Expand+How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/...

Hide-How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/apply.

When to Apply

UCAS will start processing applications for entry in Autumn 2017 from 1 September 2016.

The normal closing date for the receipt of applications is 15 January 2017.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.

Earlier applicants normally receive decisions more quickly, however, UCAS accepts that some applicants, especially those from outside the UK, may find this difficult. Late applications are, in practice, accepted by UCAS throughout the remainder of the application cycle, but you should understand that they are considered by institutions at their discretion, and there can be no guarantee that they will be given the same full level of consideration as applications received by the advisory closing date.

Take care to enter the details of the institutions and courses clearly and correctly on the application. For Queen's, the institution code name is QBELF and the institution code is Q75. These should be entered in the Choices section of your UCAS application. A Campus Code is not required.

Queen’s University Belfast Terms and Conditions 2017 Entry
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/TermsandConditions/

Expand+Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

A-level: BBB including A-level Irish.

Iri...

Hide-Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

A-level: BBB including A-level Irish.

Irish Leaving Certificate: H3H3H3H3H4H4/H3H3H3H3H3 including Higher Level grade H3 in Irish.

All applicants: if you plan to study Irish as a Joint Honours degree you should refer to the subject requirements for the other course.

International Students

For information on international qualification equivalents, please click on Your Country in the International Students website.

If you are an international student and you do not meet the entrance requirements, you should consider a preparation course at INTO Queen's University Belfast, which will prepare you for successful study on these degree courses. INTO at Queen's is based on the University campus and offers a range of courses including the International Foundation in Business, Humanities and Social Science.

For students whose first language is not English

An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component or an equivalent acceptable qualification, details of which are available at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability to entry to this degree. Please click the links below for more information:
•English for University Study - an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
•Pre-sessional English - a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English

Expand+Learning and Teaching

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support, to enable you to achieve your full academic potenti...

Hide-Learning and Teaching

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support, to enable you to achieve your full academic potential.

On the BA in Irish and Social Anthropology, we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course:

•Lectures: introduce basic information about new topics and outline theoretical and methodological concepts as a starting point for further study. Lectures may also provide opportunities to ask questions, and receive advice on assessments.

•Seminars/tutorials: Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (rarely more than 15 students). The majority of seminars and tutorials are taught by permanent members of the academic staff. Such small-group teaching provides opportunities for you to engage with active researchers who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess your own progress and understanding with the support of peers. You should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups. In Irish, many of these seminars will be conducted through the medium of Irish so that students are constantly developing their linguistic skills.

•Language classes: Almost all of the teaching in Modern Languages is carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students) in English and Irish. Written language classes meet for two hours each week, and involve intensive work on developing linguistic competence, vocabulary, idiom, knowledge of grammar, comprehension and translation skills, essay-writing skills etc. Students should expect to prepare work in advance of each of these classes, where they will receive regular written and oral feedback on their work.

•Oral classes: These classes focus on developing oral skills and applying grammar and vocabulary in real-life, practical contexts. All these classes are taught in very small groups (typically 6-12 students) and are facilitated by native speakers.

•E-Learning technologies:Most information associated with lectures and assignments is communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: computer-based grammar learning packages in the Language Centre; interactive web-based learning activities (specifically designed by Queen’s staff); opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work, interactive group workshops, online discussions, and web-based learning activities.

•Residence Course: Students taking the BA in Irish and Social Anthropology spend a total of six weeks at the beginning of levels 2 and 3 on a residence course in Rinn na Feirste in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Here students engage with the spoken language in its native environment while staying in accommodation with a host family. Intensive, structured tuition is provided by qualified native Irish speakers during the course. In addition to the benefits for oral competence in Irish, the residence course provides a unique opportunity for immersion in Gaeltacht culture and establishes a tremendous esprit de corps among students.

•Self-directed study: This is an important part of life as a Queen’s student, when private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date, and research and preparation work for assignments is carried out. Academic staff will provide tailored bibliographies for research projects and self-directed reading.

