Study arts in Ireland with the full picture in front of you. This guide compares every CAO Arts and humanities course for 2026, from Trinity's joint honours pairs to the general Arts degrees at Maynooth, UCC, Galway and Limerick, with Round 1 points and last year's figure for comparison, the real first-year subject lists, years abroad and placements, and where an Arts degree leads after graduation.
An Arts degree lets you study the subjects you enjoy most at Leaving Cert, and some you have never met, before you commit. There are 65 Arts and humanities courses on the CAO in 2026 across 13 colleges, from the big general entry routes (Maynooth MH101 offers 32 first-year subjects, UCC CK101 offers 28) to named degrees such as History, European Studies or English and Creative Writing. What really separates them is the subject list, how many subjects you take in first year and the rules for combining them, whether there is a year abroad or a work placement, and whether the degree runs for three years or four. Every figure here is the 2026 Round 1 cut-off, with 2025 underneath so you can see which way it moved, and every subject list comes from the college's own page.
| UNIVERSITY | CAO CODE | PROGRAMME | FIRST YEAR | YEARS | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity College Dublin | TR pairs | Joint Honours (two subjects chosen on the CAO form) | your 2 subjects | 4 | 351 to 625 by pair |
| University College Dublin | DN520 | BA Joint Honours | 3 of 26 subjects | 3-4 | 422 2025: 420 |
| University College Dublin | DN530 | BA Humanities | 1 of 14 pathways | 4 | 465 2025: 463 |
| University College Cork | CK101 | Arts | 4 of 28 subjects | 3 | 300 2025: 300 |
| University College Cork | CK108 | Arts International (year abroad in year 3) | 4 of 29 subjects | 4 | 390 2025: 401 |
| Dublin City University | DC009 | Arts: Joint Honours (Humanities) | 2 of 8 subjects | 3-4 | 390 2025: 410 |
| University of Galway | GY101 | Arts (Joint Honours) | 3 of 25 subjects | 3-4 | 337 2025: 350 |
| University of Galway | GY129 | Arts (Global Experience, full year abroad) | 3 of 25 subjects | 4 | 401 2025: 400 |
| University of Limerick | LM002 | Arts (Co-op placement and semester abroad built in) | 4 of 17 subjects | 4 | 317 2025: 316 |
| Maynooth University | MH101 | Arts | 2 to 4 of 32 subjects | 3-4 | 300 2025: 300 |
| Mary Immaculate College | MI002 | Arts (off-campus year in year 3) | 4 of 14 subjects | 4 | 280 2025: 280 |
Points shown are 2026 CAO Round 1 cut-offs, with the 2025 cut-off underneath and an arrow for the direction of change. They move every year, so verify at cao.ie/points. A 3-4 duration means three years, or four if you take the optional international year. The first-year column is how many subjects you take from the list each college publishes for 2026 entry. Every course here is covered by the Free Fees Initiative for eligible EU students (student contribution applies), and each code opens the course in the Course Explorer with its full subject list.
Outside the universities, Arts is taught in smaller groups with a sharper focus: heritage, writing, geography with outdoor education, theology, or a general Arts degree with a digital humanities thread. Several are three-year honours degrees, and 2026 points start from around 210.
No employer asks what points your Arts course needed. What they look at is what you did with the degree: the subjects you took to honours level, the class of degree, a year abroad or a placement, the writing and research you can show, and any postgraduate qualification you add. If teaching is a possibility, the subjects matter even more, because the Teaching Council checks the credits you hold in each subject before you can register.
