Expand+To compete for a place as a school leaver, an applicant must satisfy the minimum entry requirements as well as any specific programme requirements, and then compete on the basis of the results obtained in their school leaving examinations.

Applic...

Hide-To compete for a place as a school leaver, an applicant must satisfy the minimum entry requirements as well as any specific programme requirements, and then compete on the basis of the results obtained in their school leaving examinations.

Applicants may combine results achieved in different sittings for the purpose of meeting the minimum entry requirements for programmes, with the exception of Medicine (CK701). However, results achieved in separate years of school-leaving exams may not be combined for the purpose of scoring points.

Leaving Certificate applicants compete on the basis of a Points scheme.

Age Limits for Entry
For 2020 entry, CAO applicants for full-time degree programmes should have reached 17 years of age by 15th January 2021. Where a candidate below that age seeks to enter UCC, a special application must be made by the applicant to the Admissions Officer. Such an application should be accompanied by a letter of support from the Principal of the school at which the student is completing their school leaving examination.

Exemption from Irish And/Or The 3rd Language
In certain circumstances, applicants may be exempt from Irish and/or the third language requirement. Please refer to the NUI Handbook, the UCC Calendar or talk to your Guidance Counsellor for further details.

Infectious Diseases Policy
Students enroled on certain courses in the College of Medicine and Health are at increased risk of contracting and transmitting certain infectious diseases as a result of being in the clinical environment as part of their course. It is important, therefore, in order to protect patients and students that healthcare students are screened for, and immunized against, certain infectious illnesses. Students enroling in the School of Nursing and Midwifery are screened and immunized by the Health Service Executive Occupational Health Service and are subject to the HSE policies in this regard. All other undergraduate students in the College of Medicine and Health are subject to the UCC Infectious Disease Screening and Blood Borne Virus Policy. Details will be sent from the Admissions Office once a student has accepted his/her place.

Expand+QQI FET (FETAC) Students
Entry to degree programmes at UCC is available on a competitive basis to students who present with a recognised QQI award. For a full list of linked programmes, and the relevant QQI FET requirements, see www.ucc.ie/ e...

Hide-QQI FET (FETAC) Students
Entry to degree programmes at UCC is available on a competitive basis to students who present with a recognised QQI award. For a full list of linked programmes, and the relevant QQI FET requirements, see www.ucc.ie/ en/study/undergrad/fetac.

Students must meet the requirements and have achieved distinctions in the awards as outlined for each programme.

Due to the competitive nature of the Nursing Programmes, scores will only be calculated when the appropriate award is presented together with all the required modules and grades from a single sitting. For full details of the QQI FET award scoring scheme see www.qqi.ie.

Expand+Mature Students
UCC reserves places for mature students on almost all undergraduate degree programmes. Mature students do not need Leaving Certificate points to enter UCC. However, some degree programmes have specific educational requirements and i...

Hide-Mature Students
UCC reserves places for mature students on almost all undergraduate degree programmes. Mature students do not need Leaving Certificate points to enter UCC. However, some degree programmes have specific educational requirements and it is essential that prospective applicants check the Mature Student Guide, the Mature Student Office website, or contact a Mature Student Advisor for further details.

To be eligible to compete for a place as a mature student, applicants must be 23 years of age on or before the 1st January 2020. Application is made through the CAO by 1 February 2020. There is no late application date for mature students. UCC allows mature applicants to change the order of their CAO preferences up to 1 July. The completed application form is a vital component of the selection process.

The Mature Student Office will be pleased to help you with your application. The Mature Student Guide gives details of all aspects of the application and selection procedures as well as financial matters. This Guide is available on request from the Mature Student Office. The MSAP selection test for mature students to the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences will take place in March 2020.

Contact Information: Mature Student Office 1–2 Brighton Villas T: +353 (0)21 490 3670 E: mso@ucc.ie

Expand+Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2020 at 5:15pm

Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2020 at 5:15pm

Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2020 CAO Handbook): F...

Hide-Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2020 at 5:15pm

Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2020 at 5:15pm

Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2020 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2020 at 5:15 pm

Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2020 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2020 5:15 pm

Exceptional online late application (see page 21 of the 2020 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2020 at 5:15pm

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 5:15pm on 1 February 2020. The closing date for late applications is 5:15pm on 1 May 2020, subject to the restricitions listed on page 3 of the 2020 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2020 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.

Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5:15pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2020 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system.

If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.

Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.

Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, Maynooth University and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.

Refer to page 21 of the 2020 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.

Restricted-category Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2020 at 5:15pm, and include course choices by that date or add them using the Change of Course Choices facility for a fee of €10 before 1 March at 5:15pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature.

Applying for the DARE and/or HEAR – to be considered for DARE and/or HEAR, applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1 February 2020 at 5:15pm. To apply to DARE, you must answer YES to Question 1 ('Do you wish to be considered for DARE?) on Section A of the fully completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by 5:15pm on 1 March 2020.

