Why are Degree courses in Ireland 4 years?

sock puppet

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Loads of people are looking for them, and not getting them. It was guaranteed in the course with their contacts. Also those wouldn't be paid?

Depends on the company whether it's paid or not. As for people not getting them, that happens in courses with placements too.

edit: the contacts are a big benefit too, but again good industry contacts aren't restricted to courses that include placements.

--LOS--

steddyeddy wrote: »

Well in science the overall grade is determined from 70% of 4th year and 30% of third year.

That purely depends on the college, for my degree it was 80% 4th year, 20% 3rd year.


And will people stop saying a 4 year irish degree equals a uk masters, that's nonsense!

EDudder

Is it not because leaving certs are a lot more general than A-levels, so for a lot of degrees they have a year of learning the 'basics'?

E.g. a UK student having just completed A-levels in Chemistry/Physics etc. is on a completely different footing than a leaving cert student.

The idea of someone going to Uni to do 'Science' in the UK would be laughable.

I do think the ROI system has a lot of advantages though. 16 is too young to be making decisions on where you want to specialise IMO.

sock puppet

EDudder wrote: »

The idea of someone going to Uni to do 'Science' in the UK would be laughable.

Huh? Do most universities not offer a natural sciences degree?

CelticRambler

Ameer Attractive Ledge wrote: »

I don't see how the UK has a poorer education system. Most people do 9+ GCSEs, with all the core subjects and some electives, then at least 3/4 A-levels in subjects they want to study in greater depth.

Therein lies the (partial) explanation of the 3 vs. 4 year courses - the students make a "career" choice two years earlier in the UK than in Ireland. Personally, with children at that age now and experience of three different systems (Ireland, France, UK), I would rate the Leaving Cert as the best of them.

It's true that the A-level standard is higher than the equivalent LC subject, but in my (specialist science) course we had a high percentage of A-level entrants. For the first three months, they were top of the class. By the end of the year, they were bog-standard ordinary in respect of course content and way behind in pub-quizzes and general academic stuff because they'd dropped all the humanities at GCSE level.

Sugar Free

EDudder wrote: »

The idea of someone going to Uni to do 'Science' in the UK would be laughable.

A degree simply in science would be laughable but the option of a general entry into science which specialises in further years - as offered by most Irish universities - is a good one imo.

XxMCRxBabyxX

steddyeddy wrote: »

Well in science the overall grade is determined from 70% of 4th year and 30% of third year.

In Maynooth all courses are offered this option. Your final grade is either 70/30 or 100% final year depending on which is the better grade.

steddyeddy

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

In Maynooth all courses are offered this option. Your final grade is either 70/30 or 100% final year depending on which is the better grade.

That's a good way of doing things imho. It takes a bit of the pressure of students.