One of the broadest areas at third level, arts and humanities covers a wide range of subjects including languages, history and politics as well as more niche subjects such as deaf studies, equality studies and ancient civilisations. Some people might have really excelled at history or English in post-primary and so arts is the obvious choice at third level. For others the arts degree represents the last refuge of the scoundrel who just can’t make up his mind what to do.
Don’t worry, there are literally thousands of other students feeling the same way. No matter which combination of subjects you decide to study as part of a Bachelor of Arts (BA), you will develop skills such as critical thinking, IT, good communications and teamwork.
Big guns like UCD, Trinity and NUI Galway all have strong reputations – and celeb graduates to boot – in the arts and humanities. However, it takes more than a reputation to contend in this highly competitive area.
Trinity has stats to back up its good name: in the 2013 QS World University Rankings it was ranked 55th in the world in arts and humanities. It is also ranked 28th in the world overall for English, 31st for politics, 33rd for history and 42nd for modern languages.
TCD has a slightly different system to the rest when it comes to the arts and humanities. You can choose to study an area such as European Studies or Drama and Theatre Studies (a single honour degree) or you can opt for a combination of two subjects as part of a Two Subject Moderatorship (TSM) leading to a joint honours degree. Entry points for TSM degrees depend on your chosen combination of subjects.
For those who really want to take their time making a final decision, UCD is the place to go. Through its Horizons programme, students are given the flexibility to sample a number of subjects rather than having to stick to one or two throughout their degree.
In first year, new entrants take part in a critical-thinking module, which actively develops this core skill through written and teamwork assignments.
Don’t be put off by the name – many arts degrees can be obtained in both practical career focused, and technically driven areas. For example, culture and literature are part of language teaching at DIT, but the real focus is on developing language competence in tandem with other professional qualifications, such as business.
Other BAs, such as Music Technology at NUI Maynooth, or the BA in Photography at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), are technically driven arts degrees.
At DIT, culture and literature play a part in language teaching, but what’s more important is developing linguistic competence alongside other professional qualifications such as business. Popular language courses in DIT include French, German and Chinese.
As part of the University of Limerick (UL) Arts Joint Honours programme students spend eight months on work placements, and can also spend a semester studying abroad as part of the degree programme.
Some of the many Institutes of Technology around the country have loads of interesting new arts options. Carlow IT’s arts and humanities department has a range of degrees for those interested in a career in sport including a BA in Sports Management and Coaching and a BA in Sport and Exercise in which you can specialise in rugby, soccer or GAA.
Limerick IT has a BA in fashion, knitwear and textiles as well as a BA in digital animation.
DCU has a new, practical arts degree which combines law, politics, the media, and a language including Chinese or Japanese.