To apply to HEAR, you must indicate on your CAO application that you wish to apply for HEAR and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form by 5:15pm on 1 March 2020.

Supporting documents for DARE and/or HEAR applicants must be sent to CAO offices before 15 March 2020 at 5:15pm

Expand+Introduction
The BSc Genetics Programme aims to produce graduates who have a strong foundation in modern genetics. There is a particular emphasis on the molecular basis of the subject, but all facets of genetics are covered in the degree.

Why S...

Hide-Introduction
The BSc Genetics Programme aims to produce graduates who have a strong foundation in modern genetics. There is a particular emphasis on the molecular basis of the subject, but all facets of genetics are covered in the degree.

Why Study
The BSc Genetics Programme teaches how genes work in individuals and populations. This knowledge is fundamental to all areas of biological study, as genes carry the information which largely determines what we are and how we function. There is particular emphasis on the molecular basis of genetics, but all facets are covered throughout the degree and graduates get a strong foundation in modern genetics. The final year also includes a three-month project, ten weeks of which are spent in the laboratory, during which the student receives training in the use of genetic approaches to solving a contemporary problem in Biology.

Work Placement
While work placement is not an integrated part of the programme, the staff endeavour to help motivated students to find relevant summer work experience, particularly before the final year. There are also some options for undergraduate experience abroad through the ERASMUS Programme.

Key Facts

• Multidisciplinary course team
• 3-month lab project
• Small classes
• Versatile multi-skilled graduates

Expand+Year 1 Modules
BC1001 Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease (5 credits); BL1002 Cells, Biomolecules, Genetics and Evolution (5 credits); BT1001 Introduction to Biotechnology (5 credits); GN1001 Principles and Methods in Ge...

Hide-Year 1 Modules
BC1001 Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease (5 credits); BL1002 Cells, Biomolecules, Genetics and Evolution (5 credits); BT1001 Introduction to Biotechnology (5 credits); GN1001 Principles and Methods in Genetics (10 credits); MA1001 & MA1002 Calculus for Science 1 & 2 (5 credits each); MB1003 Microbiology in Society (5 credits); CM1200 Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry Part 1 (10 credits); PY1010 Physics for Biological and Chemical Sciences (10 credits)

Year 2 Modules

CORE: Biomolecules; Principles of Metabolic Pathways; Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry Part 2b; Current Perspectives in Genetics; Fundamentals of Microbiology; Principles of Microbiology; Introductory Molecular Biology; Introduction to Plant Biotechnology; Introduction to Biostatistics; Vertebrate Diversity

ELECTIVES: Mammalian Cell and Tissue Structure; Ecological Plant Physiology

Year 3 Modules

Structural Biochemistry; Cell Signalling; Molecular Biology; Principles of Medical Genetics; Bioinformatics; Literature Project on Genetics; Population and Evolutionary Genetics; Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biotechnology; Molecular Genetics and Genomics; Immunology: Host Response to Pathogens; Genetic Manipulation of Plants; Biostatistics

Year 4 Modules

CORE: Research Project; Cancer Biology; Developmental Genetics; Genomics and Applications; Genetics and Society; Computational Biology; Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics; Biostatistics

ELECTIVES: Medical Microbiology; Advanced Medical Microbiology and Immunology; Advanced Virology and Antiviral Immunity; Advanced Cell Biology

Expand+Careers
The programme produces graduates with a strong foundation in modern genetics, molecular biology, and functional genomics. The practical applications of these disciplines include biotechnology, medical genetics, and forensics. Under the Rese...

Hide-Careers
The programme produces graduates with a strong foundation in modern genetics, molecular biology, and functional genomics. The practical applications of these disciplines include biotechnology, medical genetics, and forensics. Under the Research Prioritisation Exercise, the Irish Government identified many areas that draw upon genetic expertise. Irish government policy remains committed to fostering the development of indigenous biotechnology companies, which will provide further employment opportunities for genetics graduates. UCC graduates, by virtue of their broad training, will also have skills relevant for careers in the pharmaceutical industry, molecular diagnostics, medical research, science journalism, or teaching, and in genetic counselling, after further training.

Further Study
Graduates of the UCC genetics programme are eligible to compete for entry into MSc and PhD programmes in Ireland and overseas, in many disciplines including biochemistry, medical genetics, microbiology, medicine, neuroscience, plant science, zoology, and ecology.

Graduates will also be eligible to compete for entry to genetic counselling training programmes.

• PhD Biochemistry
• PhD Genetics
• PhD Medicine
• PhD Microbiology
• MSc Biochemistry
• MSc Biotechnology
• MSc Food Microbiology
• MSc Genetic Counselling
• MSc Microbiology
• MSc Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation
• HDip Statistics
• Graduate Entry Medicine.