Today is the CAO’s Change of Mind deadline, marking the last point at which college applicants can choose the path that will set the course for their early career.
Leaving Certificate students and mature students are today (Monday 1 July) faced with an important milestone: figuring out what their future will look like.
Today is the final day on which the CAO Change of Mind facility will be available, with an application deadline of 5.15pm. That makes today the last day to create a course of study that could line up with a future in community development.
For jobs in the sector, according to GradIreland, “relevant experience has in the past been more important than a qualification, and accredited qualifications in community development tend not to be seen as a requirement,” plus “newly qualified community workers will normally train on the job with the support of experienced colleagues”.
This is particularly welcome in a world where the secondary-school-to-college funnelling process is continually questioned, as are the pressures placed on non-academic teens to embark on lengthy college courses that may not be a good fit.
If you do choose to pursue a third-level education, however, there are numerous courses offered through the CAO that can potentially give you an advantage as you try to find work in the community development sector.
GradIreland cites degrees in community development, social sciences, public administration, anthropology, economics, political sciences, social work, sociology, psychology and urban planning as particularly relevant to the sector.
That still leaves a lot of the CAO course catalogue to wade through, and not much time to do it. To make it a little simpler, take a look at the below list detailing available third-level courses that should give you a solid grounding in these areas:
Athlone Institute of Technology
AL870– Applied Psychology (Level 8)
Carlow College, St Patrick’s
PC404– Applied Social Studies – Professional Social Care (Level 7)
PC405– Social, Political and Community Studies (Level 8)
Cork Institute of Technology
CR031– Social Care (Level 7)
CR035– Community Development (Level 7)
Dublin Business School
DB562– Psychology (Level 8)
DB566– Social Science (Level 8)
DB575– Social Studies (Level 7)
Dublin City University
DC208– Psychology (Level 8)
DC230– Economics, Politics and Law (Level 8)
DC238– Social Sciences and Cultural Innovation (Level 8)
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT)
DL825– Applied Psychology (Level 8)
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
GA185– Finance and Economics (Level 8)
Institute of Technology, Carlow
CW717– Applied Social Studies – Professional Social Care (Level 7)
CW758– Applied Social Studies – Professional Social Care (Level 8)
Institute of Technology, Sligo
SG247– English and Psychology (Level 8)
SG248– Sociology and Politics (Level 8)
Institute of Technology, Tralee
TL781– Social Care (Level 7)
TL881– Social Care (Level 8)
Limerick Institute of Technology
LC290– Community Sport Development (Level 7)
LC292– Social Care Work (Level 8)
LC297– Community Development (Level 8)
LC402– Social Care Work, Thurles (Level 8)
LC602– Social Care Work, Ennis (Level 7)
LC612– Social Care Work, Ennis (Level 8)
Maynooth University
MH106– Psychology (Level 8)
MH107– Social Science (Level 8)
MH209– Psychology through Science (Level 8)
National College of Ireland
NC010– Psychology (Level 8)
National University of Ireland Galway
GY104– Arts – Psychology (Level 8)
GY123– BSc Applied Social Sciences (Level 8)
GY132– Government – Politics, Economics and Law (Level 8)
Technological University Dublin Blanchardstown Campus
BN025– Community and Youth Development (Level 7)
BN115– Community and Youth Development (Level 8)
Technological University Dublin City Campus
DT106– Planning and Environmental Managements (Level 8)
DT399– Economics and Finance (Level 8)
DT571– Social Care (Level 8)
Trinity College Dublin
TR006– Psychology (Level 8)
TR012– History and Political Science (Level 8)
TR015– Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (Level 8)
TR081– Business, Economic and Social Studies (Level 8)
TR083– Sociology and Social Policy (Level 8)
TR084– Social Studies – Social Work (Level 8)
TR212– Economics/Sociology (Level 8)
TR332– Geography/Sociology (Level 8)
University College Cork
CK102– Social Science (Level 8)
CK114– Social Science (Youth and Community Work) – Level 8 [mature students only]
CK120– Applied Psychology (Level 8)
CK706– Public Health Sciences (Level 8)
University College Dublin
DN100– Architecture (Level 8)
DN120– Landscape Architecture (Level 8)
DN130– City Planning and Environmental Policy (Level 8)
DN670– Economics and Finance (Level 8)
DN700– Social Sciences (Level 8)
DN710– Economics (Level 8)
DN720– Psychology (Level 8)
DN750– Social Policy and Sociology (Level 8)
University of Limerick
LM038– Psychology and Sociology (Level 8)
LM102– Psychology (Level 8)
Waterford Institute of Technology
WD018– Applied Social Studies in Social Care (Level 7)
WD163– Psychology (Level 8)
WD187– Social Science (Level 8)
WD192– Social Care Practice (Level 8)
Have we missed out on a relevant course from your institution? Please get in touch – on journalist@changingireland.ie– to let us know.
Interested in reading more about the state of Ireland’s community development sector? Check out our latest issue.
