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University College Cork

Religion - Study of Religions - Conversion Course

The HDip Arts: Study of Religions gives you an intensive course in the study of religions. The course will appeal to those who have a degree, but have not previously studied religions to degree level.

You'll select modules drawn from the undergraduate course 'Religions and Global Diversity'. Through this programme, you'll have access to research-informed teaching in a variety of religious traditions such Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and East Asian religions and in methods and theories in the academic, cross-cultural study of religions.

Registration with the Teaching Council: For applicants who are taking the Higher Diploma with a view to Teaching Council subject registration, the Higher Diploma in Arts English is recognised by the Teaching Council for the purposes of a teaching subject at post primary level. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that the Higher Diploma in Arts programme is NOT the teacher training programme. Graduates must complete the Professional Master of Education to qualify as a secondary school teacher. Please see www.ucc.ie/en/pec01 for further details.

The Higher Diploma in Arts shall consist of modules to the value of 60 credits taken from a range of existing 2nd and 3rd Arts modules in the relevant subject.

Why Choose This Course

UCC's HDip in the Study of Religions is the only course in Ireland to offer research-informed teaching across traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and East Asian religions.

Our academic, non-theological approach to religions makes the course suitable for students of all beliefs, unlike traditional theology departments which promote one religion rather than studying all equally.

The calibre of the staff in the department is unequalled in Ireland, making the HDip a popular choice for graduates seeking an intensive encounter with the study of diverse religious traditions.

Placement or Study Abroad Information

HDip students prepared to travel during their HDip year can avail of study-abroad options available through Erasmus (for Europe) and other exchange programmes with UCC's partner universities in e.g. USA, China and Japan.

Entry requirements

The Higher Diploma in Arts is intended for those who already have a degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences

This is a conversion programme and applicants to the Higher Diploma in Arts would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.

Important Note: The Higher Diploma in Arts programme is not a teacher training programme. Graduates must apply for the Professional Master of Education teacher training programme to qualify as a secondary school teacher, please see www.ucc.ie/en/pec01

If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please click here to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests.

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to Irish university primary degree level. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language.

Duration

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years by day
CKA27 (Full-time), CKA28 (Part-time)

The Higher Diploma in Arts shall consist of modules to the value of 60 credits (30 credits each year for the two year part-time option) taken from a range of existing 2nd and 3rd Arts modules in the relevant subject.

Number of credits

60 credits

Careers or further progression

Skills and Careers Information

As societies worldwide become increasingly closely interlinked whilst remaining culturally diverse, understanding people's very different religious beliefs and practices becomes essential for teachers, public sector workers, professionals in NGOs, the media, business, healthcare, human resources, etc.. As well as the enhanced general transferable skills acquired through an Arts/Social Sciences postgraduate programme, the Study of Religions course provides particularly deep insights into different religions and cultures which will help you in any kind of employment involving people. Students successful in the HDip may also apply to enter the department's MA Contemporary Religions, which offers a pathway to research at MPhil/PhD level.

Further enquiries

Dr. Lidia Guzy
l.guzy@ucc.ie
+ 353 21 490 3773 / 490 2359
http://www.ucc.ie/en/studyofreligions/

Subjects taught

Over the year, you will study a range of religious traditions and approaches to the study of religions through the following modules: (modules are 10 credits unless otherwise indicated).
Authority and Community in Contemporary Christianities
Christianities in a Global Age
Hinduism and Indian Religions
Indigenous Religions
Islam: historical and contemporary perspectives
Korea's Religious and Philosophical Traditions
Sufism: charisma and devotion in Islam
Contemporary Religions in Ireland
Western Esotericism and New Religious Movements
Religions of East Asia
Buddhism in Practice
Religions and Gender

Dissertation in the Study of Religions: offers supervised research in any area you're specially interested, whether or not it's been covered in the HDip programme.

As a HDip student you can take, with the permission of the department, up to 10 credits of religion-related modules in other departments: e.g. Asian studies, folklore, sociology, history, philosophy, classics, history of art. You can study a language such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

Further details on the modules are available in the: Book of Modules

Registration with the Teaching Council: For applicants who are taking the Higher Diploma with a view to Teaching Council subject registration, the Higher Diploma is recognised by the Teaching Council for teacher subject registration. In general, if you wish to qualify with Religion as a teaching subject, you are advised to refer to the school curriculum and match the modules to that broad field. Modules are chosen in consultation with the programme coordinator in September.

Students wishing to satisfy Teaching Council requirements will take 60 credits of RG courses (selected in consultation with the Programme Coordinator) plus ED6319.

Many subjects have discipline-specific requirements and you are advised to check the requirements for the subject area by consulting the following:
Curricular Subject Requirements: Teaching Council: Curriculur Subject Requirements
Subject Declaration Forms (including a self-assessment checklist of whether you meet the requirements for your subject area): Teaching Council Subject Declaration Forms

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

**All Applicants please note: modules listed in the course outline above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course, but these are subject to change from year to year. Please check the college calendar for the full academic content of any given course for the current year.

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.

Assessment method

You will be assessed by a variety of methods including essays, presentations, in-class tests, learning journals, fieldwork research reports and (in a small number of cases) exams.

Application date

Closing dates

Closing Dates for Application

Applications for 2018 start dates will open on November 1st 2017.

EU Applicants: UCC operates a rounds closing date system for the majority of postgraduate taught programmes (detailed below).

Some programmes have a specific closing date. Applicants are advised to consult with the postgraduate prospectus for programmes with a specific closing date.

The UCC rounds EU application system closing dates for Postgraduate Taught courses are detailed below. However, we would advise applicants to apply as soon as possible.

Deadline for receipt of Applications: Offers will be made:
For all completed applications received by January 15th 2018 Offers will be made by January 29th 2018

For all completed applications received by March 1st 2018 Offers will be made by March 15th 2018

For all completed applications received by May 1st 2018
Offers will be made by May 15th 2018

For all completed applications received by July 2nd 2018
Offers will be made by July 16th 2018

Late applications may be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for any courses that have remaining capacity for places.

While there is no official closing date for Research courses applicants are advised to submit their application at least two months ahead of their proposed start date. There are four official Research start dates September/October, January, April and July.

Non-EU Applicants:

Please visit the following page for further information for Non EU applicants http://www.ucc.ie/en/international/studyatucc/postgraduateprogrammes/tau...