Arts
The Bachelor of Arts is a four-year, full-time, honours degree (Level 8) available at MIC Limerick. The programme is flexible and wide-ranging allowing students to study four different major subjects in first year and then focus on two of these in second year, which they will then continue to study to degree level as joint honours.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University of Limerick |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University of Limerick | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Applicants are required to hold the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include at least two H5 (Higher Level) and four O6 (Ordinary Level) or four H7 (Higher Level) grades.
Subjects must include Mathematics, Gaeilge or another language, and English.
Minimum Grade F6 in Foundation Mathematics satisfies the minimum entry requirements. Foundation Mathematics is not reckonable for scoring purposes.
Additional Programme Requirements:
• Students opting to study Gaeilge are normally required to hold at least grade H5 in the Leaving Certificate or an approved equivalent.
• For Music there is no formal entrance examination but prospective students must have a satisfactory standard of music literacy and the ability to play an instrument and/or sing.
Additional special qualifications specific to individual subjects or disciplines may be determined by the respective departments in accordance with Academic Council regulations.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
Please contact the Access/ Disability Officer on T: +353 61 204927 or E: AccessOffice@mic.ul.ie for information on Language Exemptions granted on disability grounds. Deadlines apply.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Career Opportunities
With a Bachelor of Arts degree from MIC, you will be a sought-after graduate with a range of knowledge and transferable skills. The list below demonstrates just some of the sectors in which our graduates find employment. Whether you want to pursue further study or just be a highly employable person, the Bachelor of Arts is an excellent choice:
• Academic Administration
• Arts Bodies
• Banking and Commerce
• Civil Service
• Film Industry
• Financial Services
• International and EU Organisations
• Linguistic and Translation Work
• Marketing and Public Relations
• Overseas Aid Work
• Professional Administration/Management
• Psychology
• Public Service
• Publishing
• Regional and Local Community Development
• Social Services
• Teaching
• Television and Radio
• Tourism
• Urban Planning
Further information
If you are at least 23 years old on the 1 January of the year of entry to college, you are considered as a mature applicant. All mature applicants who make an application to the College through the CAO for MI002 will be invited to attend for an interview. Mature students who do not meet the normal minimum entry requirements will be considered for admission if, having attended for interview, they satisfy the College as to their ability to benefit from and sustain participation in the BA programme(s) applied for. Mature applicants who have completed an interview will be contacted by the College to indicate whether or not they are being considered for a place and all places will then be offered by the CAO.
FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE FOR MATURE LEARNERS
This programme is aimed at mature learners who wish to continue their education. Students achieving a merit on the Foundation Certificate will be offered a place on the Bachelor of Arts (MI002) in MIC Limerick (also MI016 and MI017 in MIC Thurles), subsequent to completion of a CAO form and supplementary form before 1 February. Further information: T: +353 61 204348 E: Admissions@mic.ul.ie
GCE/GCSE/BTEC APPLICANTS
For further information about minimum grades and entry requirements please contact the MIC Admissions Office at E: Admissions@mic.ul.ie
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Becoming an Arts student and graduate is one of the best ways to develop vital skills for your career, for personal growth, and to make the fullest contribution to society. The flexibility of studying an Arts degree at MIC means that you can study a combination of familiar Arts subjects and try new ones in the first year before deciding on the two subjects you wish to gain your degree in.
Notably, we recently added Business Studies as a subject on our BA, making it one of the most unique Liberal Arts programmes in the country!
Our Arts students develop excellent communication and thinking skills that enable them to engage critically and analytically with the world around them. Subjectspecific content is supported by general skills modules, elective modules and research.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Throughout each year, you will develop broad and specific skills to enhance both your personal and professional capacity. In Year 1, you will take a module in Skills for Study and Work, which includes the development of literary, computing, problem-solving and research skills.
In Year 2, you will further broaden your skill base by selecting elective modules. These can be taken from a wide range of academic subjects in the faculty or bespoke electives such as Information Technology (IT) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). It gives you an opportunity to explore other subjects of interest. Students of Psychology take specialist Psychology electives.
In Year 3, you will have opportunities to develop specific skills through work, or travel, or studying abroad as part of the off-campus programme. You will submit your undergraduate dissertation, demonstrating your research skills and ability to work independently in your fourth and final year.
What you will study
COLLEGE SMARTS EXTENDED ORIENTATION PROGRAMME
College SmARTS is an extended orientation programme run over the first 6-8 weeks of Year 1. This is designed to provide Year 1 students in the Faculty of Arts with the relevant information and practical advice they need to successfully navigate their first year of college. It also introduces them to the many academic and personal supports available to students at MIC and to various social aspects, such as sports and recreation and clubs and societies. The programme is run in conjunction with a number of support services in the College, including the Academic Learning Centre, Counselling, the Students’ Union and the Access and Disability Office. Some of the academic issues covered in the programme include subject choice, module registration, how to access college ICT services such as email and Moodle, time management, submission of assignments, academic regulations and exams. College SmARTS is the first such programme to be introduced in the College and the Faculty of Arts continue to pioneer new ways to support its students.
