Diploma in Business Studies (IPA/UCD)

Course details

This is a two-year programme with four elective streams - Accounting, Marketing, Human Resource Management and Information Systems Management. This programme is a good choice for those who want to further their understanding of the fundamentals of business and obtain specialised knowledge about a particular area in which they are interested or involved. It will be of interest to those, who do not want, initially, to commit themselves to a four-year programme.

Entry Requirement

Leaving Certificate with minimum of grade C in two Higher Level (Honours) papers, and grade D (Higher or Ordinary) in four other subjects. Subjects passed must include Irish, English, Mathematics and a Third Language. Learners of mature years, that is, learners who are 21 years of age on the 1st January of the calendar year of entry may be matriculated by the IPA for the purpose of entering a programme of study. Learners attending lectures at LIT should apply to the IPA and then register with LIT.

Examinations

Learners are assessed by means of assignments given through the year and final examinations. Examinations are held twice yearly in April and August (Supplementary).

Subject Accumation

If a learner does not wish to take all the subjects in any year, he/she may study one, two or three subjects on a phased basis. Learners taking the business programme by subject accumulation pay €780 per subject. The fee due to the IPA for subject accumulation learners taking tuition in LIT is €390 per subject and the fee due to LIT is €390 per subject.

Year One

• Financial Accounting
• Quantitative Methods
• Managing Human Resources / Managing IT
• Business Administration & Marketing
• Year Two – Core Subjects
• Cost Accounting
• Economics
• Business and Company Law

Year Two – Streams

• Accounting Stream – Financial Accounting
• Marketing Stream – Marketing Information Analysis
• Human Resource Management Stream – Organisational Behaviour (Subject to viable numbers)
• Information Systems Management Stream –Information Systems Design & Development (By distance education only)

The subjects studied are the same as those studied by learners in the first two years of the Bachelor of Business Studies. This means that participants take and are examined in eight subjects - four in year one and four in year two. The Diploma programme takes two years to complete. After first year there are four elective streams: Accounting, Marketing, Human Resource Management and Information Systems Management. In 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 the Core Subjects for all streams will be available in the Department of Business Management at Limerick Institute of Technology. The Elective Subjects in the Accounting Stream and the Marketing Stream will also be available. The Elective Subjects in the Human Resource Management Stream will be available subject to viable class numbers (Minimum number 12 learners). The Elective Subjects in the Information Systems Management stream will not be provided. Where lectures are not provided by LIT in any given stream learners can pursue their elective subjects through Distance Education directly with the Institute of Public Administration.