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Social Policy & Economics

Higher Education CAO
TR214

Social Policy entails the study of those social relations shaping human welfare and wellbeing and analysis of the means by which governments achieve citizen’s well-being through the formation of policies, provision of services and responding to social issues and problems.

If you are interested in current economic affairs or in understanding how public policies could lower unemployment or assist the developing world, then you will find studying economics both stimulating and rewarding.

Award Name Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ)
NFQ Classification Major
Awarding Body University of Dublin
NFQ Level Level 8 NFQ
Award Name NFQ Classification Awarding Body NFQ Level
Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) Major University of Dublin Level 8 NFQ
Course Provider:
Location:
Dublin City Centre
Attendance Options:
Daytime, Full time
Qualification Letters:
BA (Hons)
Apply to:
CAO

Duration

4 years full-time

Specific Subjects or course requirements

Minimum Entry Requirements: Irish Leaving Certificate

To be considered for admission to a degree course at the University you must:

Present six subjects, three of which must be at grade 5 or above on higher Leaving Certificate papers or at least grade 5 in the University matriculation examination.

The six subjects above must include:

A pass in English.

A pass in mathematics (or foundation-level mathematics (see note 2)) and a pass in a language other than English
OR
A pass in Latin and a pass in a subject other than a language.

Specific Subjects Required

Economics
Mathematics O4/H6

Social Policy
None

Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements

Admission Requirements 2025

To qualify for admission to an honours degree course at the University you must:

1 meet the minimum entry requirements (see above).
2 satisfy course specific requirements (where applicable), see above.
3 where there is competition for places, have good enough examination results to be included among those to whom offers are made (see the Leaving Certificate scoring system or Advanced GCE (A Level) scoring system).

Minimum Entry Requirements: Irish Leaving Certificate
To be considered for admission to a degree course at the University applicants must:

› Present six subjects, three of which must be at grade 5 or above on higher Leaving Certificate papers or at least grade 5 in the University matriculation examination.

The six subjects above must include:
› A pass in English.
› A pass in mathematics (or foundation-level mathematics (see note 2)) and a pass in a language other than English OR
› A pass in Latin and a pass in a subject other than a language.

Notes:
1 A pass means grade O6/H7 or above in the Leaving Certificate and grade 7 or above in the University matriculation examination.

2 Mathematics at foundation-level is acceptable for minimum entry requirements only, for all courses except nursing or midwifery courses. Irish at foundation-level is not acceptable for minimum entry requirements, course requirements or for scoring purposes.

3 Students may combine grades achieved in different sittings of their Leaving Certificate/Matriculation examinations for the purpose of satisfying minimum entry and/or course requirements, but not for the purposes of scoring. This is not permitted for Medicine.

4 Combinations of Leaving Certificate subjects not permitted:
› Physics/chemistry may not be presented with physics or chemistry.

› Biology and agricultural science may not be presented as two of the six subjects required for minimum entry requirements, and they may not be presented together to satisfy course specific requirements. However, both may be used for scoring purposes.

› Art and music may not be offered as two of the three higher Leaving Certificate grades for minimum entry requirements, but both may be used for scoring purposes.

Bonus Points for Higher Level Mathematics
All students presenting H6 or above in higher level mathematics will have 25 points added to their score for mathematics. The bonus points will only be relevant where mathematics is scored as one of a student’s six best subjects for points purposes.

An applicant’s six best results from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate will be counted for scoring purposes. Applicants may combine results from the Leaving Certificate and the Trinity matriculation examination of the same year for scoring purposes.

The minimum entry levels (points) for Trinity in recent years are available at: www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admission-requirements/ undergraduate

Age Requirement
Applicants seeking admission in 2025 must have a date of birth before 15 January 2009.

Garda Vetting
Students on courses with clinical or other professional placements may be required to undergo Garda vetting procedures prior to commencing placements. If, as a result of the outcome of the Garda vetting procedures, students are deemed unsuitable to attend clinical or other professional placement, they may be required to withdraw from their course. Students who have resided outside Ireland for a period of 6 months or more will be required to provide police clearance documentation from the country (including different states) or countries in which they resided.

Students who accept an offer will be informed of the procedures to be followed to complete the vetting process (as part of the student orientation information).

Fitness To Practice
Professional courses demand that certain core competencies are met by students in order to graduate and practice professionally after qualification. Trinity has special responsibility to ensure that all students admitted to all professional programmes will be eligible for registration by the relevant professional body upon graduation. It is important to us that our students are able to fulfil the rigorous demands of professional courses and are fit to practice.

Health Screening
Offers of admission to the following courses are made subject to certain vaccination requirements and/or certain negative test results:
› Clinical Speech and Language Studies
› Orthodontic Therapy, Dental Science, Dental Hygiene, Dental Nursing, and Dental Technology
› Medicine › Nursing and Midwifery
› Occupational Therapy
› Pharmacy
› Physiotherapy
› Radiation Therapy
› Social Studies (Social work)

Full details are available at: www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admissionrequirements/ undergraduate

Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules
These modules are accepted for scoring purposes only and are awarded the following points: Distinction 66, Merit 46, Pass 28.

