Arts - Spanish
Our BA degree programme at University College Cork is the gateway to the immense and exciting possibilities of education. We offer a wide variety of subjects across diverse fields – this allows you the flexibility and opportunity to choose your career pathway or postgraduate route.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 years, full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements
At least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish. Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Other Language O6/H7
Spanish (Group 6b)
Students wishing to take Beginners’ Spanish must have obtained a minimum grade H4 in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) in another modern continental language, or Irish, Latin or Greek OR evidence of competence equivalent to Grade H4 in a foreign language other than Spanish. Students who have studied Spanish at second level and obtained a grade below H4 can also join the Beginners’ Spanish course. Students wishing to take Non-Beginners’ Spanish must have obtained a minimum Grade H4 in Spanish in the Leaving Certificate examination (or equivalent).
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme LCVP
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Study abroad
If you are studying through the BA International, you will have the option of spending Year 3 studying at any one of our partner institutions in Spain or Mexico. These include:
Alicante
Barcelona
Alcalá de Henares (Madrid)
Burgos
Bilbao
Murcia
Palma de Mallorca
Las Palmas
Madrid
Zaragoza
Santiago de Compostela
A Coruña
Guadalajara, Mexico
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Medellin, Colombia
Lima, Peru
We are the only university in Ireland to offer study abroad opportunities in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Scholarships are also available for study-abroad summer courses.
Further information
September 2026
CK101 Arts: Approximate Available Places 50
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
CK101 Arts: Approximate Available Places Overall 500
Entry 2026
Early online application (discounted): Fee €35 Closing Date: 20 January 2026 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €50 Closing Date: 1 February 2026 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: €65 Closing Date: 1 May 2026 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2026 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 2026. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2026, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2026 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €65 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 2026 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
This programme gives you the space to explore your options. Ultimately you will not only excel in specific subject knowledge you will develop those intellectual, social and management skills essential for today’s working environment.
Our Arts CK101 programme is a full-time three-year honours programme, based at the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences (CACSSS). If you wish to spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions in Europe and beyond, you can apply to our four-year Arts (International) CK108 programme which is open to language and non-language students.
Subject options on registration: Students choose four subjects from the list below in Year 1, with not more than one subject from any group.
Students continue with 2 of these subjects in Years 2 & 3:
Group 1: Asian Studies, Computer Science***, History, Portuguese
Group 2(a)*: History of Art
Group 2(b)*: European Studies, Folklore, Gaeilge/Irish, Greek and Roman Civilisation, Studies in Psychology****
Group 3: Archaeology, Chinese Studies, German, Latin***, Mathematical Studies, Politics
Group 4: French, Sociology, Studies in Music
Group 5: Béaloideas, Economics, English, Greek***, Religions and Global Diversity
Group 6(a)**: Geography, Italian
Group 6(b)**: Celtic Civilisation, Philosophy, Spanish
*Groups 2(a) and 2(b): Students can combine History of Art with any subject from Group 2(a) in Year 1 only.Students can only study one subject from Groups 2(a) and 2(b) in Years 2 & 3.
**Groups 6(a) and 6(b): From Year 2, students may combine Italian with Spanish, but students may not combine Italian with Celtic Civilisation or Philosophy; or Geography with Celtic Civilisation, Philosophy or Spanish.
***These subjects are available in First Arts and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject in the Single Subject Programme
****This subject is available in Year 1 only
In the Department of SPLAS you can study Spanish and the languages and cultures of Spain, Portugal and Latin America through literature, theatre, film, music, history, visual arts, and audiovisual media.
You do not need to have studied Spanish before coming to us. About half of our students are beginners when they start their studies.
If you are studying Spanish as part of the BA (International) or BA (World Languages) you can spend Year 3 in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, or Colombia.
Key aspects of the course:
Spanish language at all levels
Spanish as a global language
Contemporary Spanish literature and creative writing
Aspects of contemporary Iberian and Latin American culture and society
Pedagogy and teaching of Spanish
the history and culture of the Spanish Golden Age
Latinx writers in the US from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Cuba
Spanish and Latin American theatre, film and audiovisual media
You can also study Portuguese, Catalan, Basque or Galician (Galego).
Year 1
Beginners Modules:
HS1101 First Year Spanish Language for Beginners (15 credits)
Non-Beginners Modules:
HS1102 First Year Spanish Language for Non-Beginners (10 credits);
HS1030 Introduction to Spanish and Latin American Studies (5 credits) (for Non-Beginners Only);
As well as your language learning, you will work in small groups to prepare a written project on an aspect of Spanish or Latin American culture, including history, politics, language, literature, music, art, film or theatre.
Year 2 Modules:
Core:
HS2101 Second Year Spanish Language Course (Ex-Beginners) or HS2102 Second Year Spanish Language Course (Ex-Non Beginners)
Plus the following Second Year culture courses on the different cultures, identities and communities of contemporary Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean.
HS2013 Iberian Identities
HS2014 Understanding Latin America
Electives:
Culture in the Spanish Golden Age
Contemporary Writing from Spain
Contemporary Hispanic Theatre
Gender in the Spanish Golden Age
Creative Practices on Social Justice and Marginalities in Latin America
Basque Language & Culture
Catalan Language & Culture
Galician Language & Culture
Linguistic Aspects of Spanish
US Latino Literatures
Cinema and Identity in Spain and Latin America.
Year 3*4 Modules
Core:
HS3001 Final Year Spanish Language
Electives:
Translating Business, Culture and Society in the Hispanic World
History & Society in Spanish Literature
Aspects of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language
Linguistic Aspects of Spanish as a Global Language
Stages of Exile in the Hispanic World
Text & Performance in Contemporary Iberia
Spanish & Portuguese-speaking Art World(s)
Basque Language & Culture
Catalan Language & Culture
Galician Language & Culture
Love & Sex in the Spanish Golden Age
The Body & Senses in the Spanish Golden Age
Gender, Violence & Power on the US-Mexico Border
Latin American & Caribbean Environmental Cultures in a Global Context
Advanced Research Project in Spanish & Latin American Studies
* BA International students spend third year studying in an approved foreign university in a country of the student's major language or subject. They will return to complete their final year in UCC in year 4.
Dr Helena Buffery
h.buffery@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 2553
http://www.ucc.ie/en/splas