There is still time to change your mind. If certain majors – including architecture, art, and various performing arts courses – require an interview and/or a portfolio (or in the case of medicine, an HPat test to determine if it’s right for you), the vast majority of training courses remain open to candidates. Here is just a small selection of popular and lesser known courses that you may have missed.
Maynooth University: BSc Physics with Astrophysics
CAD Code: MH204
There is simply no source of wonder like stepping out on a clear night and gazing at the stars.
This course is designed to give students a thorough grounding in the principles of experimental physics, but with an added emphasis on exploring and understanding planets, stars, and galaxies, as well as how the universe works in his outfit.
There’s still so much we don’t know about the one universe that we definitely know exists, and the modules here include physics with astrophysics, math, and a choice – if the schedule clashes the allow – two other science subjects, including biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering science and mathematical physics.
Students in this course will also learn about the latest telescopes, satellites, detection technologies and data analysis techniques in modern astrophysics.
Graduates went on to work at Met Éireann, St Luke’s Hospital Dublin, the European Space Agency, Nasa, Caltech, Intel, Hewlett Packard and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as positions in physics medicine, forensic science and computational physics.
In 2021, the course required 422 CAD points.
Physics with Astrophysics
NUI Galway: Social Sciences
CAD Code: GY123
This is a four-year Level 8 course for seniors and mature students who care about some of the most important issues facing society.
The course modules include an introduction to social sciences, digital citizenship and the principles of geography. There is also an international field trip in the second year, a work placement in the third year, and a dissertation project in the final year. Emphasis is placed on problem-focused learning and research methods, helping students develop skills in using social science technological tools to address current and future societal challenges.
Social science graduates are equipped for careers in a number of roles including, perhaps most obviously, social work, but there are also opportunities to work in Irish and international NGOs, local authorities, national authorities, European and international bodies, public services, politics, community work, marketing, journalism, business and much more.
Many graduates of these and similar courses go on to postgraduate studies in order to specialize in a particular area.
In 2021, the course required 419 CAD points.
Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland: physiotherapy
CAD Code: RC004
RCSI was granted university status in 2019, making it a specialized and high-level institution for the study of health and medicine.
School leavers entering this program study for a four-year honors degree, but graduate students only study for three years.
RCSI physiotherapy students have a unique advantage: they study alongside their future colleagues in medicine and pharmacy, and work together on interprofessional projects, ensuring they have a thorough and well-developed understanding of the multidisciplinary nature patient care.
Students in this course take modules in anatomy, physiology, physics, neurology, neuromusculoskeletal and research methods. About a third of the course is devoted to clinical placements.
Publicly available data from the HSE indicates that physiotherapists start at 36,296, with salaries rising to 62,493 for a senior physiotherapist and over 80,000 for a physiotherapist manager. Physiotherapists, however, can earn more in private practice.
University College Dublin: Agricultural Sciences
CAD Code: DN250
Until recently, UCD was the only place in Ireland where students could obtain an honors degree in agriculture. That all changed when UCC launched its own course three years ago, but the UCD course remains popular.
Students on this four-year Level Eight degree can choose to apply for the General Agriculture degree and choose their specialty down the line, or they can take one of the other courses offered directly which include Farming Systems Technology , animals and crops. production, food and agro-industry management, forestry and horticulture.
Core subjects in the common first-year curriculum include Animal Biology and Evolution, Introduction to Chemistry, Cellular and Plant Biology, and Introduction to Biomolecules.
Careers from an agriculture degree are wide and varied, making it difficult to predict salaries, but graduates go on to work in business management, marketing and communications, research, education , environmental management, business and agriculture.
Candidates needed 440 CAD points in 2021.
University of Limerick: law plus
CAD code: LM029
A different approach to the study of law, this four-year level eight course allows students to also choose electives from other subjects, including economics, history, languages, mathematics, politics, psychology and sociology.
The course focuses on the development of practical skills including analysis, communication, negotiation, research and teamwork, and students develop their knowledge through hands-on participation in mock courts and working with community partners on topics such as miscarriages of justice, sentencing, street law and legal enforcement. development.
Course modules include constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, EU law and land law. There is an internship in the third year of the program and opportunities to spend this time abroad.
Legal salaries vary, ranging from as little as £38,000 in the early years to well over £100,000 with experience, but Glassdoor.ie puts the average salary at £73,000.
The course required 530 points in 2021.
TU Dublin: product design
CAD Code: TU811
One of the courses offered at TU Dublin’s School of Creative Arts, this four-year Level 8 course teaches students how to create a new product that companies can sell, providing them with the necessary theoretical and practical skills.
Modules in this course include Applied Physics of Design, Fundamentals of Creative Design, Mathematics of Design, Design Innovation, Prototyping and Modeling.
Graduates go on to work in a variety of industries including agri-technology, medical devices, sports technology, toy and game design, and user experience design, with the option of undertaking a semester abroad the third year.
Glassdoor.ie lists the average product designer salary at 53,457.
The course required 440 CAD points in 2021.
Sciences of coaching and sports pedagogy
Technological University of Munster: Sciences of coaching and sports pedagogy
CAD Code: MT915
This new, full-time, four-year course will introduce students to the applications of the science of training and the principles behind teaching physical education, as well as the science of sport performance and health.
Graduates will be prepared to work as sports coaches and in athletic development and in health and wellness settings. They will also be well prepared to apply for a postgraduate course in physical education (PE) education.
Modules in this course include recreational and youth sports training, sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, health promotion, personal training and gym instruction, and sports marketing.
Glassdoor.ie lists the average sports coach base salary at 34,019.
As this is a new course, CAD points are yet to be determined.
LOW CAD POINTS, WEALTH AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES
TUS: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Polymer Engineering
CAD Code: AL820
The Honors Bachelor of Mechanical and Polymer (Plastic) Engineering at the Athlone campus of TUS (formerly Athlone IT) holds an interesting place in student folklore. For one thing, it was, in its early days and in an earlier incarnation, seen by many as a fallback for students who didn’t get enough CAD points.
It’s an instructive story: the CAD points weren’t low because the course was too easy; they were weak because at the time there just wasn’t much interest from students. Last year, it only needed 327 points.
But polymers course graduates have the final say: today Glassdoor.ie lists the average plastics engineer base salary at 80,066 and, if you ever meet (or interview) a polymers engineer, you find that he has both job satisfaction and a rewarding salary.
Modules in this course include Mathematics, 3D Modeling and CAD, Mechanics, Quality and Project Management, Product Design, Experiment Design, and Lean and Six Sigma.
Graduates of this four-year Level Eight course are in demand, particularly in Ireland, with 18 of the world’s 25 largest medical device companies located in Ireland.
There are positions in the polymer and medical technology industries, including mechanical engineering, manufacturing and process engineering, project development engineers, and quality assurance managers.
There is also a six-month placement in the third year of the course.
