You must apply for restricted courses by February 1st

CollegeChoice:Restricted application courses are those for which application must be made by February 1st. Students cannot apply for a restricted application course through the change-of-mind process in May and June.

Art and Design Courses

(a) The National College of Art and Design

NCAD offers honours bachelor degrees with specialisms in ceramics, glass, metals/jewellery, fashion, textiles and visual communication in its design faculty; fine print, media, painting and sculpture in its fine art faculty and the education faculty has a course for those who want a career as an art teacher. All students take art history modules.

All these specialisms start with a common first year - AD111. Application is made through the CAO by February 1st and a portfolio must be submitted directly to NCAD by Friday, February 9th. There is no interview for AD111. The college also offers industrial design - AD012 - for those interested in the design of products for manufacture.

Applicants to AD012 are called for an interview with concurrent portfolio assessment, which will take place during the week beginning April 23rd. Places in NCAD are not awarded on Leaving Certificate points but applicants must meet NUI matriculation requirements.

Selection is based on portfolio assessment only for AD111 and interview and portfolio assessment for AD012.

For those who want a career as an art teacher, students may qualify by completing the education course mentioned above, or by first completing another level 8 degree in art and design and then taking the higher diploma in art and design education at NCAD or the diploma for art and design teachers offered by some Institutes of Technology.

(b) Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art/Design/Technology

DLIADT offers seven programmes within its school of art/design/media, five honours bachelor degrees in the fields of animation, photography, visual communication (print, screen and 3D spatial), and visual art practice aimed at those aspiring to become practising artists, and film and TV production aimed at aspiring directors, producers, scriptwriters, editors, cameramen and women, web developers and digital effects specialists. They offer one ordinary bachelor course in model-making for film and media for those interested in artistic illusions and special effects.

Finally, they offer a higher certificates in make-up for film/TV and theatre. All seven programmes involve portfolio assessments in March, with interviews where necessary in April.

(c) Dublin Institute of Technology

The DIT offers four honours degree programmes within its faculty of applied art, design - interior + furniture (DT544), design visual communications (DT545) (aimed at those wishing to become graphic designers, typographers, image-makers, illustrators and digital media designers), fine art (DT546) (for those seeking careers as artists in painting, sculpture, print media), and photography (DT559).

It also offers a certificate in design display (DT515) for those who wish to pursue careers as display designers in the retail industry.

(d) Art and design courses outside Dublin

Athlone IT offers an honours degree programme in design - visual communications (AL052). It also offers a design communications ordinary bachelor degree (AL020). Cork IT offers design communications (CR036), art, and design at Crawford College of Art (CR201). Galway-Mayo IT offers art & design (GA270) and film & television (GA271). Limerick IT has art & design (LC102). Sligo IT offers fine art (SG231).

Music courses

For those specifically interested in second-level teaching, Trinity has music education (TR009); the DIT has music education (DT501), which they run in conjunction with TCD TR009. Traditional Irish musicians are catered for on this programme.

Mater Dei offers music and religious education (MD401). For those who wish to keep their options open, Maynooth, UCD, and UCC have a single arts subject music in first year. UCC has a four-year music degree (CK103) and a three-year art + music option (CK104) with two arts subjects in first year. UCD (DN001), Trinity (TR002), Maynooth (MH103), the Royal Irish Academy (DC211), Dundalk IT (DK860), WIT (WD027) and CIT (CR121) offer honours bachelor degrees. For those interested in Irish traditional music, UL has an Irish music and dance option (LM030) and a voice and dance option (LM031). Drama and theatre studies

There are four degree programmes available, drama and theatre studies at Trinity (TR025) and UCC (CK112), drama (performance) at the DIT (DT529) and folk theatre studies at Tralee IT (TL170).

Other restricted courses

There are two restricted architecture degrees at the DIT (DT101) and UL ((LM099).

Tomorrow: business courses

Brian Mooney's column on CAO options will appear each weekday in the run-up to the deadline at the end of this month.

You can e-mail Brian Mooney on bmooney@irish-times.ie

Are you confident you will secure your CAO option? Join the discussion forum on Skoool.ie, the award-winning education website developed by The Irish Times, AIB and Intel.