Art & Design First Year - Common Entry
First Year Art and Design at NCAD gives you options for entry into many different worlds. The working week is divided between studio practice, professional practice and Critical Cultures. It is a full-time programme and runs over a five-day week. When you arrive in NCAD, you will be divided into class groupings and will share the studio with a wide mix of your peers.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University College Dublin |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University College Dublin | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 or 4 years full-time
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Minimum Requirements
Subjects* 6
Honours 2 x H5
Subjects must include:
Irish** O6/H7
English O6/H7
3rd Language/Art/DCG O6/H7
Portfolio Submission 09.02.2024
Portfolio submission guidelines are available to view at www.ncad.ie/study-at-ncad
Restricted Application: Yes
* Full details on minimum entry requirements (matriculation) and regulations concerning exemption from the subject Irish can be found at www.nui.ie
** Foundation Level Irish is not accepted.
NCAD does not operate the Leaving Certificate/ CAO points scheme for programmes requiring a portfolio submission. Offers are made based on portfolio score to applicants who meet minimum academic entry requirements.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
NCAD is a Recognised college of UCD, a Constituent University of the National University of Ireland (NUI). Matriculation requirements including information on obtaining an Irish language exemption are set out on the NUI website www.nui.ie.
Age at entry to NCAD
The minimum age for admission to NCAD is 17 years by 15 January the year following entry.
Leaving Certificate results may be combined.
Foundation Level Maths may be counted as one of Ordinary Level subject requirements.
Studio Based programmes requiring a Portfolio submission are restricted on the CAO system. Late applications will not be accepted.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Undergraduate Degree
Programmes First Year Entry 2024
FETAC Level 5 or 6
5 Distinctions
Full Award
Portfolio Submission 09.02.2024
Portfolio submission guidelines are available to view at www.ncad.ie/study-at-ncad
Further information
Mature Students
NCAD welcomes applications from mature students to all our programmes. A mature student is any EU/EEA student who will be 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the proposed year of entry to NCAD.
Mature Applications: Studio Programmes
As a mature student you should apply in the same way and at the same time as any other applicant. You will be informed of the outcome of your portfolio submission at the same time as other applicants. Mature students who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements should include with their CAO application information on previous learning and/or any relevant work or other experience that might support your application. Please send any supporting documentation such as transcripts or CVs to the CAO marked clearly with your CAO number. Mature students who achieve a sufficient portfolio score to warrant an offer but who do not otherwise meet minimum academic entry requirements will have an opportunity to matriculate on the basis of mature years. These applications will be reviewed based on information and documentation submitted to the CAO and you may be invited to attend for interview.
Entry 2024 - Restricted Course
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
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid submitting an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all fees are non-refundable.
Restricted Courses
Applying for a restricted course – you must have applied to CAO by 1 February 2024 at 5pm if you wish to apply for a restricted course. The restricted course must be included on your course choices list by that date, or added to your application using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm.
Restricted courses normally require additional assessment procedures, for example, the submission of a portfolio, an oral assessment or interview, or a written assessment. Restricted courses are identified in the handbook by the words “(Restricted - see page 3)" on the same line as the restricted course’s title. Please make sure to acquaint yourself with the additional requirements, if any, of the restricted course(s) that you have applied for and go to page 24 of the 2024 CAO Handbook for more information about interviews and assessments.
Exception: If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures with a course you had applied for by 1 February 2024, you may be permitted to introduce it on a Change of Mind. You should consult with the relevant HEI before introducing such a course.
Mature Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2024 at 5pm, and include course choices by that date or add them using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature
Supplementary Admission Routes
Applying for DARE and/or HEAR – to be considered for DARE and/or HEAR, applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1 February 2024 at 5pm. To apply to DARE, you must answer YES to Question 1 ('Do you wish to be considered for DARE?) on Section A of the fully completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
To apply to HEAR, you must indicate on your CAO application that you wish to apply for HEAR and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
Supporting documents for DARE and/or HEAR applicants must be sent to CAO offices before 15 March 2024 at 5pm
Common First Year for all studio pathways :
Design : Fashion Design/Graphic Design/Illustration/Moving Image Design/Interaction Design/Product Design/Textile & Surface Design/Jewellery & Objects
Fine Art : Media/Painting/Sculpture/Print
Applied Art : Ceramics & Glass/Textile, Art & Artefact
In the beginning
For all studio students, First Year begins with a period of interdisciplinary art and design research, observation and analysis. Your curiosity is your starting point. You will build on the work you have already done as part of your portfolio and your sourcing project and the new activities introduced to you in the first six weeks. In this first semester (half-year), art and design students work side-by-side and together to explore and discover the wide-ranging possibilities open to them. This open and playful exploration combined with expert staff advice will help you find and settle on the right pathway for your individual goals and abilities.
The second semester (half-year) is Discipline based. The second semester is about choosing your degree pathway. You will gain your place in a specialist pathway based on your preference combined with your achievement in NCAD to date. Common Entry and Education students can select preferences from all art and design pathways, Fine Art direct entry students will select their preferences from within Fine Art, and Direct entry Design select from their design options unless they are direct entry to a single dicipline. You will spend the final module of the year studying within your specialist pathway.
What happens at the end of First Year?
At the end of the year, you are registered into your discipline pathway to progress to Year 2. For students with a strong interest in the history and theory of visual culture, there is an opportunity to take a Degree in Design or Fine Art with Visual Culture. See page 90. At the end of each year, we open our studios to the public. You are welcome to invite whomever you wish to come and see your work.
The key areas of study in First Year are:
Observation : Descriptive, explanatory, analytical and inventive skills through drawing, making and recording.
Materials : Development of the physical and aesthetic behaviour of a wide range of materials.
Research : The process of gathering visual information in relation to topics of inquiry.
Processes : The use of innovative and traditional techniques and equipment in the stimulation and development of ideas.
Peer Learning: Development of collaborative, discursive and evaluative practices with peers.
Applying Concepts and topics: Developing bodies of work from the beginning point of thematic and conceptual frames.
Investigating fields of practice from interdisciplinary through to specialisation: Honing and evolving your individual practice toward a disciplinary orientation.
Professional Practice : Library and research skills, digital skills relevant to all aspects of your coursework, organising and presenting work, peer learning, development of an individual body of work.
Critical Cultures
In this part of the course you will study the connections between history, theory and practice in modern and contemporary contexts, in order to become critically engaged, reflective and an effective practitioner. See page 92. At the end of First Year, for students with a strong interest in the history and theory of visual culture, there is an opportunity to take a Degree in Design or Fine Art with Visual Culture. For this option, students will swap a portion of their studio time to do additional Visual Culture study and assignments.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment throughout the programme, in your studio practice, professional practice, and Critical Cultures, will be on a continuous basis, at the end of each completed project/module and at the end of each semester (half-year). You will receive feedback comment with each assessment report. Formal assessment results will be issued at the end of each semester. Modes of assessment will include practical and written assignments, oral and visual presentations, portfolios and work installations.
Admissions Office,
National College of Art & Design
100 Thomas Street
Dublin D08 K521
Ireland
Tel: 353 (0)1 636 4200
admissions@ncad.ie