Religious Studies - Liberal Arts
The Liberal Arts degree is a three-year, full-time honours degree course consisting of eighteen modules organised in three inter-linked elements. All students take modules in Human Development Studies and in International Studies. They also choose an academic subject to study. The subjects on offer are Business Studies, English, History, Irish, Physical Education and Religious Studies.
| Award Name | Degree - Ordinary Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Queens University Belfast |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Ordinary Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Queens University Belfast |
Duration
3 years full-time.
Entry Requirements
Applicants Presenting Irish Leaving Certificate Qualifications:
- Applicants must pass a minimum of five subjects at higher level for admission to BA (Hons) Liberal Arts and BEd (Hons) programmes. Where competition for places is high, six subjects at higher level will be required,
- Applicants must have achieved at least a grade O4 (ordinary level) in English and in Mathematics,
- Applicants for Primary courses of Initial Teacher Education other than the Primary with Science option must present Biology, Chemistry or Physics at Leaving Certificate level or have achieved Junior Certificate Science, grade C (higher level) or above. See entry guidelines for specific requirements for BEd Primary with Science.
For further information, please contact:
The Academic Registry
St Mary’s University College
191 Falls Road
Belfast
BT12 6FE
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9026 8320
E-mail: admissions@smucb.ac.uk
Careers / Further progression
Careers
Graduates in Liberal Arts possess a combination of skills and knowledge, which is attractive to a wide range of potential employers. Career opportunities available include posts in finance, production, marketing, teaching and personnel, to name just a few.
Further information
Academic Year: 2024-25.
Yes
Undergraduate Applications
All applications must be made directly to the College as St Mary’s is not a member of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
To apply, go online to www.smucb.ac.uk/admissions or contact:
The Academic Registry
St Mary’s University College
191 Falls Road
Belfast
BT12 6FE
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9026 8320
E-mail: admissions@smucb.ac.uk
The College website is regularly updated with relevant admissions information.
When to Apply
For full-time undergraduate courses, applications for 2024 entry may be submitted from Monday, 2nd October 2023 until Monday, 22nd January 2024. Any form received after the closing date will be deemed late. Late applications may be considered if vacancies remain available.
Structure of the Degree
The Liberal Arts degree is a three-year, full-time honours degree course consisting of eighteen modules organised in three inter-linked elements. All students take modules in Human Development Studies and in International Studies. They also choose an academic subject to study. The subjects on offer are Business Studies, English, History, Irish, Physical Education and Religious Studies.
More detail can be found at http://www.smucb.ac.uk/baOverview
Human Development Studies
Human Development Studies is a multidisciplinary study of human nature at both an individual and a communal level. The course has both an intellectual and a skills-based dimension. It offers students the opportunity to integrate College-based study with placements in the world of work, thus preparing them for future employment. Human Development Studies is academically challenging and personally rewarding. It opens horizons to new ways of thinking and equips students with the skills for a productive and responsible future.
The degree introduces students to a variety of academic disciplines in which they explore different understandings of human nature. In the first year, students examine various definitions of human nature and how humans interact in the public sphere. By surveying the writings of philosophers and political thinkers, students become familiar with different answers to these questions and develop the intellectual skills associated with undergraduate study.
In later years, this element of the degree course builds on these foundations to explore key concepts in contemporary discourse (citizenship, human rights, individual and social identity). Students also develop skills for responsible decision-making by examining various ethical themes.
In parallel to exploring human existence in its political aspects, students are introduced to economic approaches to understanding human nature. The College approach is distinctive: while making use of business and management studies, it places the person, not profit, at the centre of discussion. Students examine models of management and staff relations in the first year. In the second year, students look at the role of the consumer, and they explore the dynamics of organizational culture in the final year.
As part of Human Development Studies, students will also have the opportunity to improve a wide range of key skills. They develop their communication skills in collaboration with the staff of the Writing Centre, recognised nationally as a Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Students will also develop their oral communication skills and use of ICT.
In the first year, students will participate in seminars to develop the skills necessary for successful study in higher education. In conjunction with the staff of the College’s Careers Office, students will also have the opportunity to enhance a wide range of other skills sought by employers.
Work Related Learning
Students begin to relate their learning to the workplace in the first year by means of a series of lectures and presentations by visiting professionals. This series, called “Investigating Careers in the Workplace”, seeks to raise awareness of the range of work environments available for exploration in second-year and third-year work placements.
In years two and three, students follow the Work Related Learning programme and are placed in businesses and organisations for a period of six weeks in both years. While each work placement has its own particular features, placements are designed to provide students with an opportunity to carry out small projects, and, when appropriate, to allow them to shadow and assist management personnel.
Evaluations to date suggest that this opportunity is highly valued by the students. This experience has proved to be a highlight of the Liberal Arts degree, both for the experience it provides to develop employability skills and for the future employment opportunities it opens up.
International Studies
Europe has been the context within which society has developed on the island of Ireland for two millennia and more. Increasing communications, mobility of peoples and political connections mean that the educated citizen of tomorrow cannot be ignorant of Europe and its impact on life on this island. The continuing debate over the consequences of Brexit is almost certainly going to mean that Europe will feature no less significantly in the lives of people north and south on the island.
However, “Europe” is a multi-dimensional concept that means many different things, both positive and negative. This focused study will enable students to explore these concepts and to consider them as contexts for future action. Students will examine Europe not merely as an economic context but also as a cultural home. By doing so, they will be developing the life skills for living and working in a world marked by great diversity yet increasing unity.
Students will engage with staff from a variety of academic disciplines to conduct an active investigation of the concepts and contexts which Europe represents. They will enhance their knowledge and understanding of definitions of Europe (geographical, political, cultural and economic) and pay particular attention to the evolution of the European Union as a major context for the development of society on the island of Ireland. They will assimilate and apply a range of skills: intellectual, practical and transferable.
The International Studies element aims to provide students with an awareness and understanding of Europe as a cultural context and as a business environment. It equips students to engage with others as citizens of Europe in the twenty-first century. Such graduates will be well placed to take up leadership roles in a cosmopolitan Ireland to serve the needs of their community and economy.
Subject Study in the Liberal Arts
The Liberal Arts Programme allows students to choose one area of subject study which they pursue in all three years of the degree. Subject study comprises up to one half of the degree and aims to increase knowledge in a particular academic discipline. Along with the other elements of the BA Honours Liberal Arts degree, subject study aims to develop intellectual, practical and transferable skills. In the first year students take one module linking subject study with professional skills, in particular the communication skills appropriate to that subject discipline. In the second year students take one module linking subject study to employability skills, making use of the work placement to explore the relevance of the subject in the world of work. In the pages that follow, information on other modules offered by each subject area is presented.
Religious Studies
Students will consider various aspects of Religious Studies. Among the areas covered in the present course are studies of selected sections of the New Testament and the Old Testament, issues relating to handing on the faith and understanding the Sacraments, selected issues in dogmatic and moral theology, aspects of Church history and an overview of the key concepts of the beliefs and practices of other major Christian denominations and selected world religions.
Enquiries regarding admission should be directed to:
The Academic Registry
St Mary’s University College
191 Falls Road
Belfast
BT12 6FE
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9026 8320
E-mail: admissions@smucb.ac.uk
Web: www.smucb.ac.uk