| Institution | CAO Code | Programme | Level | Duration | 2026 R1 Points | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATU | AU929 | Writing & Literature | L8 | 3 yrs | 306 2025: 317 |
Sligo (online as AU930) |
| AU916 | Sociology & Politics | L8 | 3 yrs | 306 2025: 326 |
Sligo | |
| AU625 | Heritage | L8 | 4 yrs | 327 2025: 340 |
Galway City | |
| AU694 | History & Geography | L8 | 4 yrs | 306 2025: 317 |
Mayo | |
| AU425 | Heritage (Higher Certificate) | L6 | 2 yrs | 224 2025: 204 |
Galway City | |
| SETU | SE200 | Arts (three subjects from four groups) | L8 | 3-4 yrs | 208 2025: AQA |
Waterford |
| DkIT | DK861 | Arts (with digital humanities) | L8 | 3 yrs | 237 2025: 234 |
Dundalk |
| Mary Immaculate | MI002 | Arts | L8 | 4 yrs | 280 2025: 280 |
Limerick (also Thurles) |
| St Patrick's, Maynooth | MU001 | Theology & Arts | L8 | 3-4 yrs | 312 2025: 290 |
Maynooth |
| MU004 | Philosophy | L8 | 4 yrs | 326 2025: 329 |
Maynooth | |
| American College | AC137 | Liberal Arts | L8 | 3 yrs | 279 2025: 293 |
Dublin 2 |
Points shown are 2026 CAO Round 1 cut-offs with 2025 underneath. Durations follow each college's own course page. American College is a private college: tuition fees apply and the Free Fees Initiative generally does not, so check its fees page. MU001 is taught at St Patrick's Pontifical University, with the Arts subjects taken alongside Maynooth University students.
A student who starts English in SETU Waterford on 208 points and a student who starts English Studies at Trinity on 546 can sit side by side in the same Professional Master of Education class, the same law conversion course or the same civil service exam. In Arts, the points open the door to the first year; your subjects, your grades and what you add along the way decide what comes after.
All 65 Arts and humanities courses with their own CAO code this year, college by college, with the 2026 Round 1 cut-off and one line on what first year looks like, taken from the college's own subject list. Open a college to see its courses. Click any code to open it in the MyCareerVerse Course Explorer, where every year of the course is laid out and you can lay your interests over it.
Most Trinity Arts students apply for a pair of subjects (History and Philosophy, English Studies and a Modern Language and so on). Each pair has its own points, so Trinity publishes them as a grid rather than one figure. The single-subject degrees are listed below. These are the 2026 Round 1 ranges across every pairing that includes each subject:
| Subject in the pair | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient History and Archaeology | 462 | 625 |
| Classical Civilisation | 433 | 577 |
| Classical Languages | 351 | 600 |
| Drama Studies | 427 | 555 |
| English Studies | 530 | 576 |
| Film Studies | 541 | 598 |
| Geography | 367 | 613 |
| History | 566 | 625 |
| History of Art and Architecture | 463 | 541 |
| Linguistics | 531 | 600 |
| Middle Eastern, Jewish and Islamic Civilisations | 433 | 573 |
| Modern Language | 351 | 625 |
| Music | 417 | 617 |
| Philosophy | 541 | 613 |
| Political Science | 567 | 613 |
| Religion | 432 | 565 |
| Sociology | 487 | 544 |
| Social Policy | 544 | 603 |
Source: Trinity 2026 CAO Round 1 minimum entry points, which has the full pair-by-pair grid. Trinity notes that ranges can rise in later rounds because some pairings are not offered.
