If you find the traditional third-level offerings just don't excite you, then you might turn your attention to some of the weird and wonderful undergraduate courses on offer in Britain and Northern Ireland.
The sheer number of colleges and courses makes for a huge diversity of offerings - from robotics to complementary medicine to disaster management to gambling studies. There are roughly 10 times the number of first-year places available through UCAS, the British central applications body than there are available through the CAO.
The popularity of the robotics course on offer in the University of Luton has increased with the TV programme Robot Wars. Geoff Notcutt, associate dean of marketing and administration at the college, says the course comprises a mixture of mechanical engineering, electronics and computing. There is a huge number of industrial applications for robots, particularly in dangerous environments. Of course, these robots bear very little visual resemblance to Marvin the paranoid android from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A robot is simply any mechanical device which works in an intelligent manner, says Notcutt.
There are usually 15 to 20 first-year places on this three-year honours BSc and Irish students would need a Leaving Certificate with a minimum of two higher-level Bs and two higher-level Cs. Physics or maths would be desirable. Graduates of the course may find work in any manufacturing industry, in the nuclear industry and in mining operations. Nottcutt says first years are guaranteed on-campus accommodation and there is a direct Dublin-Luton flight.
Coventry University offers two new undergraduate courses which equip graduates to "contribute at a practical level in the real world of disaster management". The course entitled Development and Health in Disaster Management is approved by the World Health Organisation, says Morris Carrasco, the university's education liaison officer. This BSc is particularly attractive to people in the nursing profession, he says, but is also open to school-leavers. Graduates may find employment with relief agencies, emergency services, and local authorities.
The parallel course, International Disaster Engineering and Management, also attracts a mixture of mature applicants and school leavers. The course, described by the college as the "world's first undergraduate BSc honours degree programme in international disaster engineering and management" was developed by Coventry University in conjunction with the Fire Service College. Potential employers include the emergency services, local authorities, relief agencies, the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.
Coventry also offers a degree in transport design - the only one in England, according to Carrasco. The course includes design projects, integrated engineering studies, human factors, CAD and drawing and graphic lectures. Recent graduates have been employed by Citroen, Dutch Rail, Mercedes Benz, Rover Group and Ducatti Motorcycles.
A MORE relaxing future might be on offer to those who opt for complementary therapies at the University of Greenwich. Helen Fowler, the college's enquiry unit manager, says the course was originally offered to qualified nurses only. It is now on offer to school-leavers also. The three-year full-time honours BSc programme includes compulsory courses in complementary therapies, chemistry for life sciences, aromatherapy and holistic therapies.
The University of Salford offers business economics with gambling studies. Casework is related to the activities of casinos, betting shops and racecourses and students are also visited by speakers from the gambling industry, charitable organisations and regulatory bodies. It is expected that the majority of graduates from this course will seek employment in the gambling sector.
Other offerings include politics, politics and contemporary history, and contemporary military and international history. Professor Martin Bull, of the politics department, says that suitably qualified students on the both of the politics degrees have the opportunity to take part in a parliamentary placement scheme, where they spend six months in the Westminster office of a local MP. They also have the chance to undertake a placement with Manchester Student Television, spending two days a week undertaking research for a television programme on current politics.
Irish applicants would need about 360 points to secure a place on either degree, says Bull. The cost of living in Salford compares favourably with Dublin, he adds, and Manchester and Salford combined have the largest student population in Europe.
Remember, fees have been introduced for undergraduate courses in Britain and Northern Ireland. These operate on a sliding scale. Depending on your means, you may have to pay up to £1,025 sterling per annum.
The closing date for applications to UCAS is December 15th. (An earlier closing date of October 15th applies for courses in Oxford and Cambridge and for medical courses).
