Degrees Offered

• BA Single Honours Irish (UCAS Code: Q504)
• BA Joint Honours Archaeology and Irish (UCAS Code: VQ45)
• BA Joint Honours English and Irish (UCAS Code: QQ53)
• BA Joint Honours French and Irish (UCAS Code: QR51)
• BA Joint Honours History and Irish (UCAS Code QV51)
• BA Joint Honours International Studies and Irish (UCAS Code: LQF5)
• BA Joint Honours Irish and Politics (UCAS Code: QL52)
• BA Joint Honours Irish and Social Anthropology (UCAS Code: QL56)
• BA Joint Honours Irish and Spanish (UCAS Code: QR54)

Contact Information

For entrance requirements
E: admissions@qub.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)28 9097 3838

For course information
Irish and Celtic Studies 
School of Modern Languages 
T: +44 (0)28 9097 3695 
E: celtic@qub.ac.uk 
W: www.qub.ac.uk/ml

Entrance Requirements

BA Single Honours
Irish 3 yrs (Q504)

BA Joint Honours
Archaeology and Irish 3 yrs (VQ45)
English and Irish 3 yrs (QQ53)
French and Irish 4 yrs (QR51)
History and Irish 3 yrs (QV51)
International Studies and Irish 3 yrs (LQF5)
Irish and Politics 3 yrs (QL52)
Irish and Social Anthropology 3 yrs (QL56)
Irish and Spanish 4 yrs (QR54)

Entrance Requirements
A-level: BBB including Irish

Irish Leaving Certificate: B2B2B2B2CC/B2B2B2B2B2 including Higher Level grade B2 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. 

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 are an international student and you do not meet the English Language requirements, you should consider a preparation course at INTO Queen's University Belfast, which will develop the language skills you need to progress. INTO Queen's University Belfast is based on the University campus and offers a range of courses. For a full list click here

The Subject

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.

Course Content

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 a literary strand examining contemporary poetry, the short story and the novel. 

The other modules at Levels 2 and 3 cover a wide variety of topics including folklore, early Irish sagas and Irish dialects. 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.

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 Politics 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. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.

• 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:  Students have opportunities to develop oral skills and apply 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.

• Residence Course:  Students taking the BA in Irish and Politics 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.

• 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; opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work, interactive group workshops, online discussions, and web-based learning activities.

• 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.

• Supervised projects and dissertations:  In final year, students have the opportunity to undertake these. If they do so, they receive support from a supervisor who guides then in terms of how to carry out research and who will provide feedback on drafts of 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.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment:  The way in which students 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.  There are also oral examinations which enable students to demonstrate their ability to analyse and present material in Irish and pursue high-level discussion in the target language. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction.

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 students, as individuals or as part of a group, have submitted. 
• Face to face comment.  This may include occasions when students 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 students should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid.  In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which students can review in their 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 students have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work. 

Careers

Studying for an Irish and Politics degree at Queen’s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree have the proven ability to analyse subjects in depth and develop coherent arguments in written and verbal form, as well as linguistic fluency and intercultural awareness, all of which are highly sought after skills in a global job market. In addition, the subject-matter studied as part of a degree in Irish and Politics is related to a wide range of contemporary issues, which allows graduates to understand the contemporary world in a broad cross-cultural perspective.

In a context where over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline, we have found that employers of all kinds wish to employ Irish and Politics graduates.Although many of our graduates are interested in pursuing careers in teaching, business, the civil service, translating/interpreting or social and community development work, significant numbers develop careers in a wide range of other sectors. 

The following is a list of the major career sectors (and some starting salaries) that have attracted our graduates in recent years:

Employer Links – Consultations:We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including, for example, Northern Ireland government departments and the North/South Ministerial Council. We have also developed links with a large number of employers including, for example, the BBC, Irish Language Broadcast Fund and other Irish-language media companies.

Placement Employers:Our past students have also gained work placement with organisations such as:

The Prospects websiteprovides further information regarding the types of jobs that attract Irish and Politics graduates.

Further study: Further study is also an option open to Irish and Politics graduates. Students can choose from a wide range of Masters programmes as well as a comprehensive list of research topics, see the Schools of Modern Languagesand Politics, International Studies & Philosophywebsites for more information.

Other Career-related information: Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 20 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers.  Queen’s students will be advised and guided about career choice and, through the Degree Plusinitiative, will have an opportunity to seek accreditation for skills development and experience gained through the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer.  See Queen’s University Belfast fullEmployability Statementfor further information.

Degree Plus and other related initiatives:  Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s.  Students are encouraged to plan and build their own, personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports. 

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students).  Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts.  As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.

Overall, these initiatives, and Degree Plus in particular, reward the energy, drive, determination and enthusiasm shown by students engaging in activities over-and-above the requirements of their academic studies.  These qualities are amongst those valued highly by graduate employers.

Special Features

Summer School: students receive intensive language teaching in each year and attend a staff-led summer school in the Donegal Gaeltacht. 

Support: staff offer support through a personal tutoring system, skills development programme, and a structured feedback framework, which help students integrate into university life and reach their full potential.

Last updated 12.09.13