Third level choices have never been broader at IT Sligo
THIRD level choices have never been broader at IT Sligo. It is now the first IT in the country to offer not one, but two joint major arts degrees – the BA Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities Joint Major: English and Psychology and the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities Joint Major: Sociology and Politics.
While the two courses are new to the Social Sciences Department, the high standard of lecturers within the department is nothing new. All courses are doctorate led and or led by professionally qualified lecturers.
Head of the Social Sciences Department Dr Breda McTaggart says that while they are proud of their roots, IT Sligo has “evolved and extended beyond this.”
“You could be at any third level Institute in the world when you walk in the door,” she told The Sligo Champion. “The environment, its teams and its students make it a dynamic, renowned third level college comparable to any other national or international provider of higher education,” she said.
Dr McTaggart believes all of the Social Sciences undergraduate courses, and the two new Honours Arts degrees in particular, offer local school-leavers another reason to chose IT Sligo for their Third Level education.
“It opens up an opportunity to children and parents to do this on their own doorstep,” she said.
“Lecturers in the Social Science Department are well qualified, continually research and are well published,” she said.
The Department and its team of thirty lecturers are active in pushing the IT boundaries beyond it’s original technological focus to a much wider academic field, akin to the best universities in the country.
“Our team are doctorate and/or professional qualified and are leaders in their respective fields. They come from a range of sectors and include solicitors, nurses, speech and language therapists, early years professionals, social workers, social care practitioners, primary school teachers, policy makers, creative practice experts, psychologists, sociologists and economists,” said Dr McTaggart.
“They are involved in developing and delivering programmes, many of which have not been available to the region or in the Insititute of Technology sector. They are undertaking research and publishing nationally and internationally, engaging with our local community in many and varied ways.
“This is something that is not expected within an Institute of Technology but has been part of the everyday life of our Department for many years. For us it is an exciting time to be part of education; to provide challenging and interesting educational opportunities, to shape the higher education landscape, but most importantly to support students to follow their hopes, dreams and achieve their aspirations,” she added.
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities Joint Major English and Psychology develops students as critical thinkers with an insight into the study of human behaviour. The The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities Joint Major Sociology and Politics examines our society, its structure, its organisations, and asks questions around the complexities of this social world.
Both degrees are NFQ level 8 and offer an exciting, thought-provoking and stimulating challenge to students.