Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Course code: WD200
What is the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)?
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) is an interdisciplinary three-year programme with a major/minor structure. The course has been developed at Waterford Institute of Technology to provide students with a wide range of study choice. Students must choose one Major Subject and two Minor Subjects in their first year, but not more than one subject can be taken from each group.1
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Spanish ab inito |
Religious Studies (Major or Minor) |
Sociology (Major or Minor) |
Psychology (Minor) |
|
English |
French PLC2 (Major or Minor) |
German PLC3 (Minor) |
Irish PLC4 (Major or Minor) |
| Italian ab initio (Minor) |
German ab initio (Minor) |
1All Minor Subjects will be offered but individual subjects will only run if there is sufficient demand. 2A HC3, or equivalent, in French is required. 3A HC3, or equivalent, in German is required. There are no specific prerequisites for ab initio (beginner) languages. 4A HC3, or equivalent, in Irish is required.
On successful completion of year one, students will maintain their Major Subject and choose one of their two Minor Subjects to study in years two and three of the programme. Students will therefore graduate with a depth of knowledge and skills in at least two fields, while having a breadth of understanding in other areas. The programme encourages the students’ creativity, enterprise, and ethical and social awareness, as well as giving them the opportunity to demonstrate and develop leadership potential.
Whatever the Major or Minor Subjects chosen, all BA (Hons) students develop core and transferable skills that are highly valued by a range of employers, such as the ability to find imaginative and creative solutions to problems, research and analyse information, independently pursue lifelong learning, communicate and team-work effectively, view ‘the bigger picture’, and develop and value leadership. These qualities add up to graduates with adaptability and flexibility, ready to face the many and varied challenges that may arise, be it in their future careers, studies or daily lives.
Unique Feature: The Interdisciplinary Seminar
A unique feature of this programme is that students will undertake interdisciplinary seminars that combine their chosen Major and Minor subjects in each semester in stages 2 and 3. These seminars will facilitate students in developing an ability in forging theoretical and practical linkages between different domains. Drawing connections between ideas, concepts, theories, assumptions, instruments, media, practices, histories and mindsets associated with different disciplinary paradigms is not only intellectually challenging and rewarding, but also profoundly useful in a practical sense. ‘Real world’ problems are nearly always multifaceted and interconnected. To solve such problems effectively, one needs to have an interdisciplinary mind that is well equipped with knowledge, cognitive skills and the ability to see the bigger picture.
Career Opportunities
Honours Arts graduates work in a range of industries, both nationally and globally, including the private sector, government and non-government organisations. They are employed, for example, in the civil service, the public service, the diplomatic service, training and development organizations, teaching, journalism, public relations and communications, advertising, banking and business, management and consultancy, politics, human resources, translating and research, and many more. The BA (Hons) with Religious Studies (Major only) has been accepted by the Healthcare Chaplaincy Board as an approved degree course for those wishing to apply for certification as a Catholic Healthcare Chaplain.
Further Study
Graduates can proceed to a Masters degree by Research in their chosen Major discipline at WIT or elsewhere, as well as various other taught Graduate Diploma and Masters programmes.
The Subjects
Sociology: Sociology is the scientific study of society and the relationship between the different groups in society. It seeks to explain why people behave in a particular way and how the different human groups to which people belong (families, social classes, religions, countries and races) influence the behaviour of the individual. Sociology combines theoretical analysis and empirical research. It gives the student an understanding of how Irish society has developed and is organised, while also enhancing their ability to engage in society as reflective and responsible participants. Sociology is offered as both a Major and Minor Subject.
Religious Studies: The study of religion and spirituality is the exploration of humanity itself within its cultural and physical environment. It examines human beliefs, including those that stretch the imagination, together with what drives the human spirit to hold such beliefs. It brings religion and spirituality into critical dialogue with other areas of study, particularly those that help us understand our human condition, such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, history and the arts, and cultures, our own and those not our own. It also takes account of an understanding of human dependency on the physical environment, and how humans should behave towards it and each other. In this way, Religious Studies offer a broader and deeper way of understanding contemporary society but, more importantly, can lead to a vision for a better human future. Religious Studies is available as both a Major and Minor Subject. The BA (Hons) with Religious Studies (Major only) has been accepted by the Healthcare Chaplaincy Board as an approved degree course for those wishing to apply for certification as a Catholic Healthcare Chaplain.
Psychology: Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. It is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivation underlying such behaviour. It studies people, how they think, act, react, develop and differ. Psychology investigates such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behaviour and interpersonal relationships. Psychology is available as a Minor Subject only.
English: The English programme at WIT takes as its starting point the reader’s experience of the literary text. The programme seeks to give students the tools to interrogate that experience; the pedagogical approach to the subject in all years will involve close reading of literary texts and small group tutorials where individual experiences can be described, interrogated and shared. The examination of literary experience will open the way to the examination of aspects of wider experience. The programme takes the view that identity is formed and shaped in and through language and that, therefore, any examination of language necessarily involves the examination of aspects of our identities as individuals. Themed modules on the English programme—on family, on place, on society—offer the student the means to engage in reflection on the wider forces that shape personal identity.
Languages: French, Irish and Spanish are available as both Major and Minor Subjects on the BA (Hons) programme, and German and Italian as Minor Subjects only. French and Irish are offered at Post Leaving Certificate Level only, German at both Post Leaving Certificate and ab initio levels, and Spanish and Italian at ab initio level only. All language study at WIT is characterised by a stimulating curriculum that, while emphasising a high level of proficiency in written and spoken language, also encompasses the literature, culture and history of the countries in which the languages are spoken.
Course Outline
 |
WD200 - Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Course Outline (Adobe PDF, 98KB) |
Course Facts
Course Title: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Course Code: WD200
Course Level: 8
Duration: 3 years
Entry Requirements
Number of subjects at grade OD3/HD3 or better: 6
Number of subjects at higher level grade HC3 or better: 2
Required Subjects
English/Irish: OD3/HD3
Mathematics: OD3/HD3
Additional Requirements
Applicants intending to choose French: a grade of HC3 level, or equivalent, in Leaving Certificate French is required.
Applicants intending to choose German at Post Leaving Certificate Level: a grade of HC3 level, or equivalent, in the Leaving Certificate German is required.
Applicants intending to choose Irish: a grade of HC3 level, or equivalent, in Leaving Certificate Irish is required.
For all ab initio languages (ab initio means those starting a language as a beginner) there are no special requirements.
Further Details
Email: appliedarts@wit.ie
Recent Entry Points
| Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Minimum Points | n/a | n/a | n/a | 300 | 300 |
