Celtic Civilisation - Conversion Course

Course Outline
The Higher Diploma in Arts (Celtic Civilisation) is intended for those who already have a degree and who wish to study the literature and culture of the medieval Celtic countries intensively over one academic year full time, or two academic years part time.

The course is aimed at graduates who would like to study a master's course in the subject area (but who do not have an honours degree in the relevant area) or who may wish to add the Higher Diploma in Arts subject to their qualifications

The Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation consists of modules to the value of 60 credits taken from a range of existing Second and Third Arts modules in the relevant subject. Suitable modules as well as attendance requirements and coursework are determined by the Department of Early and Medieval Irish and approved by the College of Arts Celtic Studies and Social Sciences. The course of study to be followed may vary depending on your background, preferred area of specialisation etc.

Course Practicalities
For the full-time one-year option, you are required to choose modules with a total value of 60 credits from the Celtic Civilisation modules for second and third year. Taught modules have a value of 5 credits apiece, so students limiting themselves to these should take 6 modules per semester. Celtic Civilisation taught modules normally comprise 24 hours of lectures, accompanied by PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Materials presented in lecture, together with supplementary materials, are made available on each module's Blackboard (UCC's virtual learning system) site. There are also project-based modules available, to be undertaken on topics agreed with the Department: CC2010 (10 credits) and CC3009 (5 credits).

You are expected and encouraged to extend and deepen your acquaintance with the topic through reading. To this end, you are provided with reading lists, and recommended books as well as course-specific sourcebooks are placed for you in the Boole Library's Open Reserve. Like all Arts subjects, Celtic Civilisation enables you to acquire facility in analysis and presentation of material through class essays.

Why Choose This Course
The Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation affords a remarkable opportunity for gaining intensive exposure — tailored to your background and interests — to a subject covered by very few universities and by almost none outside Ireland.

Module options include:

Exile and Longing: Early Celtic Lyric Poetry
Celtic Saints
The Brehon Laws
The Celtic Languages
Early Irish Spirituality
Gender, Image and Identity in Medieval Ireland
The Mabinogi: Legends of Medieval Wales
Ireland and Scotland: The Gaelic World in the Middle Ages
Otherworld Journeys and Saintly Visions in Celtic Literature
Irish Historical Tales
The Finn Cycle
Early Irish Language
The Roots of the Arthurian Legend
Directed Research in Medieval Celtic Culture

Additional Teaching Mode Information
The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over 2 years.

Modules
Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our book of modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar
You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4 year primary degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences, and who wish to the subject Celtic Civilisation intensively over one academic year. The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme and applicant would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 30 June 2023

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.
Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

Celtic Civilisation modules are typically assessed through an in-class assessment and a final examination, both of which are in essay format. For module CC2010, you will undertake an extended research project which will be assessed based on an annotated bibliography (25% of total mark), a presentation to Department staff and fellow students (25%), and an essay (50%).

Higher Diploma 60 ECTS credits

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date: 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
As well as serving as an ideal entry-point to Celtic Studies for those without a prior qualification who are considering postgraduate study in the subject, the Higher Diploma in Celtic Civilisation can provide an additional qualification - and a mark of distinction - for students pursuing advanced degrees in such fields as classics, English, history or medieval studies. It is also a useful qualification for those seeking employment in the heritage sector.