The MIC Thurles Open Day on Saturday, 11 of November (10am-1pm), is attracting hundreds of registrations from aspiring post-primary school teachers from all over the country. The Open Day will offer a unique insight into college life at the campus and will feature an address from Dr Finn Ó Murchú, Head of School of Education (Post-Primary), campus tours and programme talks on available subject combinations in Business Studies, Accounting, Religious Studies, Gaeilge, Mathematics and the newest addition to the MIC Thurles’ provision – Home Economics.
According to Dr Ó Murchú: “Academic and Professional Services teams are looking forward to welcoming attendees to the event. We want people to really experience the unique offering we have here. MIC Thurles now boasts seven degrees that have an education and school placement component. The BA in Education, Home Economics and Business Studies (MI015), which recently saw its first intake of students, is a significant addition and has proven to be an exciting development for MIC Thurles and the broader educational community.”
Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, recently visited the MIC Thurles campus to officially launch the programme and praised the provision of Home Economics as a subject offering for helping to tackle a teacher supply issue in the discipline.
MIC Thurles’ concurrent teacher education programmes are structured so that the education component is included in each year and the graduate is qualified to teach to honours Leaving Certificate level after completion of their degree. There is no requirement to complete a post graduate Masters in Education. This not only means graduates are qualified in four years, as opposed to six, but there is also the attendant cost savings. Considerable cost benefits are also enjoyed by those who choose to study in Thurles in terms of relative living costs.
In relation to the MIC Thurles Open Day Dr Ó Murchú adds: “Attending the Open Day will provide students, and their parents, with a great opportunity to get a feel for the warm close-knit learning community that is MIC Thurles. It is the perfect opportunity to find out about the various subject combinations, the range of curricular and extra-curricular resources on offer, undergraduate scholarships, and alternative routes to college for mature and Further Education students.”
Current student, Shane Walsh (Year 4 BA in Education, Business Studies and Religious Studies) said: “When I came down to the Open Day, I knew the College was for me. The energy around the College is brilliant. There are days you might come in a little bit low and there are always people around to pick you up and it’s something the Head of the College, Finn Ó Murchú, promotes - picking up the people around you and making sure everyone feels alright is important. It’s definitely something you get a vibe of when you’re in the College."
Register for the MIC Thurles Open Day at www.mic.ie/CAO
