UL New Course Bachelor of Arts Professional Pathways LM031

At UL we are introducing a new, unique and exciting undergraduate degree, the BA Professional Pathways.

This programme channels the power of an arts degree into four distinct pathways created with employer input to match the skills and knowledge they want to see in graduates.   

In addition to the subject knowledge gained within their specific pathway, students also take workplace-focused transferrable skills modules every semester that again match the skills in demand from employers.  

This unique degree fuses knowledge and skills.  You will gain knowledge from subjects in your chosen pathways and you will develop a range of skills to help you apply that knowledge. As this degree is cutting-edge, its graduates will be too!

Course Director, Dr Chris McInerney

Course features

The BA Professional Pathways is not just a new degree, it is a whole new way of approaching your university education.

There are three distinct features of this degree:

• Public Affairs – designed for those who want to play a role in shaping, guiding and understanding how our society, economy, political and administrative systems will operate, in Ireland as well as at a global level. Over your four years, you will mainly take modules in Economics, Sociology, Politics and Public Administration.  
• Social, Economic and Physical Planning – designed for those who see themselves having a role in planning for the future, either in terms of social and economic development or physical planning. On this pathway you will mainly take modules in Geography, Economics and Public Administration.  
• Communication and Digital Translation- designed for those who have an interest in communication and in acting as the interpreters and translators of our increasingly digital world. In this pathway, you will study modules from digital culture, journalism, communications and linguistics. You will also have the option to study a language.  
• Social, Economic and Environmental Change – designed for those who are interested in understanding and shaping how our world needs to and can change in a more equitable and sustainable direction. On this pathway you will mainly take modules in Geography, Economics, Sociology, Politics and Public Administration.

Why choose BA Professional Pathways?

You should consider this BA if you wish to:

• Consider a career related to the pathway of your choice;

• Combine carefully selected, cutting edge arts, humanities and social science subjects with a bespoke set of transferable skills modules;

• Have a degree that uniquely prepares you for the workplace and will distinguish you from the vast majority of other graduates;

• Have a degree that is concerned both with how you acquire knowledge, and most especially, with how you continually, critically and creatively use that knowledge to understand

Career opportunities

The BA Professional Pathways has been designed with employability at its centre. Graduates from the degree are likely to find careers across the following areas:

• Public affairs specialist in government • Parliamentary support roles • Public relations • Graduate-level entry positions in the civil and wider public sector, in Ireland and internationally. • Physical planner/town planning in local government • Public affairs consultancy • Economic planning and analysis • Social planning, policy analysis • Communications management • Digital communication/transformation • Sustainability management • Corporate social responsibility specialist • Community development • Not-for-profit operations

Follow-on study

Some students may choose to take up further study options on completion of their undergraduate degree. From the BA Professional Pathways students may pursue postgraduate studies in:

• Planning/Urban design and planning • Planning and sustainable development • Peace and Development • Digital Transformation/Digital Innovation • Youth and community work • Master in Public Administration • Business management • Arts to Industry • Social Policy • Voluntary and community sector management • Economic and policy analysis • Project management

What you will study

Public Affairs Pathway

Social, Economic and Physical Planning Pathway

Communication and Digital Translation Pathway

Social, Economic and Environmental Change Pathway 

Click here for full course details.