Science trumps teaching at third level

Students are continuing to turn to science courses and are avoiding the uncertainties of teaching careers, latest college application figures suggest.

CAO analysis of the 71,151 third-level hopefuls for the autumn shows a 4% rise in those seeking entry to science degrees.

This brings to almost one in seven the number of level-8 degree applicants — almost 8,500 out of 60,747 — listing these as their first preference.

By contrast, primary teaching and other education degrees have seen popularity fall by 8%, with barely 4,500 students picking them as their top choice. As recently as 2010, there were over 5,500 applicants vying for places in these degrees but cutbacks and shortage of work appears to be causing a rapid decline in popularity.

Business and administration degrees also remain popular despite the economic recession, with first preferences under that heading up 4% to almost 9,200.

However, arts and social science remain the most popular category of level 8 courses, accounting for nearly 15,000 first preferences to the Feb 1 main CAO deadline.

Total applications to date are down about 500 on last year, although colleges are still under pressure amid budgetary constraints to cater for rising student numbers.

However, there has been a significant fall in numbers applying for ordinary bachelor degree and higher certificate (level 7 and 6) courses, from 40,167 to 37,407.

As students continue to weigh up their options, with the possibility of changing their course choices during May and June, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors president Gerry Flynn complained that the Government was trying to airbrush its services out of schools.

“At a time when the social, financial, and career pressures facing young people is enormous, it is simply bizarre that we should be cutting back on school counselling services to the point where we are not even meeting the very basic standard prescribed by legislation,” he told the IGC annual conference.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn recently said that a survey carried out at his request shows that changes to how guidance counsellors are allocated to schools have resulted in a 24% reduction in guidance hours being provided.

First choice

Level 8 first preferences:

- Arts/social science: 14,986 (down 4.5% from 2012)

- Business/administration: 9,187 (up 4%)

- Science: 8,468 (+4%)

- Nursing: 5,807 (+0.5%)

- Engineering/Tech-nology: 5,307 (-2.3%)

- Education: 4,563 (-8%)

- Medicine: 3,481 (-6.4%)

- Art and design: 2,397 (-3.5%)

- Law: 1,994 (-4.6%)

- Other healthcare: 1,298 (-4.7%)

- Built environment: 133 (-10%).