Question
My daughter, who is from the southwest is currently considering her regional options for college, preferably within commuting distance of home. She is a bright, curious, creative person, but finds the school environment a little stifling.
She enjoys business subjects in school and has really enjoyed organising events, including her debs ball. I think she may prosper in a degree course that is a little more practically oriented.
Can you offer any suggestions that we may not have considered?
Answer
Finding the appropriate course without the expense of moving to a major city with its associated costs is a common dilemma for many school leavers and parents.
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Given your daughter’s enjoyment of the practicalities of organising activities, one obvious suggestion is a degree in event management. There has been a huge growth and professionalisation of the global events and festival industry over the past 30 years. Event management graduates are working across conferences, sporting events, festivals, arts and culture, corporate events, tourism, weddings and the public sector.
Given the central role of tourism in Kerry’s economy, it is not surprising that Munster Technological University (MTU) offers a three-year Level 8 BA (Honours) event management degree on their Kerry North Campus in Tralee.
The degree is designed for students interested in planning, managing, and delivering major events. What may interest your daughter is the focus of the degree, which combines a significant number of business modules, alongside event specific and personal development modules.
Students engage in volunteering in their first year for academic credits, plan their own live event project, collaborate with real clients and gain a paid, mentored summer work placement experience at the end of the third year. This will give them a sense of what the industry is actually like – teamwork, long days and problem solving under pressure – before they graduate. The placement aspect often leads directly to employment, or at least to a very useful network.
While there will always be a significant academic component to any Level 8 degree, this course appears practical and industry focused with strong links to venues and festivals, making it an appealing option for students drawn to the creative and dynamic nature of event management. The fact that it is offered over three years is also a plus.
Graduates pursue management or executive roles in the events, hospitality, tourism, arts or entertainment sectors, with starting salaries typically €35,000-€45,000, and opportunities for rapid progression in Ireland and internationally.
As with any degree choice it is important to do your own research, so you might be interested that MTU are hosting a spring open day on their Tralee campus on Saturday, March 21st, 10am-1pm, with a chance to meet lecturers and current students and tour the campus. Your daughter can finalise the CAO choices in May-June next, up to 5pm on July 1st.
The degree at MTU is one of eight event-management-related undergraduate degrees in Ireland, with courses also available at TU Dublin, TUS (Limerick and Athlone), ATU (Galway and Sligo), SETU (Wexford), and DKIT.
There are also post graduate options in event management in Ireland and abroad, including an MSc in event management at TU Dublin, an MBus in cultural event management at IADT, and a new part-time fully online MSc in sustainable tourism and event management from ATU.
Email askbrian@irishtimes.com
