The original scroll of Jack Kerouac’s seminal novel On the Road at UCD
A quick glance at the list of famous UCD Arts alumni – including cultural luminaries like James Joyce and Neil Jordan, public figures such as Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman and Emily O’Reilly, key influencers like Ryan Tubridy and Cathal Goan – gives an idea where UCD Arts can take students. The Arts degree offers a sound foundation and skillset for many interesting careers.
David Foster, Director of the UCD Career Development Centre says that employers look favourably upon an Arts degree from UCD as a solid indicator of the student’s skills and capabilities. “Employers of Arts graduates are less likely to focus on the content of the degree than on the capacity of the candidate to think critically, to work independently and to focus on the outcome. Arts educates you for everything.” UCD Arts graduates spread their wings and follow careers in business and in broadcasting, in theatre and in teaching, in journalism and in politics.
Emer Fleming, who studied a BA in History, Politics and International Relations, is now an audit trainee with KPMG. According to Paul Vance, Head of Resourcing at KPMG, “Each year we hire many graduates and recruiting talented students from UCD is always a priority. We demand that graduates must be academically excellent and have great business awareness. Both of these qualities are in abundance among UCD students.”
Studying Arts at UCD is challenging. Students with a passion for Economics are taught by the school that is home to Ireland’s key economic experts such as Mr Colm McCarthy, Professor Morgan Kelly and Professor Karl Whelan. English students study in the school that counts Professor Declan Kiberd and Professor Frank McGuinness in its staff. Across the disciplines, lively academic debate is the hallmark of the degree.
Listen to Dr Alan Peatfield, UCD School of Archaeology; Dr Brian O’Connor, UCD School of Philosophy; and Dr Lucy Collins, UCD School of English, Drama & Film talk about their subject areas in the BA programme
Your UCD Arts degree is what you make of it. Studying Arts at UCD is as much about learning a little more about yourself as it is about reading books and attending lectures. Few courses allow for the same level of personal growth and the opportunity to explore new things on the same level as UCD’s Arts programme.
Introducing the Subject Choice Grid
Many UCD Arts students know exactly what they want to study. For these students, UCD provides a subject grid alongside the CAO form that lets them pre-select their subjects before they come to university.
By researching the subjects and pre-selecting in advance, students can focus on following their passion for their subject, be it a familiar Leaving Cert discipline like Irish, English or Maths, or a new area such as Politics, Sociology or Classics. The subject preference grid is a great help if you want to study a subject with limited places because the pre-selected place is guaranteed. The subject grid secures your place but doesn’t take away from the choice studying Arts offers.
Pre-selecting from the subject grid is not obligatory and students who choose DN012 can always wait until registration to pick their first year subjects. Just be aware that some classes fill up quickly so your choice may be more restricted at that time of year.
Part Time & Evening Courses
It is also possible to pursue a BA arts degree on a part-time basis, with the same wide range of subjects available, or you can study for a BA degree during the evening, although the range of subjects available is more limited.
The UCD Arts degree is a doorway opening into new possibilities not imagined at school. You can explore fresh subjects, skills and thought processes, awaken new interests and opinions. Many students today decide to go on to Graduate Study and your Arts degree will play a part in that choice.
Michelle Dillon, a 2006 Arts graduate, said her undergraduate experience directly helped her postgrad choice and career direction, “If I hadn't chosen to study the BA degree at UCD I wouldn't be working in the Arts today. Through studying History of Art for my BA I became interested in the practicalities of working in the Arts and this led me to the MA in Arts Management which is offered at UCD. This in turn directly led me to my job now, marketing for The Dock and Leitrim County Council Arts Office.”
When you graduate with an Arts degree from UCD you have certain skills – communication, research, critical thinking, among others – under your belt. Harder to measure but just as important, is the personal growth you’ll feel after your journey through Arts at UCD. The door is open… step inside.
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