•Work-Related learning/Field Trips: Students have a variety of opportunities to participate in work-related learning and field trips; there are also meetings with alumni to advise students on opportunities for graduate employment.

• Supervised projects and dissertations: In final year, you have the opportunity to undertake these. If you do so, you receive support from a supervisor who guides you in terms of how to carry out your research and will provide feedback on drafts of your work. All supervision is undertaken by permanent members of staff, many of whom are world-class experts in their field.

•Personal Tutor: Every undergraduate has a Personal Tutor who is a member of the academic staff. The Personal Tutor meets with his/her students throughout their academic career and provides advice on personal development, employment opportunities, and their general progress through university.

Expand+Overview

The Irish language continues to form an integral part of Irish cultural life as a medium for education, music, literature, drama and television. The language has been spoken for over 2,000 years and boasts a vast early literature of wo...

Hide-Overview

The Irish language continues to form an integral part of Irish cultural life as a medium for education, music, literature, drama and television. The language has been spoken for over 2,000 years and boasts a vast early literature of world significance.

The emphasis at Queen's is on modern Irish language and literature as essential elements of contemporary Irish culture and society. Insight into the country's earlier heritage is developed through the study of mythology, poetry, saga and folklore.

Expand+Course Content (including module information)

Level 1

At Level 1, the two language modules are concerned exclusively with core oral and written language skills. Learning is enhanced by small-group teaching and computer-assisted language learnin...

Hide-Course Content (including module information)

Level 1

At Level 1, the two language modules are concerned exclusively with core oral and written language skills. Learning is enhanced by small-group teaching and computer-assisted language learning methods.

Optional modules include Irish Folklore - in which students study folk story, performance, ritual, belief, festival and worldview, and material culture and lifestyle - and Celtic Mythology, which explores the mythology and religious belief in Ireland and the Continent.

Levels 2 and 3

The language modules at Levels 2 and 3 not only build on the language skills acquired at Level 1, leading to fluency and proficiency in speech and writing, but also contain strands examining earlier phases of the language, dialects and phonetics.

The other modules at Levels 2 and 3 cover topics including folklore, the novel in Irish, early Irish sagas and the Irish poetic tradition. Students also have the opportunity to learn some Scottish Gaelic, a language and tradition closely related to Irish, and to study Translation and Film in the Irish Language.

At all levels of the degree, teaching and assessment are mainly through the medium of Irish, thus creating a mini-Gaeltacht that supports students' language learning.

Expand+Assessment & Feedback

Assessment: The way in which you are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combi...

Hide-Assessment & Feedback

Assessment: The way in which you are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction. In first-year language classes, you are assessed through a variety of language tasks (such as translation, comprehension, summaries, essay writing etc.), in-class tests, language exams, and oral exams.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:
•Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
•Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
•Placement employer comments or references.
•Online or emailed comment.
•General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
•Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
•Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
•Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

Expand+Career Prospects

Studying for a degree in Irish at Queen‘s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, particularly in a world where critical thinking, cross-cultural awarenes...

Hide-Career Prospects

Studying for a degree in Irish at Queen‘s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, particularly in a world where critical thinking, cross-cultural awareness and communication skills are at a premium.

Teaching in Irish-Medium education is a popular option for our graduates, who enter the profession after a postgraduate conversion course (PGCE) in education at Queen‘s.

Our graduates have also pursued careers in a wide range of sectors, including academic research, translation at home and in the EU, broadcasting and the media, and the Civil Service.

Irish at Queen‘s has links with a number of employers including the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), the BBC, Irish Language Broadcast Fund and other media companies.

An Gúm, Foras na Gaeilge and other schools and community groups in Belfast provide opportunities for placements for students.

Further study is also an option pursued by graduates, who can continue to a Master of Research (MRes) programme which will be tailored to the student’s particular interests and will involve a combination of guided study and independent research; see the School website for further information.