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR024 | European Studies | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 565 2025: 564 |
| TR023 | English Studies | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 546 2025: 533 |
| TR003 | History | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 540 2025: 526 |
| TR005 | Philosophy | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 523 2025: 509 |
| TR062 | Geography & Geoscience | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 499 2025: 472 |
| TR028 | Ancient & Medieval History & Culture | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 497 2025: 469 |
| TR040 | Middle Eastern & European Languages & Cultures | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 496 2025: 449 |
| TR021 | Classics, Ancient History & Archaeology | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 467 2025: 495 |
| TR043 | History of Art & Architecture | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 444 2025: 511 |
| TR041 | Religion | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 389 2025: 402 |
| TR022 | Early & Modern Irish | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 326 2025: 349 |
| TR016 | Deaf Studies | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 320 2025: 358 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DN130 | City Planning & Environmental Policy Year 1 includes Environmental Economics; Land Use & Sustainability, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 474 2025: 481 |
| DN530 | BA Humanities 14 humanities pathways to choose from, with internship or study abroad options in year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 465 2025: 463 |
| DN520 | BA Joint Honours 26 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 422 2025: 420 |
| DN541 | Modern Languages | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 400 2025: 410 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CK122 | Government & Political Science Year 1 includes Introduction to Political Science; International Politics, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 426 2025: 411 |
| CK110 | World Languages 11 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 404 2025: 403 |
| CK108 | Arts International 29 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 390 2025: 401 |
| CK109 | English (International Pathway) Year 1 includes Critical Reading and Writing; Literature in Time, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 353 2025: 366 |
| CK101 | Arts - 3 years 28 first-year subjects to choose from, with an optional work experience module; the year abroad route is CK108. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 300 2025: 300 |
| CK104 | Arts with Music Year 1 includes Western Music, Culture and Media; ITM Studies and Introduction to World Music, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 367 comb. 2025: 338 comb. |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC231 | International Relations | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 415 2025: 411 |
| DC292 | Arts: Joint Honours (Law) Two subjects to joint honours, with an optional year abroad or INTRA placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 413 2025: 398 |
| DC009 | Arts: Joint Honours (Humanities) 8 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 390 2025: 410 |
| DC295 | Arts: Joint Honours (Politics) Two subjects to joint honours, with an optional year abroad or INTRA placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 387 2025: 387 |
| DC291 | Arts: Joint Honours (Media Studies) Two subjects to joint honours, with an optional year abroad or INTRA placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 362 2025: 358 |
| DC155 | Applied Language & Translation Studies | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 358 2025: 378 |
| DC293 | Arts: Joint Honours (International Languages) Two subjects to joint honours, with an optional year abroad or INTRA placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 347 2025: 360 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GY111 | Arts (English & Creative Writing) Year 1 includes The Professional Writer; The Forms of Fiction, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 413 2025: 400 |
| GY130 | Arts (Music) Year 1 includes Music Practice 1; Traditional Music in Ireland: 1792 to the New Millennium, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 413 2025: 401 |
| GY136 | Gaeilge agus Léann an Aistriúcháin Year 1 includes An Teanga Bheo; An Ghaeilge, an Pobal agus an Stát; An Áit agus a Scéal, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 405 2025: 368 |
| GY118 | Arts (Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies) Year 1 includes Introduction to Acting; Theatre Tech and Digital Media, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 404 2025: 360 |
| GY129 | Arts (Global Experience) 25 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 401 2025: 400 |
