Can I do accounting/finance in DCU with communications?

LegacyUser

So I'll probably get an acceptance offer to communications in DCU this Friday but I've realized the job prospects are dreadful. I was thinking if it's possible to do a B.A in Communications and a Masters in Accounting. Is that possible?

Hannibal_Smith

Mod Note

Hi OP

Thank you for your post. It doesn't appear to be a personal issue as such, but as you've posted anonymously I can't move it, so I'll leave it open for now.

Alternatively you could try the Third Level forum which maybe of some benefit.

Thanks

HS

silverharp

read the course description , some will assume you have some kind of business degree and some are aimed at people with non related degrees as a sort of conversion course. One option is do the first year of the course you picked and apply to switch internally in DCU to their business or accounting courses.

Anything is possible but it is unlikely you would be admitted directly to a masters without some prior relevant study.
You will probably have to do a conversion course first.
Are you happy to do three years of this course, then a one year conversion, then a masters?

Would you switch now before fees etc?

Keep an eye on whatever process there is for empty places this year.

LegacyUser

I've decided that I'll probably do a STEM degree in Griffith College. Just don't see any future in Media.

Does anyone know what Griffith College is like? Will most likely choose computer science, Level 8, for 4 years.

Is the social life like other main colleges (DCU, UCD)?

silverharp

commdilemma wrote: »

I've decided that I'll probably do a STEM degree in Griffith College. Just don't see any future in Media.

Does anyone know what Griffith College is like? Will most likely choose computer science, Level 8, for 4 years.

Is the social life like other main colleges (DCU, UCD)?

firstly consider your aptitude , you might be a good allrounder but it is some switch to go from communications which you must have put some thought into, then from there moving onto accounting, then computer science.

antix80

commdilemma wrote: »

So I'll probably get an acceptance offer to communications in DCU this Friday but I've realized the job prospects are dreadful. I was thinking if it's possible to do a B.A in Communications and a Masters in Accounting. Is that possible?

Hi.
I'm an accountant. I don't have a masters in accounting and the only people i know who do did it immediately after doing a 3 or 4 year business degree... There are easier ways to get into accounting than slogging away in college 4 years fulltime. A masters in accounting as a conversion course is slightly pointless imo.

If you know what you want you can work towards it. Doing a 4 year degree because you don't know what you want is a bad idea.. Esp as most of your first year may be distance learning.
Don't mean to question your motive for doing the course but it sounds like you have cold feet.

Edit:just saw your update.

The sooner young people stop rushing to 3rd level the better.

LegacyUser

A Masters in Accounting is a very difficult degree - at least where I did it in NUI Galway a few years ago.

The majority of people who do the degree would have come from a commerce or accounting background and are only doing the Masters to get out of doing the CAP 2 professional exams. You would therefore probably need full CAP 1 exemptions going into it which you won’t get a communications degree. Therefore no you won’t be able to do the Masters probably

JustAThought

The finance/ accountancy would be a far better bet than comms which as your rightly project leads to a bottomless road of volunteering & poverty and no/low paid occupations - part continued by DCU itself who insists on their students paying fees and doing ‘work experience’ which funnels and guarantees a relentless stream of unpaid labour into stations/ companies year after year.

Re Griffith and DCU big difference between both - if you are shopping for jobs in the future would you be more confident or successful with a university degree from DCU or some kind of cert from a step down college? And what would employers value even more? STEM sounds interesting and varied but what exactly is the course - and are you using up your ‘free’ education on some wishy washy conversion course age 18??? Why not do science or engineering or computers or something valued and recognised that has good outcomes if you have the ability and interest? Why set yourself up to have to do another course to make the first wishy washy one work ?

antix80

JustAThought wrote: »

- and are you using up your ‘free’ education on some wishy washy conversion course age 18???

+1 on this.
Op, if you wanted to do another degree you're looking at €7000 a year for 4 years without receiving a grant.
You're already planning on doing a conversion course because you know your 3/4 year degree is not really what you want.
The college receives obscene funding for having you sit staring at a projector for 4 years, when you could be doing something more hands on like science or technology

My advice is don't view a degree as something to get out of the way, or something to do while you figure out what to do.

JustAThought

I gather the OP isn’t yet making that decision as they would have filled out the CAO ‘form’ and be waiting on offers at the moment otherwise - but I may be wrong. OP if you are considering taking ip or passing on a CAO offer I’d be very strategic about it and read the little print very closely and make no assumptions that fees would be deferred carried over or allowed to be used or transferred to another course if you were starting again from year one. LOTS of people make this mistake and it can be one that brings you on the wrong path and leaves with little just because you made what seemed like logical assumptions or didn’t do the detailed research properly.

You mentioned accountancy/finance but didn’t mention doing an apprecticeship for accountancy with a company for a professional qualification like ACCA. Is there a reason for this?

You mentioned communications but didn’t mention career specific courses in broad communications fields like degrees in economics/ data analytics or AI / programming or degrees marketing with digital design.
Lots of options. And many degrees and courses whose content in technology will be out of date before you start them.

In my book all things being equal I would choose a degree from a respected university . We now have basically open immigration from every university, course and corner of the world - you will be competing for jobs against people who have a much wider range of specific courses than is available in Ireland and from every respected university on the planet. You want to be up there punching your weight in the jobmarket with something that can compete so that you can get in and then start internal company training for specific roles or be chosen for management training in specific field as many do AFTER they get their qualification/degree.

For many companies and multinationals the degree is the gateway to being eligible to apply for jobs in their company - without ine the door is permanently shut. They are not looking for certs or diplomas or knickknack parchments from unknown colleges. Make life easier for
yourself and choose something you would be good at, have an aptitude for, might enjoy and have a good chance at earning a decent salary from within a few years and will
not leave you scrabbling around having to add course after course to it for years particularly if the basic course you did and are pinning everything else on is just mediocre or a cert.

HotMama89

Would also suggest you look at doing an apprenticeship in accountancy with ATI accounting technician. At least you would get paid while working and its a two year commitment as opposed to 4. You can then progress to year 3 of a degree or straight into ACCA etc.