Mature Student - A Few Questions

OneStop

Hello all,
I was made redundant a month ago (working in the IT field) and am looking at the option to go to University as a mature student. Considering I left school straight after my junior cert, I have little or no knowledge of how the education system works. I would be very grateful if somebody could shed some light on a couple of question I have:

1. what are the key differences between a higher certificate, BSc, BA and the "honours" version of them?
2. I see there are different accreditation bodies for Degrees, are there any phoney / less recognised ones I should stay away from? Better yet, which are the only ones I should be considering?
3. Are there grants available for just part-time / evening courses?
4. I understand that the government helps fund mature and/or unemployed people in universities, how do I know which universities avail of this?
5. Can anybody recommend a University that is particularly focused on IT related degree courses?
6. Do I have to apply to the CAO if I want to attend a part-time / evening degree course?


Thanks in advance for your help!

IM0

a Bsc is a degree based on science subjects mostly
wheras a Ba is a degree based on arts subjects (more literary oriented)

honours is a term to denote an honours degree, one level up from a standard degree

I dont think there are grants for part time students in PLC/evening courses
I doubt it.

all universities avail of the funding you mention, all full time courses in university are covered.

OneStop

me@ucd wrote: »

a Bsc is a degree based on science subjects mostly
wheras a Ba is a degree based on arts subjects (more literary oriented)

honours is a term to denote an honours degree, one level up from a standard degree

I dont think there are grants for part time students in PLC/evening courses
I doubt it.

all universities avail of the funding you mention, all full time courses in university are covered.

Thats brilliant...thanks for the info!

cairdre

All qualifications are under the national framework of qualifications. Ranging from 1-10, where 5-10 is regarded are higher. If you look on www.qualifax.ie you can browse all the courses on this site. If you have not attended higher education before you are entitled to free fees once you attend full time. Enquire at SW about the Back to Education Allowance. its depends on your current level of IT knowledge as to what level course you should aim for. Remember 1st feb is closing date for CAO application this covers all level 7 & 8 courses.

Good luck

Berthram

I was in a similar position to the OP a few years ago. It was unsure about exactly what I would study but eventually signed up for a year with my local VTOS, which I enjoyed and found productive and it helped me make up my mind about what it is I would like to study. I also attended several University and college opening days.
Anyhow, I signed up for a BA after that in one of the NUI universities and have graduated.
The reason I am saying this is that it has been my observation that many mature students (30%+) drop out. I dont have the exact figures but some more deregister within a month and hence stastically are not taken into account.
One reason for this that I have observed, is that some people have signed up for courses and not been fully aware as to what these courses consisted of.
An example that I have come across is mature students thinking that psychology is easy or like counciling (or Dr. Phil) and getting very upset when they have to learn maths and statistics. Some mature students also had difficulties with languages.

Anyhow, I dont want to be negative here, I am just stating my observations and some of the 'traps'. A good choice of subjects, subjects that you are interested in and find enjoyable, can mean a very enjoyable and interesting few years and also a good result in your exams. A bad choice of subjects can be a disaster.
Personally, I would recommend something like the flexible BA ( or BSc) that allows a choice of subjects and the option of making changes within the first few weeks, if you are unsure about what you want to do. It also usaully gives you some option of making changes after the first year.

In some universities, computer science can be done as a stand alone or through Arts (along with another area subject) or through Science or business.
However, I have read somewhere where some IT degrees are held in better regard by some recruting agents than others so it might be worth getting advice on this.

Heres an interesting discussion. http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055361704

Having said all the above, there are many who know what they want and go for it and it works out good.

From the financial point of view, it looks as if things will be tighter next year as it wont be possible to claim both the BTEA (welfare payment) and the maintenance grant.

OneStop

Thanks for all the info folks, much appreciated!

I have found a course I am interested in: a two year Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (I qualify as a mature student). I see that this qualifies you as a level 9 on the NFQ chart, however I am a little confused as how this Postgraduate Diploma compares to a Masters Degree. In short, if they are both on Level 9, which is better and why?

Thanks again for your help!

cairdre

You can generally only do a level 9 if you hold a level 8 degree being mature is not enough. A Masters is higher you follow the same course but need to submit a thesis after the Higher Dip (about 25,000 words)