| GY110 | Arts (Children & Youth Studies) 24 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 389 2025: 400 |
| GY113 | Arts with Human Rights 21 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 380 2025: 398 |
| GY127 | Arts (Film & Digital Media) Year 1 includes Introduction to Filmmaking; Digital Design, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 379 2025: 390 |
| GY119 | Arts (Journalism) Year 1 includes Practical journalism training, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 367 2025: 381 |
| GY122 | Na Dána (Cumarsáid agus Gaeilge) Year 1 includes Bunús na hIriseoireachta; Scéalaíocht Dhigiteach. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 357 2025: 368 |
| GY134 | Geography & Geosystems Year 1 includes Mathematical Studies; Biology, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 357 2025: 350 |
| GY128 | Arts (Global Languages) 10 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 356 2025: 378 |
| GY105 | Arts (History) Year 1 includes Skills for Historians and; Europe and Ireland 1789 - 1918, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 343 2025: 367 |
| GY135 | Arts (Global Media) Year 1 includes Media Foundations; Media Worlds, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 342 2025: 359 |
| GY137 | Arts(Child,Youth & Family:Policy & practice) Year 1 includes Introduction to Child, Youth and Family; Community Development, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 339 2025: 409 |
| GY101 | Arts (Joint-Honours) 25 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 337 2025: 350 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LM040 | European Studies Year 1 includes European Studies: A Global Perspective; European Studies Workshop, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 377 2025: 398 |
| LM030 | Global Politics Year 1 includes Introduction to Politics and International Relations I and II, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 360 2025: 400 |
| LM044 | Applied Languages Year 1 includes Language, Culture and Society A; Language, Culture and Society B, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 349 2025: 389 |
| LM002 | Arts 17 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 317 2025: 316 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU625 | Heritage Studies Galway City Year 1 includes Irish and European History, 400-1200; Irish and European History, 1200-1600. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 327 2025: 340 |
| AU930 | Writing & Literature(Online) Online Year 1 includes Introduction to Writing; Introduction to Writing 2. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 326 2025: 337 |
| AU693 | Geography & Outdoor Education Mayo Year 1 includes Earth Processes; Society and Environment, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 318 2025: 307 |
| AU694 | History & Geography Mayo Year 1 includes Irish History 1: Aspects of Irish History 1780-1891, with work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 306 2025: 317 |
| AU916 | Sociology & Politics Sligo Year 1 includes Introduction to Sociology; Sociology of Everyday Life, with work placement. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 306 2025: 326 |
| AU929 | Writing & Literature Sligo Year 1 includes Introduction to Writing; Introduction to Writing 2. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 306 2025: 317 |
| AU425 | Heritage Galway City Year 1 includes Irish and European History, 400-1200; Irish and European History, 1200-1600. | Level 6 | 2 yrs | 224 2025: 204 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE200 | Arts (Options) Waterford 12 first-year subjects to choose from. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 208 2025: AQA |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MI002 | Arts 14 first-year subjects to choose from, with year or semester abroad and work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 280 2025: 280 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK861 | Arts Year 1 includes Introduction to Digital Humanities: Digital Literacy. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 237 2025: 234 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC137 | Liberal Arts Year 1 includes First-year foundation in the humanities. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 279 2025: 293 |
Trinity's joint honours pairs are shown as the points grid inside the Trinity panel rather than as 44 separate codes. Levels and years follow each college's own course page where it differs from the CAO handbook.
The 63 Level 8 Arts and humanities degrees with a plain 2026 points cut-off, grouped by band. Find the band your predicted points sit in, then open the band below it as well, because the same subjects are taught at every level of the list. Trinity's joint honours pairs are in the Trinity panel above, and Arts with Music at UCC (a combined score with an audition) is in the directory.
| Code | Course | College | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TR062 | Geography & Geoscience | Trinity | 499 2025: 472 |
