Program Overview

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Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts

Category

Liberal Arts

Start Month

September/ January

Level

Undergraduate

Application Method

Direct

Fees (Non-EU Nationals)

€9500

Duration

4 Years (Full-time)

Fees (EU Nationals)

€6000

Location

Dublin

Course Detail

The four-year Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Liberal Arts provides an intellectually stimulating and challenging program in the liberal arts, with a wide range of modules. The program is structured around two common years, with an emphasis on research in the third year of study.

In the final year, students are required to choose five modules along with a Research Seminar, Research Methods, and a dissertation. The program broadens student’s knowledge and advances their communication skills in a wide range of intellectual areas, and provides them with an understanding of other cultures, their intrinsic values and historical experiences. As far as it is possible, the program helps students to make ethically and intellectually informed decisions which take account of the complexity and diversity of the world in which we live.

The program is designed to prepare students for a number of future avenues. The degree is particularly useful as a preparation for postgraduate study in the liberal arts, business studies and the law. Vocationally, the degree supports career development in such fields as business, social services, the arts, administration, teaching and research. To be in a position to advance, students will be expected to develop intellectual, practical and transferable skills. When students complete the program, they will command a number of intellectual skills, including the critical abilities of being able to read and analyse a large variety of texts, appreciate visual evidence, and assess valid supporting dialogue. For their future development, they will also have developed a range of practical skills, including effective essay writing and, where appropriate, an element of creative writing.

The four-year program has US accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Students graduating from this program will be awarded two diplomas, one accredited by QQI in Ireland and one accredited in the US.

It serves as preparation for students to participate in a variety of postgraduate programs such as the MFA in Creative Writing and MB in International Business.

Course Schedule

Students typically study ten modules per year. Below is a sample of the types of subjects that can be studied. Modules are subject to change.

Year 1

• Academic communication
• War and peace in the modern world
• Western arts
• The digital revolution
• Imagination and storytelling
• Anglo-Irish writers
• Cinema and society
• Western religions
• The Enlightenment
• American culture abroad
• Introduction to creative writing
• Writing prose
• Creating character
• Soundings

Year 2

• Shakespeare
• Contemporary China
• Irish migration
• Romanticism
• Representations of sexualities
• Modern art
• Scramble for Africa
• Literary modernism
• India
• The Scientific Revolution
• Writing for screen
• Creative writing workshop
• The English and American character on stage
• Modern and contemporary theatre

Year 3

• Ten (10) electives

Year 4 (award stage)

• Five of the modules below should be taken along with Research seminar, Research methods, and Dissertation.
  • Irish nationalism
  • The Great Irish Famine
  • Oscar Wilde and his circle
  • James Joyce’s Ulysses
  • Irish cinema
  • American literature
  • Migrations to America
  • The American Civil War
  • Hollywood
  • America after 9/11
  • The rise of the novel
  • Modern poetry
  • The Spanish Civil War
  • The Cold War

Course Requirements

Curious about what it takes to join this course? Check out the admission criteria below:

Irish School Leavers

Applicants with an Irish Level 5 Leaving Certificate must obtain a minimum grade of H5 in two subjects and a grade of O6/H6 in four subjects. This is equivalent to the previous requirements, which was a minimum grade of C3 in two Higher-level subjects and a grade of D3 in four Ordinary-level subjects.

Students must pass mathematics and a language (English, Irish or a European language).

Further Education (FE) students

Applicants from an Irish Further Education College must have a full Level 5 or Level 6 award and achieved three Distinctions in a cognate area of the degree program that they wish to study. The award may have been studied over a number of years.

Mature Students

Mature students are defined as those who have reached the age of 23 by 1 January of the year of application AND do not have a sufficient diploma that allows for admission to a Bachelor’s program. Mature students do not need to fulfil minimum academic requirements.

The application process is the same, however, these students may be asked to attend an interview (online) so that the admissions team can assess their work and academic experience, personal ambition and/or suitability for their chosen program.

International Applicants

For applicants who have studied outside of Ireland, secondary school results will be assessed for equivalency to the Irish Level 5 Leaving Certificate. To evaluate diplomas, American College Dublin uses the information on the NARIC Ireland website.

English Language Requirement

An English language certificate may also be required, please review our English language policy.

Course Skills

Along with the academic knowledge students receive throughout their program, they will also acquire and develop transferable career skills from their degree discipline.

These skills include:

• Strong communication skills
• Strong writing skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Detail-oriented
• Presentation skills
• Time management
• Cultural literacy
• Awareness of social factors, cultural diversity and varied perspectives
• Ability to research
• Analytical skills

Fees

Tuition fee

• EU students: €6000
• Non-EU students: €9000

Pay in installments

EU students and students who do not require a Stamp 2 study visa are eligible to pay in installments. A payment plan can be arranged once a student is admitted to the program.