Choose the right course and get down to business

CollegeChoice:Business courses begin with a general foundation first year, usually involving five to seven subjects. Subjects such as management, accounting, economics, information technology, statistics, marketing and communications form the basis of first year.

In general, you do not need to have taken economics and accounting in your Leaving Certificate, but check the requirements. Students sometimes select a business course specialising in marketing or human resource management thinking they will not have to study accounting or economics, but this is not the case.

Do I need to be good at maths?

Most business programmes have core courses in accounting, economics and statistics. The maths entry requirement varies a lot, from D3 on the ordinary paper for some courses to C3 at higher level for more maths-based courses such as actuarial studies.

You do not need to be a mathematical genius for most, but if you have to struggle with maths on the ordinary-level paper, perhaps a business degree is not the appropriate choice. There are two types of business courses:

General courses

The first are general business courses, such as BESS (TR081) in Trinity; business and management (DT 365) in DIT; business studies in UL (LM050) and DCU (DC111); and general business degrees in UCD (DN015); UCC (CK201); NUI Galway (GY201); Sligo IT (SG141); and Waterford IT (WD048).

Specialist courses

These include specialised accounting and finance degree courses in UCC, DIT, DCU, NUI Maynooth and Carlow, Athlone, Galway Mayo and Dundalk institutes of technology.

Other courses include specialist degrees in human resource management in NCI; retail and services management and transport and logistics in DIT; actuarial studies in UCD and DCU; finance, and finance and venture management in Maynooth; and law and accounting, international insurance, and European studies in UL. UCD offers degrees in economics and finance and business and law. DCU has a BSc in quantitative finance (DC236) and innovation and technology (DC240).

Language and business degrees

If you select the BComm (international) in UCD with a language, (DN016 German, DN017 French, DN018 Spanish, or DN019 Italian), or any of UCC's BComm European programmes, you will take almost the full literature, culture and language course as taught on a BA. Standard UCD BComm students who want to study a language can choose two language modules under the UCD modulation structure.

Alternatively, if you select language and business degree programmes at DCU, DIT or UL, the main language emphasis will be on the spoken and written language, business vocabulary, and business culture.

Again, check the details of your preferred course. Note the language entry requirement. In most cases it is a minimum of C3 at higher level.

Doing business in China

The newly opened Confucius Institute of UCD offers language and cultural studies as part of the BComm international with Chinese studies (DN013).

DIT offers (DT565) Chinese and international business. These programmes include a year in a partner university/ business school in China.

Work placements and Erasmus exchanges

In an Erasmus exchange, you attend part of your course - usually in year three - in a college in the European country of your main foreign language choice.

DIT has pioneered English language Erasmus on its general business programme and in its marketing degree. It places students in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France and Germany in institutions where English is the language of instruction. Many colleges have developed exchange links with the US and Canada. UCD, DIT, and DCU offer European business (transatlantic studies) programmes. Normally there is no tuition fee involved in exchange programmes.

The private college option

All of the above courses are level eight - honours degrees - and the points requirements can be quite high, ranging in the high 400s. For this reason there is a strong market for level-eight business degrees at somewhat lower points requirements through the private, fee-paying colleges. Portobello College, for example, offers degrees in business studies, accounting and finance, and marketing.

Mature Students

UCD offers a diploma programme (foundations of business) for mature students. Successful completion of this two-year, full-time course will give entry to second year of the BComm.

Next Monday: Art/humanities courses

Brian Mooney's column on CAO options will appear each weekday in the run-up to the deadline at the end of this month.

You can e-mail Brian Mooney on bmooney@irish-times.ie

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