Confused about the CAO process? In the run-up to the deadline for applications, Brian Mooney will be advising students on the available options.
Restricted application courses are those for which applications must be made by the initial application date of February 1st next. Most of the courses listed below fall into this category.
For a full list for each college, see qualifax.ie
Mature applicants for nursing
Applicants aged 23 or over on January 1st last may apply for places on general, psychiatric, mental handicap, midwifery, integrated general and children's nursing courses, available throughout the Republic.
National College of Art and Design
NCAD offers courses in ceramics, metals/jewellery, glass, fashion, textiles and visual communications in its Design Faculty and courses in fine print, media, painting and sculpture in its Fine Art Faculty. A portfolio must be submitted by February 10th and application is made through the CAO. NCAD also offers industrial design (AD012) for those interested in the design of products for manufacture and art and design education (AD001) for those wishing to become art teachers.
Applicants to AD001 must submit a portfolio by February 10th. There is no interview for AD001/AD111. Applicants to AD012 are called for interview and do not submit a portfolio in advance. Interviews for AD012 take place during the week beginning April 24th. Places in NCAD are not awarded on Leaving Certificate points. Selection is based on portfolio assessment only for AD001/AD111 and on portfolio assessment and interview for AD012.
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art/Design/Technology
The IADT offers eight programmes within its School of Art/Design/Media as well as five honours (bachelor) degrees in the fields of animation, photography, visual communication (print, screen and 3D Spatial) and visual art practice, aimed at those wishing to become practising artists, and film and TV production, aimed at aspiring directors, producers, scriptwriters, editors, camera operators, web developers and digital effects specialists.
An ordinary bachelor degree course in model-making and design is available to those interested in artistic illusion and special effects.
Dublin Institute of Technology
The DIT offers four honours degree programmes within its Faculty of Applied Art, Design - Interior + Furniture (DT544).
Design - Visual Communications (DT545) is for those wishing to become graphic designers, typographers, image-makers, illustrators and digital media designers.
Fine Art (DT546) is intended for those seeking careers in either painting, sculpture, print media or photography(DT559).
The DIT also offers a Certificate in Design Display (DT515) for those who wish to pursue careers as display designers in the retail industry.
Courses outside Dublin
Athlone IT offers an honours degree programme in design - visual communications (AL052). It also offers a design communications ordinary bachelor degree (AL020), as does Cork IT (CR036) and Galway/Mayo IT (GA270).
For those interested in furniture, three programmes are offered through Galway/Mayo IT at the Letterfrack campus. These courses are no longer restricted from next September. Two level 7 degree courses in furniture production, involving either manufacture or technology, are also available. Both courses have options of an add-on year for a level 8 degree.
This year, the college is introducing a one-year H.Dip in Technology. Graduates will be qualified to teach one or more of the Leaving Certificate technology subjects.
Students also have the option of product design at the DIT and at UL, printing management at the DIT, design communications at WIT, graphic design at Letterkenny IT, industrial design at either Carlow, Sligo or Letterkenny IT and art at WIT.
Music
For those interested in second-level teaching, TCD has music education (TR009). The DIT also has music education (DT501), which it runs in conjunction with TCD's TR009. Traditional Irish musicians are catered for in this programme.
Mater Dei has music and religious education (MD401). For those who want to keep their options open, Maynooth, UCD and UCC have a single arts subject in first year.
UCC has a four-year music course (CK103) and a three-year art/music course (CK104) with two arts subjects in first year. Honours bachelor degrees are offered by UCD (DN001), TCD (TR002), Maynooth (MH103), Royal Irish Academy (DC211), Dundalk IT (DK860), WIT (WD027) and CIT (CR121).
For those interested in Irish traditional music, UL has an Irish music and dance option (LM030). Also beginning this September in UL is a BSc programme in music media and performance technology, while there will be a music technology (MH102) degree course at NUI Maynooth. The latter course is for those interested in music recording and sound engineering.
For anyone who does not satisfy the entry requirements for the above programmes, the DIT offers a one-year music foundation course (DT527) for which fees of €1,900 apply.
Tomorrow: Business Courses
This column will appear every weekday until the February 1st deadline.
You can contact Brian Mooney