QQI FET Applicants General Information

QQI/FETAC Qualifications
There is an entry route to a number of degree programmes in Trinity for applicants presenting appropriate QQI/FET Level 5 or 6 Major Awards. Applicants presenting distinctions in five modules can be considered for admission.

Full information on courses with QQI entry routes, requirements etc., can be found at the link below.

QQI FET General Information Link

QQI FET Entry Requirements

Careers / Further progression

Social Policy
Graduate skills and career opportunities
Our graduates work with national and international governments; civil society organisations; governmental and non-governmental think tanks; private sector organisations; bilateral and multilateral organisations, and community and social care services. Social policy is a particularly important degree for those interested in pursuing careers in in the public sector, and community and voluntary/not-for-profit sectors at local, regional and international levels. Graduates of social policy in Trinity have secured employment as social and academic researchers, policy analysts, governmental advisors and journalists recruited by organisations that include the United Nations (UN); the World Health Organization (WHO); International non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs); multinational private sector organisations; the civil and public service in Ireland and Europe; the Inner City Organisation Network (ICON), Focus Ireland, the Migrant Rights Centre, and in academia. The Joint Honours Programme in Social Policy provides a solid foundation for specialist postgraduate courses in the areas of social research, social policy and social work, politics and economics, sociology, health, education and a host of related disciplines.

Economics

Graduate skills and career opportunities
Economics students develop exceptional logical reasoning and analytical skills which are highly sought after by employers in a range of fields including business, finance, journalism, law, politics, the public service and academia. The following are just a few examples of the diverse organisations where economics graduates work: Dublin Web Summit, Abbott, Goldman Sachs, Google, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Irish Life, Wolfhound Press, Maersk, Central Bank of Ireland, and KPMG.

About a quarter of economics graduates go on to postgraduate study, both at Trinity and at other leading universities around the world such as Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge and the London School of Economics.

Points for Joint Honors

Course Web Page

Further information

Mature Students
All undergraduate courses in Trinity are open to mature applicants. Mature student applicants are not required to satisfy the normal minimum entry requirements and are not required to meet competitive academic entry levels (such as Leaving Certificate points), but are considered in the first instance on the basis of how relevant their life, work and educational experiences are to the course(s) that they wish to pursue. In addition, all applicants should demonstrate an interest in and knowledge of their course choice(s).

In order to apply to Trinity as a mature applicant you must:

› be an EU applicant (see page 216 TCD Undergraduate Prospectus 2025)
› be at least 23 years of age on 1 January 2025
› submit a CAO application form to the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February 2025

Late applications will not be considered from mature students.
CAO applications may be made online at: www.cao.ie

Further information about applying through the CAO as a mature student can be found www.

For information on Alternative Entry Routes go to: https://www.tcd.ie/study/apply/alternative-paths-to-trinity/

Entry 2025

Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2025 at 5pm

Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2025 at 5pm

Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2025 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2025 at 5pm

Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2025 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2025 at 5pm

Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.

LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2025. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2025, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2025 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2025 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.

Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2025 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:

General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices

Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course

Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants

Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR

What is Social Policy?
Social policy is concerned with the ways that states and societies respond to local and global challenges of security, poverty and inequality, education and health, welfare and well-being. It examines the different roles of government, the family, civil society, the market, and international organisations in the regulation and provision of social protection and rights through services that include social housing, poverty reduction measures, educational supports, migrant and refugee supports, pensions, health and social care programmes. The Joint Honours programme in Social Policy engages with a wide range of policy actors to identify and reduce inequalities in access to services experienced by social groups defined by socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, migration status, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age, at local and global levels.

This programme in social policy will equip you with a range of highly transferable skills that will continue to be of benefit to you throughout your career. You will critically appraise evidence and information, while resolving complex problems with competencies that help you to identify and mediate competing interests and perspectives that are crucial to the formulation of social policies in our world.

Do you enjoy...
Contemplating how we can make our societies a better place to live?
Using evidence to make decisions which affect people?
Learning about how to develop long-term policy solutions to current social issues and problems?

Social Policy: The course for you?
Are you curious about global social, political and economic issues like poverty and inequality? Climate change, migration and displacement? Health and the global burden of disease? Are you searching for a course that demands both academic and vocational qualities? Do you have a desire to make a difference in our world? If you have answered yes to these questions then social policy may be the subject choice for you! Social Policy is multidisciplinary, international and applied and offers a wide range of careers at community, national, regional, and global levels.

Your degree and what you’ll study
The fundamental aim of the degree programme is to give students a thorough training in the systematic study of social policy, contemporary social issues and how policy works. Teaching methods include lectures, seminars and group project work utilising innovative approaches enhanced by digital technologies. Assessment is by a combination of continuous assessment, written submissions, class presentations, examinations real-world relevant assignments such as policy case studies or ministerial briefings and a final year Capstone project.

