How does an Arts degree from UCD compare to one from UCC

StradBally

Does anyone know if an Arts degree in UCD is regarded as more prestigious/same/less prestigious as an Arts degree from UCC? How does it compare to an Arts degree from Edinburgh University or Glasgow University?
My particular interest is Hispanic Studies.

Pride Fighter

They are both the same, both are in the NUI.

Stabshauptmann

Pride Fighter wrote: »

They are both the same, both are in the NUI.

Though I dont know the answer to the OPs question, your logic is wrong.

Not all comparable degrees from NUI colleges are considered the same, by employers or academic circles

Powerhouse

StradBally wrote: »

Does anyone know if an Arts degree in UCD is regarded as more prestigious/same/less prestigious as an Arts degree from UCC? How does it compare to an Arts degree from Edinburgh University or Glasgow University?
My particular interest is Hispanic Studies.

It is difficult to know how anyone could have the broad experience of courses, universities, employers and academic to comment on what is thought generally by all groups in relation to such comparisons. But as an Arts degree holder from UCD, who has a number of close friends who did Arts in Cork, I think they are equally regarded.

You will have perceptions that History is strongest in UCC, Irish in UCG, English in UCD etc. but where time-honoured myth ends and evidence-based reality begins in that debate is not clear. Generally when people are challenged on such matters they resort to "everybody knows" or "it's widely accepted" so you quickly realise they are talking cliched hogwash.

I doubt there is a person alive who could give an intelligent and informed answer to the question of comparisons in the courses offered between the four universities mentioned. Though in fairness to you, you do not ask for this. You mention prestige, which by definition is the smoke and mirrors stuff around the courses which influences thinking.

One thing that might be fair to say is that it is likely that employers like courses and universities that are familiar to them and are likely to dress this up to imply kind of genuine knowledge of the comparative value of course. Perceptions do not have to be either fair, reasonable or accurate to be dearly held.

el_barty

Powerhouse has the measure of it.

Each course is equivalent to the other in intellectual integrity, in quality, in terms of the standard it wants you to reach.

Employers are not versed in the minutiae of the differences between a UCC and a UCD degree - the only persons that can be are those who are external examiners for UCC and UCD, and those persons work hard to make sure that UCC and UCD, and indeed all other universities, work to the same standards.

If there are compelling reasons why you shoud go to UCC, go there. If there are compelling reasons why you should go to UCD, go there. As a tiebreak, but *only* as a tiebreak, consider relative prestige. That's extremely subjective, and that's why it's a tiebreak question, not higher up: very good students go to *both* universities, and it's possible to be intelligent and high-achieving in *both* Cork *and* Dublin (yes it's true!)

Will making the wrong choice harm your career prospects five years down the line? Maybe. Maybe not. How many people have asked you your Junior Cert results lately? They're important when you're 16, but not important when you're 20, and totally irrelevant before you reach 30. A slightly inferior choice right now won't harm your career prospects at 40, or even at 25. Go with whatever works better for you right now, because a degree is a degree, and whatever the margin between a UCC and UCD degree (in whatever direction!) it's MUCH wider than the margin between having a degree and not having one!

StradBally

Thanks for your thoughts lads. It's a tough choice. I should get the points fairly easy (based on last year) for both the UCC and UCD courses. It's Portuguese that particularly interests me.

The 2 Scottish Universities (Glasgow & Edinburgh) I'm interested in seem to have immense reputations worldwide, with Edinburgh consistently being ranked in the top 25-50 Universities worldwide. When scouring through the internet for info on this subject, I came across several claims that the Edinburgh degree "opened a door". Glasgow is reputedly excellent in it's teaching whilst lagging somewhat behind Edinburgh in research. I know this is a bit of generalisation but this comes across to me that Glasgow would be the preferred place for a first degree while Edinburgh would be preferred for post graduate.

These sort of opinions and/or "measurements" don't seem to exist or I haven't found them, on the internet, for the Irish Universities and the courses they offer.

When on work experience, I heard several times from managers/directors of an engineering company based in Cork that they preferred graduates in Mechanical Engineering from UL or CIT and graduates in Process/Chemical Engineering from UCC or UCD. They based their preferences on a very practical criteria - the graduates who have performed best in their jobs over a period of years.

Embyr

In UCD it's pronounced 'Orrts' degree

In relation to the suggestions that you should compare relative prestige, I would advise that you avoid this pitfall.
I chose UCD over NUI Maynooth for this very reason and dropped after a year of what can be best described as 'loneliness'.:o I was studying social science which was mixed in with the Arts folk. Classes in first year have anything up to 500 people in them, thus it's extremely difficult to make friends if you're not part of a D4 clique!
I know that in terms of getting a job the degree is the most important factor, but believe me, it becomes increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the morning when you're facing possibly the most unfriendly college in the country.

El Siglo

Embyr wrote: »

In UCD it's pronounced 'Orrts' degree

In relation to the suggestions that you should compare relative prestige, I would advise that you avoid this pitfall.
I chose UCD over NUI Maynooth for this very reason and dropped after a year of what can be best described as 'loneliness'.:o I was studying social science which was mixed in with the Arts folk. Classes in first year have anything up to 500 people in them, thus it's extremely difficult to make friends if you're not part of a D4 clique!
I know that in terms of getting a job the degree is the most important factor, but believe me, it becomes increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the morning when you're facing possibly the most unfriendly college in the country.

Joke about NUI Maynooth:

Q. What's the first thing they ask you when you go to NUI Maynooth?
A. "What did you really want to do?"

Listen UCD isn't all bad, and don't buy into that "oh there's lectures with 10,000 people and you'll never make friends because you're a culchie...." No, I did arts (I'm studying my last exams for it now), only three other people from my school went to UCD, and I was the only one that did arts, so I had to literally start from scratch like a lot of people, and it's just great craic! All that prestige rubbish aside, if there's particular stuff you're interested in then look up the course content (i.e. what are the modules) and look up the lecturers and see who does some stuff you're interested in. Other than that, there's feck all difference between UCC and UCD and really as far as employers go an arts degree is an arts degree, no major differences, well UCC has a really nice campus (the Quadrangle) and UCD looks like a Volks Polizei (VoPos, East German Police) training and detention centre!;) I think also for Hispanic Studies, University College London (UCL) is supposed to be really good for that but again is going to England worth the hassle for a course that you're pretty much guaranteed to end up on the dole?

dyl10

Your UCD degree will probably be better respected.
Purely by being granted by a higher standard university.