Physics and chemistry are declining in popularity among second-level students. A letter to The Irish Times last year complained that "we have a secondary school system whereby students can leave school able to quote poems by Yeats, but have virtually no idea of how a television works, or the names of the people who discovered DNA."
Over the 10-year period from 1987 to 1997, the proportion of students taking chemistry to the Leaving Cert has fallen from 21 per cent to 11 per cent. Similarly, the proportion of students taking physics has fallen from 20 per cent to 14.5 per cent in the same 10 years.
However, the number of courses on offer at third-level continues to grow and, in most cases, you don't need to have taken physics or chemistry to Leaving Certificate to get a place on these courses. If you study the job ads there is a certain invisibility about the need for scientists. For instance, you rarely read a job ad which says "physicist required', but Prof Michael Redfern of NUI Galway's physics department says the job scene has never been rosier. "Over the last few years, every one of our graduates who wanted a job got one; of course, we can't guarantee that it'll stay like that for ever."
If you're interested in studying science at third-level, the problem is probably one of choice. There are lots of courses on offer from materials science to sports science to genetics, to physics with or without German, industrial chemistry, applied biology and environmental science.
And, with the exception of one or two courses, points levels are usually not too prohibitive. For instance, at degree level last year, earth sciences at UCC and environmental science at UL had cut-offs of 370 points while DIT's applied sciences course required a minimum of 225 points. At TCD, science required 425 points, at UCD 375, NUI Galway 350 and at NUI Maynooth 305.
If you look at the certificate/diploma list the cut-offs were even more encouraging. For instance, applied physics at Carlow IT required 175 points, science at Tallaght IT had a cut-off of 190 while the applied biology course in Athlone IT took all qualified applicants. Of course, cut-off points are a function of supply and demand, varying from year to year, but, in general terms, science in recent years has had accessible cut-off levels.
If you liked science at school but are unsure which area you which to specialise in at third level, then you should pay plenty of attention to the omnibus science and applied science programmes which allow you to taste a number of subjects in first year. Make sure you read the college prospectus and find out which subjects are on offer and which various combinations you may take. The job scene
If you graduated with a degree in science in 1998, there was slightly more than a one-in-two chance that you went directly into employment. A further 30 per cent of graduates went on to research work or further study while 1.8 per cent opted for teacher training.
The survey carried out by the Higher Education Authority on April 30th, 1999, found that 2.6 per cent of graduates with primary degrees were seeking employment.
The most important sectors of employment for science graduates in Ireland were the insurance, financial, business and commercial computer services sectors (30 per cent) and the chemical, pharmaceutical and healthcare sector (20 per cent).
Almost half of the respondents to the survey were earning salaries in the region of £13,000 to £19,000, with 15.5 per cent earning more than £19,000 per annum.
Certs and diplomas
There are lots of good certificate and diploma programmes in the sciences and applied sciences. These can offer a pathway to a degree or can be used as valid qualifications in their own right.
The latest HEA survey shows that 68 per cent of (1998) graduates with national certificates in science were continuing their studies in April 1999, presumably to diploma level. A further 26 per cent were in full-time employment while 3 per cent were seeking work.
At diploma level, 54 per cent of graduates were back in the classroom, presumably doing add-on degrees, while 39 were in full-time employment. Meanwhile, 2.7 per cent were looking for jobs.
The high proportion of both certificate and diploma graduates who were continuing their studies illustrates how well the ladder system works for science graduates.
Climbing the ladder
Chemistry master's student Natasha Kemmy began her scientific career with a national certificate in Athlone IT. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, I thought I would try it for a year, and I found it really suited me so I did a diploma in analytical chemistry. I then went into the second year of a degree."
She left Athlone to work in research and development on asthma inhalers in a pharmaceutical company in Waterford for 18 months. "That was good experience," she says.
But she wanted to continue her studies. Natasha was offered a masters in DCU and Athlone, and opted for Athlone as she knew the college and her supervisor. She began work in January 1998 and finishes this January.
The project involves the separation of enantiomers (molecules which are mirror images of each other) in alpha phenylethanol, which is used in the flavour industry and perfumery. "My project is to separate the mirror images as cheaply and as quickly as possible. I have to achieve 98 per cent purity. I'm working in collaboration with Arran Chemicals in Athlone and Forbairt is backing the project."
Natasha says she would like to go into technical support as she used a lot of instrumentation during the course of her project in Athlone. The job market seems to be very good at the moment, she says.
Science teaching
If you want to teach science at second-level then you can either do a science degree and then do a higher diploma or you can enrol on one of the concurrent teaching programmes. UL has a well-established BSc in education which educates students in a range of biological, agricultural, physical and related sciences with a view to equipping them to teach in second-level schools (LM092 science/teaching; 1999 cut-off 400 points).
UL's survey of 1998 science/rural science education graduates shows four graduates in permanent whole-time teaching in Ireland, with 14 in temporary, part-time or substitute teaching. Four graduates were engaged in other work and 12 had opted for further study. None was seeking employment at the time of the survey.
More recently, DCU has introduced a degree which will qualify graduates to teach physics and chemistry to Leaving Cert at second level (DC203 science education; 1999 cut-off 390 points) while UCC has just introduced a new science teaching degree (see new degrees below).
New courses at UCC
A number of new science options are available in UCC under existing course codes. The college's chemical/maths/physical science degree (cut-off of 345 points in 1999) now includes a BSc in education for physical sciences which prepares honours chemistry or physics students for teaching at second level. Also under course code CK403, there is another new option -astrophysics.
Under CK402, biological/chemical sciences (cut-off of 440 points in 1999) there is a new option in genetics while CK404 earth sciences (cut-off of 370 points in 1999) now includes environmental science.
Try the following website for more information: www.ucc.ie/faculties/ science
Bachelor of science in quality management in Sligo IT
This new four-year honours degree is a natural development for a college which first offered a diploma in quality in 1984. In 1992, the Sligo IT introduced a two-year add-on degree.
Course director Mr Noel Raftery says that "quality is central to manufacturing, it also ties in to design and marketing. It involves drawing up plans and auditing processes to make sure that the plan is being implemented. There can be quite a lot of technical work, investigating the causes of quality problems within companies . . . there can be quite a bit of teamwork so we would encourage people to apply, if they want to play an interactive role within a company."
In the first two years, the focus is on manufacturing technology, physical and material science, measurement and analysis, computer-aided design and manufacture, and quality and management. In third and fourth years, the focus is on quality and management. Third-year students do a work placement which takes place from January to August.
As well as working on internal quality within a company, there are also jobs with agencies such as the National Standards Authority of Ireland, says Mr Raftery. The four-year degree was introduced because the intake was changing from an engineering to a science base and it is the engineering/technical graduates who are most in demand, he explains. From a student's point of view it is now possible to do the degree in four rather than five years.
The existing route will continue to operate. There are 32 first-year places for CAO applicants and 16 for transferees into third year
Helpline
Students, parents and teachers with queries about colleges, courses and application procedures are invited to call the College Choice helpline between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. Tel: (01) 679 1915/6791919