Wide variety of law courses but few strike it rich

College Choice: Careers in Law and Psychology

The news that many of the solicitors and barristers servicing the various tribunals over recent years have earned fees of over €1 million, makes the option of a career in law very attractive. The reality is that only a small percentage of the legal profession command fees of this nature.

For many young and not- so-young solicitors and barristers, earnings can be quite meagre. At the Bar, those considered to be the best in their areas of specialization command huge caseloads while many others struggle to make a living.

Among solicitors the picture is more even, although carving out a good reputation and establishing a client base takes years of diligent work.

A law degree is a broad qualification which opens up a range of careers: management consultancy, stockbroking, banking, insurance, human resources, politics, journalism, accountancy, lecturing, property management, taxation and information technology.

Last year 2,633 students listed law as their first choice option, down marginally from 2,722 the previous year.

In August, 787 applicants were offered a degree programme and 251 a cert/diploma place, representing 3 per cent of places accepted through the CAO.

NUI Dublin (DN009), Cork (CK301) and Galway (GY251) offer a three-year BCL, with points requirements of 510-515 in 2004. Trinity offers a four-year LLB (TR004), which required 555 points in 2004.

A number of colleges offer law with a language option. Trinity offers law with French (TR018), or German (TR019), with points requirements of 570 and 540, respectively, in 2004.

UCC offers law with French (CK302) or German (CK303) or Irish (CK304), with points requirements of 530, 490 and 510 in 2004.

UCD offers a law and French law option (DN029) requiring 510 points in 2004. NUI Galway also offers a corporate law degree (GY250), which required 485 points in 2004.

This course is a business and law hybrid and you also have the option to study French, German or Spanish.

The University of Limerick offers law and European studies (LM042) which required 480 points in 2004. This programme combines all the core requirements for professional recognition with a European language and a choice of other disciplines such as history, politics or sociology.

They also offer law and accounting (LM020), which required 500 points in 2004. IT Limerick is offering a four-year legal studies and taxation programme (LC951).

For those interested in both law and business, UCD offers a highly regarded four-year programme, business and legal studies (DN021), which required 505 points in 2004.

Students taking an arts degree in Galway (GY101) can graduate with a law degree by selecting law in second year along with one other arts subject, qualifying with a BA in legal science. Arts in Galway were offered at 395 points in 2004.

Finally at higher degree level, DCU offers a programme in economics, politics and law (DC230) which required 445 points in 2004.

For those interested in studying law who do not expect to score in the 500 points-plus range, Griffith and Portobello colleges offer fee-paying LLB degrees in Irish law, outside of the CAO, by direct application, for those with 300 points or over. Fees of €4,850 apply, which includes all books. Griffith College also offers, through the CAO, a law and business degree (GC402).

For those interested in studying legal studies at ordinary degree and national certificate level there are three programmes offered by the Institutes of Technology in Waterford and Letterkenny and by Griffith College in Dublin. Points required in 2004 were 250, 160 and 120 respectively. Add-on degrees are possible in all cases.

Most of the degree courses involve the same subjects: torts, criminal law, constitutional law, contract and European law. Most universities ask students to specialise in third or fourth year only.

Those interested in becoming a solicitor must take a set of eight three-hour exams set by the Law Society, open to all graduates. Law graduates would have covered all the content in their degrees.

About 350 qualify via Blackhall Place each year. They become apprenticed to law firms or they may choose to work for the Irish Legal Aid Board.

For information about the precise steps to becoming a solicitor, consult the Law Society's website at www.lawsociety.ie

Graduates interested in becoming a barrister must take the Kings Inns examinations. Law graduates are exempted a major portion of these examinations.

For information on becoming a barrister consult the Bar Council on www.barcouncil.ie

PSYCHOLOGY

What does studying psychology involve?

Psychology is a broad discipline that has been defined as the systematic study of mental life and behaviour. In general, psychologists attempt to explain feelings, thoughts and behaviour, and use their knowledge to help people with difficulties, and to help bring about change for the better. For example, psychologists are interested in solving many practical problems, such as: How should parents deal with their child's temper tantrums? What is the best way to help someone with a fear of public speaking? How can you help someone who threatens to commit suicide?

Of course, some psychologists are interested in more academic or theoretical issues, such as: Can apes learn to use human language? Are serial killers born or made?

If you find these types of questions interesting, you may well enjoy studying psychology. However, you should be aware that the primary purpose of an undergraduate degree is to establish objectivity, detachment and scientific rigour in the psychologists of tomorrow.

A psychology degree opens up a wide range of career opportunities. Here are just a few areas where psychology graduates are to be found: research and teaching in institutions of higher education; clinical psychologists, working in health and care settings; educational psychologists in schools and special schools; occupational psychologists in management, personnel, training, selection and careers services; forensic (or criminological and legal) psychologists working in penal establishments and with young offenders.

Psychology degrees are available in a number of institutions. Some are denominated degrees, which include "psychology" in their title. For example, NUI Maynooth (MH106), UCD (DN054), NUI Galway (GY104), TCD (TR006), UCC (CK106) and the Dublin Business School (DB562). In other cases, psychology may be taken as an arts subject with possible progression to subsequent years in some cases.

In UCD, psychology may be taken as a first year subject only, NUI Maynooth have recently changed their offering so that all first arts (MH101) students have the option of taking psychology, with 30 students progressing to second year based on results. Trinity offers psychology in its two-subject moderatorship.

There are variations with psychology; for example Mary Immaculate's B Ed programme in education and psychology (MI008) in Limerick; behavioural science (psychology) in American College; theology and psychology in All Hallows (AH002); psychology applied to information technology in Dún Laoghaire (DL141) and psychology through science at NUI Maynooth (MH209).

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 email Brian Mooney on bmooney@irish-times.ie

• Are you confident you will secure your CAO option? Join the discussion forum on Skoool.ie, the award-winning education website developed by The Irish Times, AIB and Intel.