Bachelor of Arts Professional Pathways

At UL we are introducing a new, unique and exciting undergraduate degree, the BA Professional Pathways.

This programme channels the power of an arts degree into four distinct pathways created with employer input to match the skills and knowledge they want to see in graduates.

In addition to the subject knowledge gained within their specific pathway, students also take workplace-focused transferrable skills modules every semester that again match the skills in demand from employers.

This unique degree fuses knowledge and skills. You will gain knowledge from subjects in your chosen pathways and you will develop a range of skills to help you apply that knowledge. As this degree is cutting-edge, its graduates will be too!

Course Director, Dr Chris McInerney

Course features

The BA Professional Pathways is not just a new degree, it is a whole new way of approaching your university education.

There are three distinct features of this degree:

1. First, you will be able to select from one of four, vocational, employability-oriented ‘pathway’ options. These four pathways are:

• Public Affairs – designed for those who want to play a role in shaping, guiding and understanding how our society, economy, political and administrative systems will operate, in Ireland as well as at a global level. Over your four years, you will mainly take modules in Economics, Sociology, Politics and Public Administration.
  
• Social, Economic and Physical Planning – designed for those who see themselves having a role in planning for the future, either in terms of social and economic development or physical planning. On this pathway you will mainly take modules in Geography, Economics and Public Administration.
  
• Communication and Digital Translation- designed for those who have an interest in communication and in acting as the interpreters and translators of our increasingly digital world. In this pathway, you will study modules from digital culture, journalism, communications and linguistics. You will also have the option to study a language.
  
• Social, Economic and Environmental Change – designed for those who are interested in understanding and shaping how our world needs to and can change in a more equitable and sustainable direction. On this pathway you will mainly take modules in Geography, Economics, Sociology, Politics and Public Administration.

2. Alongside your choice of pathway you will also participate in a specially designed core set of transferable skills modules. Transferable Skills, often called ‘Power Skills’, are the type of skills that are consistently identified as being essential to the workplace and the society we live in. They include critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, creativity, team work, curiosity, digital skills, and leadership, to name but a few. All students on the BA Professional Pathways will take 15 transferable skills modules designed to develop your core skill base.

3. Finally, on this degree, you will benefit from an extended, eight-month Co-operative Education work placement, giving you a hugely valuable experience of the world of work and an opportunity to make the connections between your learning in the classroom and the requirements of the workplace.

Why choose BA Professional Pathways?

You should consider this BA if you wish to:

• Consider a career related to the pathway of your choice;
• Combine carefully selected, cutting edge arts, humanities and social science subjects with a bespoke set of transferable skills modules;
• Have a degree that uniquely prepares you for the workplace and will distinguish you from the vast majority of other graduates;
• Have a degree that is concerned both with how you acquire knowledge, and most especially, with how you continually, critically and creatively use that knowledge to understand