Parents often worry when their children mention arts as their first college choice. It won't lead to a job, they say.
So what happened to the arts graduates of 1997?
The Higher Education Authority report shows 38 per cent of degree-level arts and social science graduates went directly into full-time employment.
A further 25 per cent opted for research work or further academic study while 8 per cent began teacher training. And 18 per cent went into other vocational or professional training.
Perhaps the most telling figure is that, on April 30th, 1998, the date of the survey, 2.3 per cent of arts and social science graduates were actively seeking employment. This is not very different from the overall graduate unemployment rate (1997 graduates) of 2.1 per cent.
So it seems if you decide to do an arts degree there is a one-in-three chance you will secure full-time employment directly after you graduate.
There is a higher chance you will find yourself continuing your studies in some form or other, perhaps doing a conversion course to gain information technology skills or teacher training or research.
Dr Richard Watson, dean of arts in NUI Maynooth, says it is an established fact that 45 per cent of all jobs open to graduates are looking for graduates of any discipline.
"Job ads continuously mention interpersonal skills and communications skills. Arts graduates will have these . . . as well as analytical skills. All of the cliches are true," he says.
Ms Loretta Jennings, careers officer at NUI Maynooth, says parents are often concerned about the subjects their sons and daughters want to study in their arts degree. They want to get the right mix so that a range of jobs is open to the students. Students are far better off doing well in something that they enjoy and coming out as a well-rounded graduate, says Ms Jennings.
UCC, UCD, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth offer arts as a common-entry programme. While arrangements differ somewhat all the colleges afford some flexibility to first-year students when it comes to subject choice. Students can usually attend lectures in a variety of subjects before making a firm commitment.
For instance, Prof Peter Woodman, dean of UCC's art faculty, says there is an introductory week for students, followed by a two-week change-of-mind period.
This approach is particularly useful when it comes to subjects such as philosophy and sociology which are not studied at second level.
In TCD, students opting for the two-subject moderatorship (TR001) apply for places to study particular subjects. Points for two-subject moderatorships last year ranged from 560 for psychology to 315 for Russian, and biblical and theological studies. This approach means students study subjects of their choice from day one.
The downside is that you need to be very sure of what you are committing yourself to, as many of the subjects are not offered at Leaving Certificate level. You must do as much research as possible before you list your choice on your CAO form.
Arts outside traditional university courses
Often when students think of arts they focus on the traditional universities. Three colleges better known for their teacher training courses also offer arts options. St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, has a three-year BA with first-year options in English, French, Gaeilge, geography, history, human development, maths, music, religious studies and bio-science. Bio-science is not offered as a second-year subject.
This degree should be of particular interest to mature applicants as 30 per cent of the places are reserved for such students. If you are a mature applicant, you should apply directly to the college before April 2nd.
There are no specific entry requirements, but applicants may have completed a university foundation or VTOS course, says lecturer Ms Brenna Clarke. Others have no formal qualifications, and work and life experience are taken into consideration.
Mature students do an interview and short written test in May and are contacted within one month of their interview. "Successful applicants receive wide support from the college's mature student committee and Students Services. The relatively small student population in St Patrick's enables the college staff to offer a high level of personal support to our mature students," says Ms Clarke.
The prospectus for Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, reminds us of the aim of liberal arts programmes as originally stated by Aristotle who considered that "this education and these studies exist for their own sake" as part of the pursuit of excellence in intellectual and moral activities. Subjects offered in Mary Immaculate include English, French, Gaeilge, geography, German, history, Irish heritage studies, maths, media and communication studies, music, philosophy and religious studies.
St Angela's College, Sligo, offers an arts degree in economic and social studies. This is listed under NUI Galway in the CAO handbook (GY102).
DCU, UL, the institutes of technology and the private colleges offer a variety of certificates, diploma and degrees encompassing the arts. These programmes include applied languages, music, language and cultural studies, heritage studies and social studies.
Nursing update - NUI drops third-language requirement
AS of last Friday, the NUI colleges have decided to drop the third-language requirement for entrance to nursing diplomas. This requirement has been the subject of much contention among students and guidance counsellors.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NUI said: "In view of the shortages being experienced in the nursing profession, and particularly in the areas of psychiatric and mental handicap nursing, and of the policy of attracting more males into the profession, the Senate of the National University of Ireland has decided to amend the matriculation registration requirements for courses of study leading to degree and diploma awards."
The matriculation registration requirements which will now apply are as follows: Irish, English, maths, a lab science subject (biology, physics, chemistry, physics and chemistry [combined], agricultural science); any other two subjects accepted for matriculation registration purposes.
Courses of study leading to the award of NUI degrees, diplomas and higher diplomas in nurse education and training are offered in the following NUI constituent universities and recognised colleges: UCD, UCC, NUI Galway, St Angela's College of Education, Sligo, and the Royal College of Surgeons.
Journalism
No formal qualifications are required for a career in journalism but, in practice, most new entrants have done a Post-Leaving Certificate or third-level course.
Six colleges are approved by the National Union of Journalists: DCU, DIT, Griffith College, Dublin, NUI Galway, Ballyfermot Senior College and Colaiste Dhulaigh, Dublin. These colleges offer courses ranging from PLC to postgraduate level.
The advantage of postponing your journalistic ambitions and opting for a postgraduate course is that you will have some specialist knowledge to offer from your undergraduate studies as well a fall-back position should all else fail.
Ms Bernadette O'Sullivan, course director for NUI Galway's advanced diploma in applied communications, says second-level students and their guidance counsellors may believe students need a degree in English and history. This is a misconception, she says. Postgraduate courses welcome students from a diversity of backgrounds including business, law and the sciences as well as English, history and politics.
The schools of journalism are reporting unprecedented demand for their graduates. For instance, DCU's careers and appointments officer, Ms Muireann Ni Dhuigneain, says 90 per cent of DCU's journalism graduates - both undergraduate and postgraduate - went directly into employment. The majority were freelancing rather than in staff jobs.
The cut-off point for DIT's journalism degree was 445 (random selection applied) last year, while students needed 465 points to gain a place on DCU's undergraduate degree. DCU offers an MA in journalism and an MSc in science communication (jointly offered with Queen's University Belfast). DIT has a graduate diploma in journalism and NUI Galway offers a higher diploma in applied communications as well an ard diploma i gcumarsaid fheidhmeach.
Primary school teaching
There are five colleges offering teacher-training courses which qualify students to work as primary teachers. These are St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin; Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; Colaiste Mhuire, Marino, Dublin; Froebel, Blackrock, Dublin; and the Church of Ireland College, Dublin.
Four colleges have two admissions codes in the CAO handbook, reflecting the fact that 10 per cent of places are reserved for Gaeltacht applicants.
Last year the cut-off points ranged from 470* (random selection applied) to 400.
The CAO form and mature applicants
Confused mature students grappling with their CAO application form have had particular problems with page 3 which asks them to "follow the precise instructions on pages 4 and 5 of the handbook". This should read pages 8 and 9.
Students taking the Leaving Certificate Vocational programme may be happy to find that the DIT will award points for the link modules, this year, in place of a sixth Leaving Certificate subject. The CAO handbook had been printed before the DIT made this decision.
Help-line
Students, parents and teachers with queries about colleges, courses and application procedures are invited to call the College Choice help-line between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. today. Tel: (01) 679-2099