College Choice/Brian Mooney:Professional communicators in journalism and the media are experiencing rapid changes in their working methodologies and courses reflect these changes.
Journalism
A four-year honours degree at Dublin City University offers journalism (DC132) and DIT offers journalism and a language (FT553), with the option of Irish, French, German or Spanish.
The entry requirements in 2006 were 455 points in DCU and 420 in the DIT. Areas covered include media technology, reading media, news reporting, law, feature writing, and radio journalism.
DCU is introducing a new programme (DC239) this year, Irish and journalism, in response to the enactment of the Official Languages Act and the recent granting of official status to the Irish language in the EU.
For those who are prepared to pay tuition fees, Griffith College offers journalism and visual media (GD450) and Dublin Business School (DB565) offers three-year journalism degrees. The entry points courses in 2006 were 270 and 245 respectively.
Communications
DCU (DC131) is offering a communications degree. Entry is competitive, with 440 points required in 2006.
NUI Galway offers a four-year communications degree (GY106), based in Carraroe. At ordinary degree level, Dundalk IT and Dublin Business School offer communication and multi-media programmes.
Media studies
NUI Maynooth is offering media studies (MH109). The points required in 2006 were 455.
Dún Laoghaire IADT offers a broad degree programme, English, media and cultural studies (DL241), at 370 points in 2006. UL offers a four-year programme in Irish and new media studies (LM048), at 375 points in 2006.
Social science/sociology/social care
Social science level 8 degree programmes are available from UCD (DN007), Maynooth (MH107), Cork (CK102), through three Trinity programmes (TR081,TR083 and TR084) sociology, sociology and social policy and social studies-social work, the DIT through social care (DT571), Athlone IT through social care practice (AL054), and DBS (DB566).
Applied social studies - social care level 8 degrees - are available in the ITs in Limerick (LC921), Waterford (WD135) and Blanchardstown (BN107).
Level 7 degrees, with options for add-on higher degrees, are available from the ITs in Blanchardstown (BN011), Cork (CR031), Dundalk (DK764), Sligo (SG233), Tralee (TL190) and Waterford (WD018).
Level 6 programmes are available in Athlone (AL006) and St Patrick's in Carlow (PC404).
NUI Cork offers two degree programmes in social science (CK114) and social work (CK115), for mature students with a background of this kind of work.
Agricultural science
UCD offers nine bachelor of agricultural science programmes.
Agricultural science (DN010) enables students to take courses in basic sciences in the first year, with the option of pursuing any of the following B.Agr.Sc degrees in year two: animal and crop production (DN045); animal science (DN046); food and agribusiness management (DN043); applied environmental sciences (DN044); food science (DN040); engineering technology (DN047); horticulture landscape and sports turf management (DN048); landscape architecture (DN041), and forestry (DN042).
Food science
UCC offers nutritional science (CK504), food science and technology (CK505), food business (CK501) and international development and food policy (CK506).
UL offers food science and health (LM068) which blends food microbiology, food chemistry and food processing with modules such as human nutrition, human physiology, exercise and health.
The DIT offers human nutrition and dietetics (DT233) and food technology/pharma- ceutical technology (DT480).
At ordinary degree level, DIT offer food processing-pharma- ceutical manufacture (DT481), Dundalk IT offers food science and health (DK782) and Letterkenny IT is introducing food science and nutrition (LY837) this year.
Institutes of technology in Cork (CR010), Dundalk (DK685), Galway Mayo (GA777), and Waterford (WD098) offer level 6 and level 7 programmes in agricultural and food sciences.
• Tomorrow:law, psychology, sport .