UCD leads way with merger or collapse of 35 degree courses

University College Dublin has been leading the way in reducing degrees for Leaving Certificate students to pick from, but says it does not automatically mean CAO points drop.

It has 10 fewer courses for school-leavers to choose from than in 2011. Since 2010, it has merged or “collapsed” 35 courses which previously had individual applications through the CAO into just six, beginning with arts and engineering. For example, the undenominated engineering degree at UCD combines the intake that previously had seven different specialised types of engineering to choose from.

The college also, generally speaking, gives students freedom on which area they choose to specialise for second year. For example, there could be 100 second-year students of mechanical engineering and 30 or 40 who have chosen civil engineering, but the figures might be reversed a year later depending on student demand.