Conversion courses

With the average person changing jobs several times during their working lives, conversion courses are in demand not just with full-time students, but with professionals keen to progress their careers.

Your undergraduate degree can be a great springboard for further study in a more vocational or specialised area. Typically, conversion courses are one-year taught postgraduate courses and can be found in most subject areas, with a very high concentration in business, arts and computing. They can be the first step in a degree programme, or standalone qualifications in their own right, and are highly valued by employers. A conversion course can also provide an opportunity if you didn't feel you reached your full potential at undergraduate level to redress the balance.

Entry requirements

These will vary according to the course and college you choose. It's important to check the specific entry requirements which you can find on colleges' websites. The minimum requirement is a degree and although a pass degree will be considered in some cases, the more competitive courses will require an honours degree of 2:1. Where some courses will require a degree in a specific area – a postgraduate diploma in chemical engineering will require a science or engineering qualification, for example – others will require competence in a particular subject, such as mathematics. However a great many conversion courses are open to graduates from any discipline, and this is their big attraction.

IT

IT is one of the easiest fields to convert to. One-year courses are the normal route in, such as the Higher Diploma in Applied Science (Applied Computing Technology) offered by University College Cork, or the Higher Diploma in Information Technology at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Courses like these welcome students with degrees in unrelated disciplines, and other applicants with relevant experience who are looking to upskill. Students receive a solid grounding in theory and practice which brings them up to the equivalent level of a computer science graduate. Many colleges offer cross-departmental postgraduate programmes to entice people into the sector. A postgraduate conversion course in IT can fast-track you onto a masters such as University College Cork's MSc in Interactive Media, or an MSc in Data Analytics at Dublin Institute of Technology, both of which are likely to make you extremely valuable to Ireland's 'smart economy'.

Teaching

In ROI you'll need a postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE) to qualify for second-level teaching, or the eighteen-month graduate diploma in education for primary level. In Northern Ireland you'll need a postgraduate certificate in Education (PGCE). Both the PGDE and the PGCE are one year-full-time programmes and are recognised in Europe and other English-speaking countries. Courses welcome applicants from all manner of disciplines; you don’t need to have an undergraduate qualification in teaching or education.

Law

Many non-law graduates go on to pursue vocational legal training and carve out successful careers as lawyers after first completing one of the approved preparatory and conversion courses available, the Master in Legal Science at Queen's University Belfast. A postgraduate law degree naturally increases your expertise and specialism in a particular area of law, but is also widely respected by employers in many other sectors.

Medicine

The Graduate Entry Medical School at the University of Limerick and The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin both offer a four-year medical degree programme to graduates of any discipline. While not strictly-speaking conversion degrees these programmes are notable because, unusually, they do not require their students to have studied medicine at undergraduate level. Applicants must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor honours degree and then pass the GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test) to be accepted.

MBAs

MBAs are aimed at professionals and designed to enhance and develop managerial and leadership skills. They can usually be taken full-time over a 12-month period, or part-time over two years. These courses, such as that offered by the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School or the Queen's University Management School, Belfast, are not designed for graduates fresh out of college; you will normally be expected to have a set number of years' solid experience within a business environment under your belt.

Issues to consider:

  • How will this qualification complement my primary degree?
  • Is the course respected by the relevant employers?
  • What's the employment record of graduates on the course?
  • Am I eligible for a reduction in fees, or any funding?

Checklist for choosing a course
Postgraduate applications for mature or part-time students