College Choice/Brian Mooney:Careers in law, psychology and sport: Tribunal lawyers' fees may give the impression that a career in the law was a licence to print money, but in recent years, a more balanced perception has taken hold.
For many solicitors and barristers, earnings can be meagre. The picture is more even for solicitors, although carving out a good reputation and establishing a client base takes years of work.
The number of students listing law as their first CAO choice dropped 12 per cent in 2005. Points dropped in 2006 in many programmes, opening up the prospect of an honours law degree in a university to those scoring under 500 points for the first time in a generation. There are approximately 787 places on offer in honours degree programmes and 251 in ordinary degree/certificate courses. A law degree offers opportunities in management consultancy; stockbroking; banking; insurance; human resources; politics; journalism; accountancy; lecturing, property management and taxation and information technology.
Becoming a solicitor
Those interested in becoming a solicitor must take eight three-hour exams set by the Law Society, open to all graduates. Law graduates would cover all the content in their degrees. They become apprentices at law firms or work for the Irish Legal Aid Board. For more information, visit the society's website - www.lawsociety.ie
Becoming a barrister
The Law School of King's Inns lists 31 degree programmes, suitable for direct entry on to their one-year, full-time degree course, following a successful completion of their entrance exam. Prospective candidates, who hold an approved non-law degree or are mature applicants, may take a two-year, part-time King's Inns diploma in legal studies. On completion of the degree, students are conferred with the degree of barrister at law. For more information, visit www.barcouncil.ie
Approved law degrees
Trinity College: LLB, LLB (French) and LLB (German). UCD: BCL, BCL (international), BCL (European and legal studies), BCL (law with French law), BCL (law with politics), BCL (law with philosophy), BCL (law with history), BBLS, BBLS (European) and BBLS (international). NUI Cork: BCL, BCL (law and Irish), BCL (French), BCL (German) and BCL (international). NUI Galway: LLB and BCL University of Limerick: LLB, (law and European studies), BA (law and accounting), LLB, graduate entry, and LLB, evening degree. Griffith College, Dublin: LLB (hons) degree in Irish law and BA (hons) degree in business and law from Nottingham Trent University. Portobello College, Dublin: LLB degree from University of Wales. Queen's University of Belfast. Single-honours LLB, LLB (law with politics), LLB (law with languages) and LLB (law with accounting).
Other programmes
A number of other colleges offer level eight programmes. They include: law and taxation in LIT, legal studies in Waterford IT, plus three programmes introduced this September - criminal justice in Waterford IT and legal studies in Carlow IT and Dublin Business School. There are three level six/seven on offer this year. Letterkenny IT is introducing law, while Waterford IT and Griffith College offer legal studies.
Psychology
Psychology degrees are available in specialised programmes in NUI Maynooth, UCD, NUI Galway, TCD, UCC and the Dublin Business School.
In other cases, psychology is available as an arts subject, with possible progression to subsequent years in some cases. In UCD, NUI Galway and NUI Cork, arts students can take psychology as a minor subject only. In UCD, all students have the opportunity to take modules in psychology through the new Horizons curriculum, which allows students choose two out of 12 modules per year across the university. NUI Maynooth offers all first arts students the option of taking psychology, with 30 students progressing to second year, based on results. Trinity offers psychology in its two-subject moderatorship.
At Mary Immaculate College, psychology can be taken as part of an arts degree, along with any of 10 other arts subjects, including media and communication studies. It offers a unique four-year honours degree programme in education and psychology. This programme qualifies students as primary school teachers and students can pursue psychology at postgraduate level, leading to a qualification as an education psychologist or other branches of psychology.
There are variations; for example, UL offers psychology and sociology. American College offers a highly regarded honours degree in behavioural science. Other variations include theology and psychology in All Hallows, psychology applied to information technology in Dún Laoghaire and psychology through science at NUI Maynooth.
Sports Management
UCD offers 40 places on the only level eight sports management degree in Ireland. For those interested in health awareness, physical activity and wellbeing, Dundalk IT offers 30 places on a four-year programme, health promotion and physical activity.