| TR028 | Ancient & Medieval History & Culture | Trinity | 497 2025: 469 |
| TR040 | Middle Eastern & European Languages & Cultures | Trinity | 496 2025: 449 |
| DN130 | City Planning & Environmental Policy | UCD | 474 2025: 481 |
| TR021 | Classics, Ancient History & Archaeology | Trinity | 467 2025: 495 |
| DN530 | BA Humanities | UCD | 465 2025: 463 |
| TR043 | History of Art & Architecture | Trinity | 444 2025: 511 |
| CK122 | Government & Political Science | UCC | 426 2025: 411 |
| DN520 | BA Joint Honours | UCD | 422 2025: 420 |
| DC231 | International Relations | DCU | 415 2025: 411 |
| DC292 | Arts: Joint Honours (Law) | DCU | 413 2025: 398 |
| GY111 | Arts (English & Creative Writing) | University of Galway | 413 2025: 400 |
| GY130 | Arts (Music) | University of Galway | 413 2025: 401 |
| GY136 | Gaeilge agus Léann an Aistriúcháin | University of Galway | 405 2025: 368 |
| CK110 | World Languages | UCC | 404 2025: 403 |
| GY118 | Arts (Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies) | University of Galway | 404 2025: 360 |
| GY129 | Arts (Global Experience) | University of Galway | 401 2025: 400 |
| DN541 | Modern Languages | UCD | 400 2025: 410 |
| Code | Course | College | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CK108 | Arts International | UCC | 390 2025: 401 |
| DC009 | Arts: Joint Honours (Humanities) | DCU | 390 2025: 410 |
| GY110 | Arts (Children & Youth Studies) | University of Galway | 389 2025: 400 |
| TR041 | Religion | Trinity | 389 2025: 402 |
| DC295 | Arts: Joint Honours (Politics) | DCU | 387 2025: 387 |
| GY113 | Arts with Human Rights | University of Galway | 380 2025: 398 |
| GY127 | Arts (Film & Digital Media) | University of Galway | 379 2025: 390 |
| LM040 | European Studies | UL | 377 2025: 398 |
| GY119 | Arts (Journalism) | University of Galway | 367 2025: 381 |
| DC291 | Arts: Joint Honours (Media Studies) | DCU | 362 2025: 358 |
| LM030 | Global Politics | UL | 360 2025: 400 |
| DC155 | Applied Language & Translation Studies | DCU | 358 2025: 378 |
| GY122 | Na Dána (Cumarsáid agus Gaeilge) | University of Galway | 357 2025: 368 |
| GY134 | Geography & Geosystems | University of Galway | 357 2025: 350 |
| GY128 | Arts (Global Languages) | University of Galway | 356 2025: 378 |
| MH111 | Creative Writing and English | Maynooth | 356 2025: 380 |
| CK109 | English (International Pathway) | UCC | 353 2025: 366 |
| Code | Course | College | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LM044 | Applied Languages | UL | 349 2025: 389 |
| DC293 | Arts: Joint Honours (International Languages) | DCU | 347 2025: 360 |
| GY105 | Arts (History) | University of Galway | 343 2025: 367 |
| GY135 | Arts (Global Media) | University of Galway | 342 2025: 359 |
| GY137 | Arts(Child,Youth & Family:Policy & practice) | University of Galway | 339 2025: 409 |
| GY101 | Arts (Joint-Honours) | University of Galway | 337 2025: 350 |
| AU625 | Heritage Studies | ATU Galway City | 327 2025: 340 |
| AU930 | Writing & Literature(Online) | ATU Online | 326 2025: 337 |
| MU004 | Baccalaureate in Philosophy | St Patrick's, Maynooth | 326 2025: 329 |
| TR022 | Early & Modern Irish | Trinity | 326 2025: 349 |
| MU002 | Theology | St Patrick's, Maynooth | 321 2025: 408 |
| TR016 | Deaf Studies | Trinity | 320 2025: 358 |
| AU693 | Geography & Outdoor Education | ATU Mayo | 318 2025: 307 |
| LM002 | Arts | UL | 317 2025: 316 |
| MU001 | Theology & Arts | St Patrick's, Maynooth | 312 2025: 290 |
| AU694 | History & Geography | ATU Mayo | 306 2025: 317 |
| AU916 | Sociology & Politics | ATU Sligo | 306 2025: 326 |
| AU929 | Writing & Literature | ATU Sligo | 306 2025: 317 |
| CK101 | Arts - 3 years | UCC | 300 2025: 300 |
| MH101 | Arts | Maynooth | 300 2025: 300 |
English, History, Geography and a language are on the first-year list at almost every college in this guide. If the course you want is in a band above your predicted points, look for the same subjects in a general Arts degree lower down: Maynooth (MH101, 300), UCC (CK101, 300), Mary Immaculate (MI002, 280) and SETU (SE200, 208) all lead to an honours BA in those subjects.
Arts has some of the most accessible entry routes on the CAO. If Round 1 does not go your way, these routes all end at an honours BA.
Further education colleges nationwide run one-year humanities, social studies and liberal arts courses with no points requirement. Fetch Courses lists them by county.
Universities set QQI entry criteria course by course, usually a full Level 5 award with distinctions in named modules. Check the course page before you choose your PLC.
QQI applicants use the same CAO application as Leaving Cert students.
SE200 (208), DK861 (237), MI002 (280), MH101 (300), CK101 (300), LM002 (317) and GY101 (337) all lead to an honours BA in the same subjects as the higher-points named degrees.
ATU's Higher Certificate in Heritage (AU425, 224) covers the same two years as the honours Heritage degree, with a route on to Level 7 and Level 8.