ACADEMIC MENTORING
The Faculty of Arts has introduced an academic advisors system for all Year 1 BA students to help and support them throughout their first year at MIC. Each Year 1 BA student will be assigned an academic advisor from within the Faculty. The academic advisor will provide advice on academic issues such as studying at third-level, critical thinking, assessments and grades, and transferable skills, and will also direct students to the appropriate college services for non-academic issues as required. Academic advisors will provide another level of support for Year 1 students to help them find their feet at third-level.
SKILLS FOR WORK AND STUDY
All Year 1 BA students take a foundational course in Skills for Study and Work. This course comprises of two modules which will provide students with transferable skills in Academic Writing, Research and Information Technology appropriate for undertaking a contemporary humanities programme. It provides students with the skills required to write an academic argument and communicate, collaborate and present ideas using a variety of digital formats. It builds on digital capabilities and instils a culture of digital innovation, creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and lifelong learning in this evolving technological landscape. It also provides students with a practical understanding of various data collection methods and the skills to digitally analyse, interpret and visualise data. These skills are required to succeed at third-level and are also transferable to multiple work environments. Overall, they benefit you both in the present as you undertake your degree programme and in the future as you look to enhance your employability.
Year 1
In your first year, you can choose any four subjects from the Arts Subjects listed below. You can select any subject combinations from a choice of fourteen subjects. However, when choosing your subjects in Year 1, you should be mindful of the subject groupings in Year 2 (see below). It is essential to have at least two subjects from different Year 2 subject groups bearing in mind that those who choose Psychology in Year 1 may not be offered a place in Psychology in Year 2.
Bachelor of Arts Subjects
Business Studies (NEW)
Drama & Theatre Studies
English Language & Literature
French Studies
Gaeilge
Geography
German Studies
History
Mathematics
Media & Communication Studies
Music
Philosophy
Psychology
Theology & Religious Studies
Years 2-4
Towards the end of Year 1, you will receive advice and guidance before selecting the subjects you will continue with from Years 2-4. At the beginning of Year 2 (Part II), you will choose two of the four subjects taken in first year. You will continue with these two subjects to degree level as joint honours. No more than one subject can be taken from any one of the following groups:
Group 1 Psychology OR English
Group 2 Gaeilge OR Business Studies
Group 3 Media & Communication Studies OR Geography
Group 4 Mathematics OR Drama & Theatre Studies OR Theology & Religious Studies
Group 5 History OR Music
Group 6 German (beginners or advanced) OR French (beginners or advanced) OR Philosophy
OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMME
In Year 3, you will participate in an off-campus programme. This typically consists of a study abroad placement in Europe, Australia or the USA and/or work placements in a wide variety of settings, in Ireland or abroad. International placements are highly valued and encouraged for the added cultural and linguistic benefits they offer. The off-campus programme provides students with a unique opportunity to discover the world and experience working environments which may also provide future employment for graduates. Typical work placement settings include educational, local government, media and Gaeltacht organisations.
Students of Gaeilge are required to spend a period of time in an approved Irish language setting. Whilst all BA students are encouraged to spend at least one semester in another country, students of French and/ or German are required to complete at least one semester in an environment where the relevant language(s) is/are spoken.
This provides an opportunity to experience and understand other cultures, and, in the case of placements in continental Europe, to improve foreign language skills. Students are encouraged to make full use of the consequent opportunities for further travel, fostering adaptability and a global outlook to enable them to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world of work.
*Students of Psychology undertake their off-campus placement in the Autumn Semester only and study modules at MIC in the Spring Semester.
UNDERGRADUATE DISSERTATION
In final year, you will complete an undergraduate dissertation in one of your major subjects. This is a unique opportunity to complete an extended piece of research and analysis in your chosen topic, designed with guidance and direction from an academic supervisor in your chosen subject. The undergraduate research dissertation will develop your research and analytical skills with a view to employment or further study.
*To meet professional accreditation requirements students of Psychology must undertake their undergraduate dissertation in Psychology.
Programme Structure
Year 1
Semester 1
Skills for Study & Work 1
Major Subject A
Major Subject B
Major Subject C
Major Subject D
Semester 2
Skills for Study & Work 2
Major Subject A
Major Subject B
Major Subject C
Major Subject D
Part II Year 2
Semester 3
Major Subject 1 (2 modules)
Major Subject 2 (2 modules)
Elective
Semester 4
Major Subject 1 (2 modules)
Major Subject 2 (2 modules)
Elective
Year 3
Semester 5
Off Campus Programme 1
Semester 6
Off Campus Programme 2
Students of Psychology are on campus for Semester 6 and take five Psychology modules
Year 4
Semester 7
Major Subject 1 (2 modules)
Major Subject 2 (2 modules)
Undergraduate Dissertation 1
Semester 8
Major Subject 1 (2 modules)
Major Subject 2 (2 modules)
Undergraduate Dissertation 2
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
The Bachelor of Arts at MIC is taught by academics from 14 different subject departments, which ensures great diversity. A commonality for all however is that staff are excellent teachers, renowned subject experts and compassionate. Assessment methods vary greatly depending on the subject and the year. As a Bachelor of Arts student at MIC, you will be assessed in a variety of coursework, practical tasks, written examinations and by conducting your own research.
Arts Faculty Office
T: +353 61 204972
E: ArtsOffice@mic.ul.ie
W: www.mic.ie