Business, science and technology in demand

STUDENT demand for business, science and technology qualifications has seen points across most degrees in those sectors rise for new entrants this year.

While almost half of all level 8 degrees under the engineering and technology heading show increasing entry standards in CAO points, in line with overall trends this year, most increases are in the range of 15 to 40 points. These are a reflection of application trends, with 9% of all level 8 applicants listing one of these courses as their first preference when the change-of-mind facility closed early last month, up by 13% since February 1.

Engineering Innovation - Electronic at NUI Galway is up 200 points to 560 points, although NUI Maynooth’s electronic engineering has slipped 90 points to 315.

The points needed for 84 honours degrees in sciences are up, most by at least 20 points, thanks to more than 11% of applicants placing them top of their list, up from just over 10% last year.

NUI Maynooth’s assistant registrar John McGinnity said there was particularly strong demand for degrees in science, biotechnology and pharmaceutical and biomedical chemistry.

Although the college has increased the number of places by 6% in response to its highest number of applications to date, points needed for almost half its level 8 courses are up.

Entry points are up on more than two-thirds of level 8 courses at University College Dublin.

A spokesperson said the rise was driven mostly by students with higher CAO points applying rather than any limit on intake, although numbers being offered places were not available last night.

The points for over half of business and related degrees have risen, and about 50 command at least 15 more points than in 2009.

Dublin Institute of Technology’s computing degree is up 75 from last year’s round 1 cut-off to 315 points.

Most dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, veterinary medicine and other healthcare profession courses are up or down by just five or 10 points, and there is a slight increase in the points for entry for school leavers to the five medical schools. However, the colleges did not release details of the lowest Leaving Certificate scores of qualifying applicants, which was 520 a year ago before scores from the controversial new HPAT aptitude test were added.

Almost three-in-five arts and social science degrees show a rise in points. However, arts is down 10 points to 350 at UCC where fewer points are needed for most honours degrees this year.

The points for the majority of nursing degrees are up as primary teaching degrees are up or down five points in most cases. Around half of law degrees need more points than last year, while points for the main architecture degrees are down.