Education Home Economics & Business Studies - Thurles - Second Level Teaching
The BA in Education, Home Economics and Business Studies programme (post-primary) is a four-year, full-time, undergraduate concurrent teacher education degree (Level 8), offered at MIC Thurles. Graduates are qualified to teach Home Economics and Business Studies to honours Leaving Certificate level.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University of Limerick |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University of Limerick | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Applicants must have obtained the following minimum grades in the Leaving Certificate examination:
• Grade H5 on a Higher Level paper in not less than two subjects
• Grade O6/H7 in four other subjects, including English and Maths (Higher or Ordinary Level)
Applicants must have obtained the following grades, at minimum, in the following subjects:
H5 Home Economics Or H5 in a Science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Chemistry/ Physics, Agri-Science).
STUDENT FITNESS TO TEACH FORM
In order to establish students’ fitness to teach, all incoming teacher education students are required to complete a Student Fitness to Teach Form.
GARDA VETTING
Registration will be conditional upon successful completion of the Garda vetting process.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Career Opportunities
The programme prepares graduates for their roles in all areas of professional life in education. While teaching is the main focus, the following list demonstrates just some of the alternative careers our graduates may wish to pursue:
• Agri-business
• Educational Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Food and Fashion Industry
• Human Resource Management
• Mentoring, Training and Development
• Post-Primary Teacher
• Retail Management
Further information
MATURE STUDENTS
If you are at least 23 years old on 1 January of the year of entry to College, you are considered as a mature applicant. All mature applicants who make an application to the College through the CAO for MI022 and are meeting the eligibility criteria, will be invited to attend for an GARDA VETTING Registration will be conditional upon successful completion of the Garda vetting process. Career Opportunities The programme prepares graduates for their roles in all areas of professional life in education. While teaching is the main focus, the following list demonstrates just some of the alternative careers our graduates may wish to pursue: • Agri-business • Educational Management • Entrepreneurship • Food and Fashion Industry • Human Resource Management • Mentoring, Training and Development • Post-Primary Teacher • Retail Management MIC Thurles T: +353 504 20535 / 21201 E: Paula.Hourigan@mic.ul.ie W: www.mic.ie Further Information interview. Candidates are awarded a grade for their performance at the interview. Where places remain unfilled after the list of successful first preference applicants has been exhausted, offers may be made to other applicants in order of preference and in accordance with the order of merit.
Applicants who get a ‘fail’ grade in the interview will be eliminated from the competition. Applicants who have failed the interview on two previous occasions are not eligible to re-apply. Mature applicants who have completed an interview will be contacted by the College to indicate whether or not they are suitable candidates for a place on the programme. Places are offered by the CAO based on the applicant’s order of preference.
STUDENT FITNESS TO TEACH FORM
In order to establish students’ fitness to teach, all incoming teacher education students are required to complete a Student Fitness to Teach Form.
GARDA VETTING
Registration will be conditional upon successful completion of the Garda vetting process.
GCE/GCSE/BTEC APPLICANTS
For further information about minimum grades and entry requirements please contact the MIC Admissions Office at E: Admissions@mic.ul.ie
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
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 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 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. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
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 and Maynooth University 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 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Why study the BA in Education, Home Economics and Business Studies at MIC?
The BA in Education, Home Economics and Business Studies programme (post-primary) is a four-year, full-time, undergraduate concurrent teacher education degree (Level 8), offered at MIC Thurles. Graduates are, subject to Teaching Council approval, qualified to teach Home Economics and Business Studies to honours Leaving Certificate level. Graduates of the programme will: • Demonstrate subject knowledge, knowledge of curriculum content and process, and professional knowledge; • Engage in critical and analytical thinking, problem-solving, reflection and self-evaluation;
• Engage in planning, teaching, learning, assessment, classroom management and organisation for the classroom and the school as a learning organisation;
• Articulate a commitment to and vision for the development of the uniqueness of the pupil in all his/her dimensions;
• Integrate and apply knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in complex and unpredictable educational settings;
• Exhibit strong interpersonal skills and a readiness to be leaders and innovators of curriculum change; and
• Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong personal and professional development and actively participate in professional learning communities.
What you will study
Students are educated in the most current methodologies and technologies available to enhance the teaching of their subject areas at post-primary level. The degree programme includes four years of modules in Home Economics and Business Studies. These are taken concurrently with Education modules, which include theoretical, pedagogical and professional studies along with a number of school placement experiences.