Maynooth's MH101 list includes Law, Accounting, Business and Computer Science, so a first year in Arts can lead on to those subjects without a new CAO application.
If you are 23 or older on 1 January of the year of entry, you apply through the CAO as a mature applicant by 1 February and are assessed on your application, experience and motivation rather than points. Arts faculties have a long tradition of mature students, and some colleges add an interview or a short written piece. Complete the mature section of the CAO form fully, say why these subjects matter to you, and send supporting documents early.
Most Arts graduates add a second qualification. The Professional Master of Education (two years) leads to post-primary teaching in the subjects you studied; law graduates and non-law graduates alike can sit the Law Society FE-1 exams or take the King's Inns diploma route to the Bar; and taught masters in areas such as journalism, archives, heritage, translation, digital humanities or public policy turn a broad degree into a specific career.
Direct CAO entry, a PLC year, a Level 6 start or mature entry all end at the same thing: an honours BA in the subjects you chose, with the same access to the PME, law, the public service and postgraduate study. No one will ask which door you came in by.
The closest European match to an Irish Arts degree is the liberal arts and sciences bachelor taught in English at the Dutch university colleges: small residential colleges where you design your own programme across the humanities and social sciences over three years.
An Arts degree is not a licensed qualification, so most employers and Irish masters programmes accept a recognised European bachelor. Teaching is the exception: the Teaching Council checks how many credits you hold in each subject you want to teach, and a liberal arts degree spread across many subjects may not reach that level in any one of them. If teaching is a possibility, compare the college's course structure with the Teaching Council's subject criteria before accepting a place. Dutch application deadlines also fall well before the CAO offers, usually in January, so run both applications side by side.
Dutch statutory tuition for EU students is roughly 2,600 euro a year, comparable to the Irish student contribution; budget separately for rent, which is often higher than the fees.
The university colleges teach entirely in English in small seminar groups, with classmates from dozens of countries.
You choose a major across humanities, social sciences or sciences and fill the rest with courses from other areas, the closest thing in Europe to the MH101 approach.
Dutch, Danish, German and Scandinavian universities also teach single humanities subjects in English, such as English language and culture, history, European studies, philosophy and media. A year abroad inside an Irish degree (CK108, GY129, MI002, the UL degrees and every BA International route above) is often the easier way to get the same experience. Start with the MyCareerVerse EU courses page, then eunicas.ie and the universities' own admissions pages.
There is no licence to practise Arts, which is why the degree travels so widely. The subjects you carry to honours level, and what you add after, decide the direction.
The most common route: a two-year Professional Master of Education after your BA. The Teaching Council checks the credits you hold in each subject you want to teach, so carry your teaching subjects to honours level, and keep a Leaving Cert subject among them.
Executive Officer and Administrative Officer competitions through publicjobs.ie recruit graduates of any discipline, and History, Politics, Economics and European Studies graduates are well represented in policy, the Oireachtas and local government.
Arts graduates qualify as solicitors through the Law Society FE-1 exams or as barristers through the King's Inns diploma and degree. Law sits on several first-year Arts lists (Maynooth, Galway, SETU, DCU DC292), which gives you a head start.
Journalism, publishing, content, PR and marketing communications. A portfolio matters more than the degree title: student media, a placement, a blog or a writing portfolio from a course such as AU929 or GY111.
Translation, localisation, international customer and sales roles in Irish multinationals, and EU institution careers through EPSO competitions, where Irish-language skills are in particular demand.
Museums, libraries, archives, the Office of Public Works, archaeology and research careers, usually after a specialist masters. Heritage, Archaeology and History of Art degrees build the groundwork.
None of these is needed to graduate; each opens a particular door. Teaching: the Professional Master of Education and Teaching Council registration. Law: the Law Society FE-1 exams or the King's Inns diploma. EU careers: EPSO competitions. Languages: professional translation qualifications. Many Arts graduates also add a one-year conversion masters in business, data, HR, marketing or computing, which employers treat as a strong combination with a humanities degree.
First point of the civil service Executive Officer (€38,419) and Administrative Officer (€40,768) scales from 1 February 2026. Private-sector graduate roles vary more widely.