What is Economics?
Any society has to address the problem of how and what to produce for its material survival, and how the goods and services that are produced should be distributed among its population. Economists explore how people and institutions behave and function when producing, exchanging and using goods and services. Economists’ main motivation is to find mechanisms that encourage efficiency in the production and use of material goods and resources, while at the same time producing a pattern of income distribution that society finds acceptable.

Economics: The course for you?
Economics will appeal to students with a wide range of interests. If you are interested in current economic affairs or in understanding how public policies could lower unemployment or assist the developing world, then you will find studying economics both stimulating and rewarding. Economics is also a strong platform for careers in business and finance. Students who enjoy abstract thinking, and are evaluating courses such as engineering or physics, should also consider economics as a degree option.

Your degree and what you’ll study
Most of the teaching takes place at lecture level and is complemented by tutorials (small group teaching). In the first two years, teaching emphasises the understanding of the basic principles of economics and the acquisition of the quantitative and analytical skills necessary for more in-depth study. The student will also receive instruction on how the modern economy works both from an Irish and a global perspective. In third and fourth year, there are very few compulsory modules. Students are therefore able to construct their own programme from a wide range of options.

Project work is a very important component of almost all modules within the final year; this project work allows students to achieve a high level of expertise in a number of specific areas and is very beneficial to students when setting out on their career paths. In addition, students specialising exclusively in economics in fourth year complete a Capstone project on a chosen topic.

Social Policy

First year and second year
In first year you will take introductory modules in Social Policy Concepts and Social Policy in Action and skills based modules on Accessing and Reviewing Scholarly Literature in the field of Social Policy as well as a module in Critical Analysis and Argument Development.

The second year places greater emphasis on social policy issues offering modules including: Policy Issues in Human Services; Global Health Policy; and two new modules Introducing Research Methods for Social Policy and Labour Market Activation. You will also be given the opportunity to take modules from other programmes across the university under the Trinity Electives model. This can include other social science modules such as Economy of Ireland; Economics of Public Policy; History of Political Thought; International Relations; Comparative Politics; and Introduction to Irish Family Law. In first and second years students typically have two lectures and one tutorial per week for each module.

Third year and forth year
The choice of modules available in third year typically includes modules such as: Global Social Policy; Youth and Society; Aging and Intergenerational Relations; and Policy Issues in Human Services. Again in third year, student have the option to take modules from other programmes across the university. Third year students also have the option to study abroad in a European or international university.

The choice of modules available in fourth year typically will include Eco-Social Policy, Disability and Global Human Rights, Regulating Reproductive Bodies, and a Research Methods for Capstone module that is essential for students who wish to undertake a Capstone Project in Social Policy in 2024-2025. A Capstone is a significant (20 ECTS) project or dissertation, undertaken with the guidance of a supervisor, that provides you with an opportunity to showcase the knowledge, skills and competencies which you have acquired over the course of your undergraduate study.

There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details

Study abroad
Students have the opportunity to study abroad in their third year at prestigious universities in Europe through the Erasmus programme as well as through non-EU international exchanges. You may participate in full-year or half-year exchanges with partner institutions in countries such as Sweden, France, Malta, Finland and Czechia. In addition, you can compete for a smaller number of places on university-wide non-European exchanges with partners in Australia, Singapore, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Canada and the US in your third year. Most partner universities offer their courses through English.

For more information on study abroad destinations and requirements visit: www.tcd.ie/study/study-abroad

Economics

First year and second year
Some of the modules which may be available to study are:

Introduction to Economics
Mathematics and Statistics
Introduction to Economic Policy.
Intermediate Economics.
Economy of Ireland.
Mathematical and Statistical Methods.
Economic Issues
Third and fourth years
Some of the modules which may be available to study are:

Economic Analysis.
Money and Banking.
European Economy.
Economics of Less Developed Countries.
Investment Analysis; Economics of Policy Issues.
Industrial Economics: Competition, Strategy and Policy.
Mathematical Economics; Econometrics; Economic Theory.
World Economy; Development Economics.
Economics of Financial Markets.
International Economics.
Economic and Legal Aspects of Competition Policy.
Applied Economics.
History of Economic Thought and Policy.
Topics in Political Economy.
All modules in the first three years are assessed by a combination of continuous assessment (tests or essays) and the formal end-of-semester examinations.

There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.

Study abroad
Students have the opportunity to spend some time in their third year studying in distinguished partner institutions in Australia, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands for either an academic year or for half an academic year; the majority of outgoing students go abroad for half an academic year. Further information on the year abroad programme, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/ssp/undergraduate/study-abroad

www.tcd.ie/Economics
Email: econsec@tcd.ie

www.tcd.ie/swsp/undergraduate
E socpol@tcd.ie

Course Provider:
Location:
Dublin City Centre
Attendance Options:
Daytime, Full time
Qualification Letters:
BA (Hons)
Apply to:
CAO