WITH BRIAN MOONEY:Primary School Teaching
Primary school teaching is one of the most sought-after disciplines by CAO applicants each year.
Both three-year honours degree programmes at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick and St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, require students to secure a minimum of a grade C in higher level Irish and in 2008 to achieve a points score of at least 470.
Given the perception of the security associated with a publicly paid teaching post, it is probable that points will increase further in 2009.
There are three level seven ordinary degrees offered in Dublin by Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, Froebel College, Sion Hill, and the Church of Ireland College, Rathmines, where points are marginally lower.
Graduates of all three programmes can progress to a level eight degree by completing a further year’s study offered through Trinity College. Ten per cent of teacher training places are reserved for Gaeltacht applicants in all the colleges.
Postgraduate primary school teacher training
Graduates holding a second-class honours degree, who meet the minimum entry requirements in Irish, English and maths, have had two graduate entry routes into primary teaching in recent years. At the request of the Department of Education and Science, the teacher training colleges have offered 18-month postgraduate programmes in primary school teaching.
Hibernia College, a private fee-paying college, offers a fully recognised online postgraduate entry option to primary teaching, with courses getting under way in October and February each year. This is a part-time course, so in theory you can be in full-time employment.
The commitment required to complete the programme involves a physical education programme (one week and one weekend), the Gaeltacht programme (three weeks) and teaching practice (14 weeks). Students are required to do approximately 12 hours of online study a week, in their own time, and two hours of online tutorials at scheduled times. Fees of €8,250 a year apply. See www. hiberniacollege.net
Second-level teaching
The traditional route into second- level teaching is through an undergraduate degree in arts, science or business, followed by a H Dip.Ed.
Securing a place on the higher diploma in education programme has become more difficult as competition for places has intensified. An alternative direct route into second-level teaching is through the growing range of other teacher education/training degrees, which qualify graduates as teachers as they include a teacher-training component.
Other teacher education programmes
UL offers a wide range of these programmes: including language degrees, which qualify graduates in two languages; materials and construction plus materials and engineering technology with teacher education; physical education with teacher education; science with teacher education; physics and chemistry plus biological sciences with physics or chemistry and a range of other teacher training programmes.
Mater Dei Institute offers religious education with English, history and music. St Patrick’s, Thurles, offers religious studies, business studies and education.
The Milltown Institute, Pontifical University Maynooth and All Hallows College also offer a range of programmes leading to teaching careers. St Angela’s, Sligo, offers four degree programmes in home economics with religious education, biology, Irish and economics.
UCC offers a B Ed in sports studies (CK116); sciences biological and chemical (CK402); chemical sciences (CK406); sciences mathematical (CK407); and physics and astrophysics (CK408). DCU offers science education (DC203). This degree course allows you to specialise in any two subjects from chemistry, physics and mathematics. DCU also offers (DC205) physical education and biology. NUI Maynooth offers a BSc in science education (MH 212), a four-year degree for students who wish to become science teachers at second-level schools. Finally, GMIT at Letterfrack in Galway offers (GA980) design and technology education.
- Tomorrow: Science, food science and agricultural science degrees
- Listen in to Brian Mooney's podcast at www.irishtimes.com/education