Mary Immaculate College’s (MIC) undergraduate programme offering has once again performed extremely well in the CAO First Round Offers with many programmes seeing a marked increase in CAO points for 2022.
The College’s four-year B Ed in Education and Psychology degree, the only one of its type in Ireland, not only remains a highly sought-after programme attracting the highest calibre of applicant but a 2022 CAO minimum entry requirement of 601 makes it, once again, the teacher education programme with the highest points in the country.
MIC’s unique Bachelor of Education – International remains popular with points at an impressive 576. The Bachelor of Education - International is a four-year, full-time, honours degree (Level 8) designed to qualify students to be primary teachers, with the addition of an international study component.
MIC’s Bachelor of Education – Primary Teaching programme, which also equips graduates with the competence to teach at all levels of the primary school, has seen a slight points decrease from 522 in 2021 to 509 this year. Gaeltacht students seeking entry to the programme will be required to meet a minimum entry requirement of 473 CAO points. Up to 10% of places on the Bachelor of Education programme are reserved for applicants from the Gaeltacht who normally reside in an official Gaeltacht designated area, and whose normal language of the home is Irish.
MIC’s BA in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) CAO points remain static at 409. The BA ECCE provides an exciting and challenging programme for those interested in working with young children, from birth to six years of age, in a range of educational settings.
MIC Thurles, which has seen a trebling of student numbers to close to 500 since its incorporation by MIC in 2016, is home to the College’s School of Education (Post-Primary). It offers six concurrent teacher education progammes of four-year duration. Students can choose from a number of subject combinations in the areas of Gaeilge, Mathematics, Business Studies, Theology and Religious Studies, and Accounting.
2022 CAO points for MIC Thurles progammes as follows:
- MI009 BA in Education, Business and Accounting stands at 414 points
- MI010 BA in Education, Business and Religious Studies increased to 386 points
- MI011 BA in Education, Irish and Religious Studies increased to 419 points
- MI012 BA in Education, Irish and Business Studies increased to 400 points
- MI013 BA in Education, Mathematics and Gaeilge stands at 467 points
- MI014 BA in Education, Mathematics and Business Studies stands at 456 points
MIC’s new and unique Bachelor of Science in Psychology, which provides a comprehensive undergraduate education in Psychology and includes learning in the work place, achieved an impressive 487 points in its first year on the CAO application system. The first intake of students on this programme can expect a blend of scientific theory and real-world application, allowing them to develop incredibly valuable critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.
CAO points for MIC’s flexible and wide-ranging BA in Liberal Arts programme now stand at 300. The programme garnered a significant 23% increase in Total CAO Mentions, the highest on record, and a 25% increase in CAO First Preference applicants to this exciting four-year degree. The BA offers students a choice of 13 subjects and great opportunities to work, to travel and to study abroad as part of the third-year Off-Campus programme.
MIC’s BA in Contemporary and Applied Theatre Studies has achieved CAO Points of 308. The programme offers students a round and broadly-based education in drama and theatre, and a specific set of skills in contemporary and applied aspects of the field such as ensemble performance, the study of plays, theatre visits and studio practice.
Speaking about this year’s points and overall interest in MIC’s undergraduate programmes, Professor Eugene Wall, President of Mary Immaculate College said: "We are delighted that Mary Immaculate College’s B Ed in Education and Psychology remains the teacher education programme with the highest points in the country. Across the board, our undergraduate degree offering has performed extremely well with interest in the College’s programmes at an all-time high. MIC as a whole achieved an 11% increase in Total Mentions and a First Preferences increase of 4% this year. Separately, our MIC Thurles post-primary teacher degrees experienced a 34% increase in 1st Preferences and an 18% increase in Total Mentions. These represent a respective increase of 108% and 98% since the incorporation of MIC Thurles in 2016."
Professor Wall went on to extend his congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to obtain their place in MIC, adding they can expect the highest-quality student experience on both the MIC Limerick and MIC Thurles campuses and wide-ranging student supports and services.
Further information for incoming students to MIC is available here.
