Leaving Cert Subjects
Leaving Cert | Leaving Cert Applied (LCA)
Practical Group
These subjects are 'hands-on' and involve working with tools and machinery on physical things like wood, metals and plastic. They may involve designing, planning and building things.
Science Group
These subjects demonstrate how to explore nature using carefully planned methods, and teach the basic methods and findings of scientific investigation.
Artistic & Creative Group
These subjects involve developing creativity and the appreciation of the work of others. This involves learning the methods and techniques of the subject and producing your own work using these skills.
Humanities Group
These subjects explore the ways in which humans live and communicate in the world. Human life is examined by looking at our past, our present and into our future. These subjects help people to express themselves clearly and develop their reasoning ability.
Social Group
These subjects explore common issues faced by all people living in society. They develop the skills and knowledge used to manage personal resources and guide human behaviour.
Ray Power, Potter
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
Art, Physics, Accountancy along with the compulsary ones.
Madhuvratha Vasudevan, Senior Investment Analyst
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
In high school, I chose Commerce and Accounting as my main subjects, which focused on the core basics of financial accounting, cost accounting, management accounting, auditing and quantitative methods for business. I certainly feel my subject choices at the early stage moulded me and gave me the strong foundation I needed for the career path I wished to take. I can very confidently say that almost everything I learned in the early stage was beneficial in progressing towards my goals.
Patrick Kinnaird, Marine Biologist
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
I think it’s important to keep your options broad at school so you remain open to discovering different interests. At first, I didn’t particularly enjoy science, but after one lesson on fish, I realised I actually found it engaging because it connected with my hobbies. From there, my interests developed, from science to biology, then ecology, and eventually marine biology.
That said, I also learned that within any field there will be areas you enjoy more than others. For example, I find the chemistry side of marine biology more difficult to stay interested in, but I recognise its importance for understanding the bigger picture.
Looking back, I feel I chose my subjects well for my career path. The only subject I wish I had taken would be Photography. At the time, I didn’t realise how central it would become to my work, particularly in recording and analysing sightings. But hindsight is always clearer, and overall, I think my choices gave me a strong foundation for where I am now.