First point of the post-primary teachers' common basic scale (€47,417 from 1 June 2026), after the BA and the two-year PME.
Maximum of the Administrative Officer scale (€75,789) and the teachers' scale (€86,265), before promotion to principal, assistant principal and senior grades.
Schools, further education, the civil and local government service, the Oireachtas, state agencies and the EU institutions.
Publishing, broadcasting, journalism, arts organisations, museums, libraries, archives and tourism.
Legal practice, HR, marketing, recruitment, communications and language roles in multinationals, often after a conversion masters.
The HEA's Graduate Outcomes Survey for the class of 2023 found 64.5% of Arts and Humanities graduates in employment nine months after graduating, the lowest of any field, but 21% had gone straight into further study, more than in other fields. Arts careers tend to start later and grow later: plan for a second qualification, and use placements, a year abroad and part-time work to build experience while you study.
Salary figures are published public pay scales (Fórsa civil service scales from 1 February 2026; ASTI post-primary scale from 1 June 2026) and are given as indicative anchors; private-sector pay varies by employer, sector and location. Employment figures: HEA Graduate Outcomes Survey, class of 2023.
The CAO milestones are the same for everyone; the Arts-specific decisions are your subject choices in first year and what you add after the degree.
Read the first-year subject lists, not just the course titles, and note any subject you have never studied that appeals (Archaeology, Philosophy, Linguistics, Folklore). Open days are the place to ask how subjects combine.
Applications open at cao.ie. The discounted early-bird fee applies until 20 January.
Normal closing date for CAO applications, and the deadline for mature applicants and most supplementary applications (HEAR, DARE). Applying to a Dutch university college as well? Their deadlines usually fall in January.
Free window to reorder your choices. Put named degrees you really want above the general Arts codes, and use the points bands above to make sure a general Arts degree you would be happy with sits lower on the list.
Leaving Cert results, then CAO Round 1 offers days later. Missed out? The PLC and general Arts routes above lead to the same honours BA.
On most general Arts degrees you pick your first-year subjects at registration, one per timetable group (Maynooth gives a four-week try-out period). Take at least two you could happily study to degree level.
You settle on your final subjects (joint honours, major with minor or single honours) and, on most degrees, apply for the optional international year or placement, which usually depends on your first-year results.
Postgraduate and PME applications open in the autumn of final year (DCU's post-primary PME for 2027 entry opens on 9 November 2026 and closes on 15 February 2027), alongside public service competitions and graduate programmes.
About one in five Arts graduates goes straight into further study. The rest enter the public service, education, media, business and the third sector, with a professional masters often following a few years later.
Two Arts degrees with the same title can offer very different subjects: Folklore and Asian Studies at UCC, Japanese at UL, Accounting and Computer Science at Maynooth, Deaf Studies at Trinity. Make a list of the subjects you would genuinely enjoy, then find the colleges that have them.
Subjects sit in timetable groups and you can take only one per group, and some pairs are not allowed at all. If you have a dream pair (History and Spanish, English and Philosophy), confirm it is possible at that college before you list it.
The Teaching Council checks the credits you hold in each subject you want to teach. Carry your teaching subjects to honours level rather than dropping one as a minor, and look at the Teaching Council's subject criteria before you choose between joint honours and a major with minor.
Many general Arts degrees are three years, with a fourth only if you take the international year. If you know you want time abroad or a placement, a course that builds it in (CK108, GY129, MI002, the UL degrees) guarantees it; on the others it is competitive.
There is no best place to study Arts, only the best list of subjects for you. An Arts degree rewards curiosity: the students who do well are the ones who chose subjects they wanted to read about at eleven at night. Pick the college whose subjects, structure and location suit you, then use the three or four years to read widely, write a lot and try something new.
Points were checked against the CAO 2026 Round 1 figures in the MyCareerVerse courses table, Trinity's joint honours ranges against Trinity's own 2026 Round 1 sheet, and subject lists against each college's course page on 4 October 2026.