, in science you end up with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Both degrees are equally valid if you wish to work as a professional psychologist.
TCD:
There are only 31 first year places on TCD's single honours psychology programme, so points are usually very high. Last year, 515 points were needed to secure a place and they are unlikely to change significantly this year. It is also possible to take psychology within TCD's arts programme but there are only 17 places available on the joint honours course and the points were even higher at 530 last year.
UCC:
UCC has a direct entry degree in applied psychology. Last year, 495* points were the cut off to secure a place. Students take applied psychology in first year with three other first arts subjects. In second and third year, students take a single honours degree in psychology. Applied psychology may also be taken as a minor subject through a general arts degree.
UCG:
Psychology is offered through arts with students taking psychology as one of their four first year subjects. There are only 25 places available in second year so again, you must compete to secure a place.
Journalism:
There are very few jobs in journalism. However, this does not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of candidates. Last year, points for DCU's undergraduate degree reached 450 while the cut off for DIT's degree were 445*. One growth area is Irish language journalism, with Telefis na Gaeilge employing 16 young journalists recently.
Most employers expect a formal qualification in journalism but it is possible to study for any primary degree and then top up with a one year post graduate qualification at DCU, DIT and UCG, thereby broadening your options. The National Union of Journalists estimates that at least 100 new journalists enter the market each year. Mr Eoin Ronayne, general secretary of the NUJ, says students should be aware that journalism is not the glamour job some think it is.
"There is a lot of hard work and insecurity in the first few years at least," he says. Most newly qualified journalists can expect to freelance for the first few years.
Teleservices and languages:
Mr Peter Lillis, IDA corporate development, is worried that Ireland will not be able to continue producing sufficient fluent linguists to meet the demand of the burgeoning teleservices sector. Over the past three years, more than 30 firms have set up in Ireland, employing about 3,000 people. The IDA predicts employment levels doubling by the end of the decade.
No specific qualifications are needed to work in teleservices - what is required for most jobs is near native fluency in a language or languages and a good telephone manner. A recent survey carried out by Computer Staff Recruitment shows that fewer than a quarter of call centres specify third level entry qualifications and half of these accept certificate and diploma holders.
At degree level, there is a huge variety of courses which combine business, commerce or marketing with languages, with a correspondingly large demand for these graduates. For instance, 89 per cent of DCU's 1995 marketing and languages graduates were in employment when surveyed and of these, half were employed in Ireland and half abroad.
Outside the CAO system:
It is not graduates that the IDA is targeting for the teleservices area. Graduates do not stay in the job, according to Mr Jerome Morrissey, principal of Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin, which has developed a new two year course aimed at the teleservices sector. The Ballyfermot programme was designed in consultation with the IDA and the teleservices industry.
The entry requirement is a pass Leaving Cert that includes a European language and English. In second year, there is an extended placement abroad.
The College of Commerce, Cork, also offers a teleservices course and Mr Lillis expects that two more Dublin colleges (Colaiste Dhulaigh and Dun Laoghaire community college) will offer courses next year.
"We are working very closely with the Department of Education with a view to having this type of course reproduced many times in the PLC colleges and, perhaps, the RTCs next September," he says. If you are interested in a PLC in teleservices with languages you should contact the colleges directly - there is no central applications system for PLCs.
Additional research by Emmet Oliver
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