Does Horizons permit me to do this?

Dave!

Hey folks,

I'm wondering if ye could impart some of your amazing UCD information to me to save me having to email the actual college and then wait for a reply.

A bit of background...

* I've finished my first year ("Stage 1"?) in UCD studying a BA in Computer Science and History
* I passed all my exams with not-quite flying colours, and didn't have to repeat any
* For those of you who managed to avoid my many... many threads on the subject, and so aren't aware, I'm currently taking a year out and hope to return in September 07

Now, my queries...

* I'm considering changing over from the BA Computer Science to a BA in History and Politics -- is this possible when I go back in September?
* Would I be required to pay tuition fees for this?
* I wouldn't be bothered if I had to do my first year in Politics while doing my second year in History, thus making the course 4 years rather than 3 -- since that's how long it'll take doing my current one anyway.

Any insight is appreciated! You people seem to know more about this than I do

Cheers!

Chakar

DaveMcG wrote:

*I'm considering changing over from the BA Computer Science to a BA in History and Politics -- is this possible when I go back in September?
* Would I be required to pay tuition fees for this?

Q.1 Yeah but you'll have to sort out the details.Talk to the Arts Programme Office at the Wall and they will point you in the right direction.

Q.2 Yeah because you would be doing an extra year either way.

Byrno

On transferring - most definitely possible but wouldn't be sure whether you can transfer into First or Second Year, may depend on your grades/electives

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see that you were also doing History. If anything it could well help you in being able to transfer into Second Year.

On tuition fees - if you transfer into 2nd year you won't have to pay fees, if you have to start again in first year you will have to pay for the first year.

I dunno if this is relevant but here you go:

UCD Horizons website wrote:

If my two elective modules are quite different to my CAO selection, will I be able to transfer into a different degree, and, if so, will I have to repeat First year or can I progress?
The purpose of offering modular programmes is to provide you with greater student flexibility and choice within broad parameters. Where a number of programmes of study are closely associated for example in Science, Business and Arts, it is possible that you may be able to use your electives to move into a new area of specialism. If you decide to transfer to a different degree you will retain the credits that you have successfully gained.

The best advise I would give you is to either ring up the Arts Programme Office or get in touch with your Student Advisor (contact details on this website: http://www.ucd.ie/acshs/contact.html). I wouldn't be too confident taking our advise as fact (no offence to anyone here, it's just that I think even the Programme Offices would be a bit sketchy on this info).

Chakar

Byrno wrote:

(no offence to anyone here, it's just that I think even the Programme Offices would be a bit sketchy on this info).

None taken Byrno.

Dave!

Byrno wrote:

I wouldn't be too confident taking our advise as fact (no offence to anyone here, it's just that I think even the Programme Offices would be a bit sketchy on this info).

Thanks, I wouldn't take your posts as gospel of course, but boards usually leads ya in the right direction (ie. tells you who to ask)

Thanks for the replies, anyone with more information please post away!

I'll send a few emails tomorrow evening. Thanks again!

the_syco

If the course is a totally different subject, you wouldn't be repeating anything, thus it may be free. Althought this is the case with some IT's, dunno with UCD.

Stepherunie

Okay here's my take on it;

At the moment if you fail more than 10 credits you must repeat the year.

You didn't fail any modules but to complete enough of the first year credits in politics I'm assuming you'd be picking up 25 if not 30 credits.

So that would lead me to conclude that you'd have to repeat 1st year with just those subjects and as you'd already done first year you would be paying fees for those credits but you would be exempt from taking the history modules again as you had already passed them.


As a reference a friend did this in NUIG (I know different college and all) because she had to change subjects and she had to repeat first year but only take on half credits for the year.

Jonny Arson

Stepherunie wrote:

Okay here's my take on it;

At the moment if you fail more than 10 credits you must repeat the year.

You didn't fail any modules but to complete enough of the first year credits in politics I'm assuming you'd be picking up 25 if not 30 credits.

So that would lead me to conclude that you'd have to repeat 1st year with just those subjects and as you'd already done first year you would be paying fees for those credits but you would be exempt from taking the history modules again as you had already passed them.

That would be my take on it too.

Dave, did you do any Politics modules in 1st year?

If not, I believe you must complete at minimum 10 credits from a subject to progress to Stage 2 of that said subject (Politics).

I don't believe the 20 credits from Comp Sci can count in any way towards the BA programme, so that may mean you will have to repeat 1st year to complete 60 credits.

Could you give a breakdown of what subjects/modules/electives you took last year? I would seem to me the likely scenario may result in you transferring 40 credits you earned from History and (Psychology was it?) in 1st year and complete the remaining 20 credits by doing Politics or whatever.

Plead your case, be nice to the clowns and don't send me abusive PMs if I'm completely wrong though!

Dave!

hmmm... Well what I was thinking along the lines of was the following:

* The Horizons system effectively does away with "Years", replacing them with "Stages"
* You don't have to do modules from the same "Stage", although this would be the norm
* So I could move onto Stage 2 in History, while starting Stage 1 in Politics, thus finishing Stage 3 in Politics a year after graduating with a History degree

I'm probably way off, but that was one theory I had going! lol

Last year I did...

Semester 1:
Computer Science - 2 modules
History - 2 modules
Psychology - 2 modules

Semester 2:
Computer Science - 2 modules
History - 1 module*
Philosophy - 1 module
Psychology - 2 modules

* I had some trouble with lectures clashing, so after discussing it with the programme office I was planning on doing 1 of my History modules next year. This is what leads me to believe that it's not necessary to do all your modules in a linear fashion.

Thanks for any more help! It's getting very messy, grrg!

Dave!

Any other thoughts?