SCHOOL PLACEMENT
The school placement element of the programme is designed to meet the Teaching Council’s requirements, and students will spend approximately 23 weeks in schools during the programme. All placements are supported by college personnel. This period will allow students to engage in observation, class-based and whole-school teaching and learning activities. Working in partnership with schools, the placements are designed to enable students experience class levels from junior to senior cycle within a range of school types, and the student is guided and empowered along their learning-to-teach journey. The level and range of teaching and learning activities increases from School Placement 1 to School Placement 3 and the student is assisted by the tutors and co-operating teachers (treoraithe) to ensure that their practice is reflective of professional knowledge and their own personal commitment to the pupils’ wellbeing and learning. There is an integrated focus on subject knowledge and also inclusion and differentiation for each placement. Placements occur at four points in the programme.
Teaching and Learning 1
Year 1, Semester 2
Students are given the opportunity to observe teaching in practice for one week in a senior primary classroom. This observation placement provides an opportunity for students to gain an insight into the interconnection between primary and post-primary education. The placement inducts student teachers into the practice of teaching and reflection.
School Placement 1
Year 2, Semester 4
The focus for this six-week school placement is on lesson planning and preparation, scheme planning and developing effective teaching strategies in their subject areas. There is also a strong emphasis on the development of critical and reflective practice, and on developing an understanding of schools as organisations. Both observation and teaching elements are integrated into this placement which usually attends to junior cycle level and/ or transition year level. Students may also be placed in pairs on this placement, facilitating team teaching with one another as well as with established teachers.
School Placement 2
Year 3, Semester 6
In this two-week placement, students will work in special settings including the possibility of an international placement. The purpose of this placement is to support the student in becoming an inclusive teacher, and to develop their confidence and competence in responding to diverse needs in the classroom.
School Placement 3
Year 4, Semester 8
School Placement 3 will run over 14 weeks. In School Placement 3 the student teachers will plan, prepare and implement schemes of work and lesson plans in their subject areas at junior and senior cycle level. There will be a strong emphasis on reflective practice throughout these modules.
Study Abroad
Opportunities to travel to, for example, the USA and Japan for short-stay school placements are available in Year 3 and more countries are being accessed of late. Semester 6 offers opportunities to study abroad including Australia and a range of other locations. Our relationships with post-primary schools in Australia also extend to being placed in these schools in the summer of Year 4.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT
As part of their development as research-active teachers, students undertake an undergraduate research project. Students begin the preparation for the research project in Year 3 where they undertake their Research Methods module. The final research project is submitted in the last week of college in May.
YEAR 1
Semester 1
• Becoming a Student Teacher
• Food Science, Sustainability and Culinary Skills 1
• Family and Society
Two of the following modules will be offered:
• Management Principles
• Introduction to Business Mathematics
• Marketing
Semester 2
• Teaching and Learning 1 - Planning to Teach
• Understanding Contemporary Schools and Society
• Adolescent Development - Understanding Young People and How They Learn
• Textiles Science, Sustainability and Textile Skills
One of the following modules to be offered (excluding the modules already offered):
• Management Principles
• Introduction to Business Mathematics
• Marketing
YEAR 2
Semester 3
• Teaching and Learning 2 - Planning for Differentiation
• Teaching Home Economics and Business Studies 1
• Food Science, Resource Management and Culinary Skills 2
• Business Studies Accounting
One of the following modules will be offered:
• Introduction to Legal Environment of Business
• Economics
Semester 4
• Inclusive Education: Contemporary Perspectives
• School Placement 1
• Home, Family and Society - Leadership, Management and Sustainability 1
One of the following modules to be offered (excluding the modules already offered):
• Introduction to Legal Environment of Business
• Economics
YEAR 3
Semester 5
• Curriculum Studies and Assessment for and of Learning
• Diversity in Education - Ethics, Interculturalism and Inclusive Classrooms
• Textile Science, Fashion and Design
Two of the following modules will be offered:
• Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
• Business Information Systems
• Organisational Behaviour
• Ireland and the Global Economy
Semester 6
• Research Methods - Ethical Foundations for Teaching and Research
• School Placement 2
• Home, Family and Society - Leadership, Management and Sustainability 2
• Food Technology and Culinary Skills
Two of the following modules to be offered (excluding the modules already offered):
• Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
• Business Information Systems
• Organisational Behaviour
• Ireland and the Global Economy
YEAR 4
Semester 7
• Policy and Leadership in Education
• Research Project 1
• Teaching Home Economics and Business Studies 2
• Strategic Management
• Creativity, Innovation and Enterprise in Food Studies
• Home Economics Specialism
Semester 8
• School Placement 3
• E-Portfolio
• Research Project 2
Please note: The BA in Education, Home Economics and Business Studies is subject to Teaching Council Accreditation. The process, leading to the programme’s accreditation, will be undertaken in the Spring of 2023 when all MIC education programmes come under scheduled review by the Teaching Council in light of the new Standards in Initial Teacher Education (CÉIM).
Contact
MIC Thurles
T: +353 504 20535 / 21201
E: Paula.Hourigan@mic.ul.ie