Pre-University: Arts (Cultural & Heritage Studies)

Duration
This is a Full-time One Year course which runs from Sept. to May.  Exact details of the timetable will be given out to students during the induction process prior to class commencement in September.

Course Overview:

This course provides students with solid background knowledge and skills for progression to third level and thrive in an Arts or Media Degree.  This course has an excellent record of graduate progression to UCD, TCD, IADT and NUI Maynooth.  Students will learn about the cultural richness of Europe and will develop strong research, journalistic-writing and analytical skills.  Learning is taken beyond the classroom space, with students touring Irish cultural landmarks and examining historic artefacts.  Students will be given a broad education in culture and media, which will help give clarity on what area they would like to study at Higher Education level.

Entry Requirements:
One of the following:

• Leaving Certificate (LC Established, LCVP, LCA) or equivalent
• A Full Level 4 QQI/FETAC Award (or equivalent)
• For Mature Applicants (aged 21 or over) – appropriate experience will be considered in lieu of formal qualifications. Note: Mature applicants may be entitled to VTOS funding. For details about VTOS, please contact the college.
• Applicants whose first language is not English require level B2 competency on the CEFR language framework. Applicants may be required to undergo English language testing to establish their language competency.

Course Modules

• Archaeology
• Folklore and Ethnology
• Local History Research
• European Studies
• Political Studies
• Writing Skills for Journalism
• Communications
• Word Processing
• Work Experience

Certification:
Level 5 QQI Award Culture and Heritage Studies (5M2154)

Special Features:
Throughout the year students will participate in a broad range of interesting projects, field trips, cultural visits and guided tours of national heritage sites. These include visits to the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Kilmainham Gaol, Arbour Hill Cemetery and a walking tour of Dublin City.

Day trips include Loughcrew Cairns and Megalithic Centre (including Maggie Heaney’s cottage), the Medieval Mile Museum, St. Canice’s Cathedral, the Round Tower and Kilkenny Castle.

In addition, students will visit Local History sites in the Dún Laoghaire area during the academic year.

This course is supported by FIT, which offers students the opportunity to acquire essential skills to gain employment. Students are given training in job interview techniques and CV preparation.

All DFEi students are provided with an M365 account, which gives them access to the tools and resources needed to deliver assessment work while attending their course. M365 Apps include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and OneDrive.

Work Experience:
Students will be required to undertake a period of work placement in an organisation connected to their vocational area during the academic year.  Work Experience is mandatory for all of our full-time Level 5 courses. Students are required to source their own work placement but will be assisted in this by the work experience teacher.  The work placement is usually for a period of 10 days or a minimum of 60 hours.  Students usually find the work experience element of the course to be invaluable and should bear in mind that a successful work placement can sometimes lead to further opportunities.

Additional Information:
Assessment:

Assessment techniques will be used to assess the knowledge and skills that students will have achieved on successful completion of modules:

• Student Record
• Portfolio/Collection of Work
• Assignments
• Examination – Written or Practical
• Project

A full major award is granted on passing the relevant eight components.  On successful completion of each component, you will be awarded a pass, a merit or a distinction grade. See www.qqi.ie for more details

Progression Opportunities:

DFEi: Graduates may progress to the Level 6 QQI Advanced Certificate in Television and Digital Film at DFEi.

Elsewhere: Graduates are eligible to apply through the CAO and/or the Higher Education Links Scheme for entry to year one of a range of higher certificate and degree programmes, at Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities using their full QQI Level 5 major award. Places are not guaranteed in these Institutes and are subject to students meeting certain criteria.  It is the students’ responsibility to consult with the relevant HEI for information on the admissions process and any specific entry requirements. Students may also refer to the individual HEI prospectus or may also refer to the QQI FET section of the CAO website. www.cao.ie

Examples of CAO progression opportunities are listed below:

Progression Examples:

BA Arts (DN520)

BA Humanities (DN530)

Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) (DN600)

Bachelor of Business and Law (BBL) (DN610)

BSc Psychology (DN720)

BSc Social Sciences (DN700)

BSocSc Social Policy and Sociology (DN750)

BSc Economics (DN710)

University College Dublin – www.ucd.ie

BA Arts (MH101)

Bachelor of Social Science (MH107)

BA Psychology (MH106)

Maynooth University – www.nuimaynooth.ie

BA English Studies TR023

BA European Studies TR024

BA History TR003

BA Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology TR021

BA Political Science and Geography TR328

BA Sociology/Social Policy TR759 

Trinity College Dublin – www.tcd.ie

BA Social Sciences and Cultural Innovation (DC238)

BA Humanities (DC009)

BA Politics (DC295)

BA Media Studies (DC291)

Dublin City University – www.dcu.ie

BA English, Media and Cultural Studies (DL821)

BA New Media Studies (DL837)

BA English and Equality Studies (DL841)

IADT, Dún Laoghaire – www.iadt.ie

BA Arts (CK101)

Bachelor of Social Science (CK102)

BSc Government and Political Science (CK122)

Bachelor of Law and Business (BCL) (CK307)

University College Cork – www.ucc.ie

Career Paths
Graduates may seek employment in heritage centres, museums, archives and tourist centres.  Graduates may also choose to work as arts officers, curators or conservationists.  Graduates will find this course to be an ideal grounding from which to progress to an Arts or Media Degree and subsequent teaching qualification.

Duration:
This is a Full-time One Year course which runs from September to May, 4 days a week.