BA (Honours) Degree in Digital and Business Skills

Group of six diverse and smiling university students standing together in a classroom, holding books and notebooks, with rows of desks and chairs in the background.

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Overview

The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Digital and Business Skills (DABS) is a future-focused four-year degree programme designed to equip students with a broad range of employability competencies, preparing them for a successful career in the everchanging business and digital world.

The programme combines academic study with real-world workplace learning, fostering adaptability and resilience. The degree programme has been jointly developed by curriculum and academic teams in National College of Ireland and City of Dublin Education and Training Board (City of Dublin ETB).

DABS is a progression route from the PTECH programme, providing learners graduating from participating secondary schools and their industry partners with an opportunity to continue to develop these essential skills and competencies right through to Honours degree level. Students will have access to structured supports throughout the programme in the form of learning support, financial support and workplace mentor support. Integrated workplace learning features throughout all four years of the programme.

Provider Locations and Structure

The programme offers a delivery pathway through City of Dublin ETB’s Cathal Brugha FET Campus for Years 1 and 2, enabling students from diverse backgrounds to access new opportunities and transition seamlessly to National College of Ireland to complete their degree for Years 3 and 4.

Course Content – For All Years

In Year 1, the modules are:

Personal Development and Reflection
Communication and Working in Professional Environments
Digital Literacy & Proficiency
Navigating the Digital Landscape
Navigating Organisations and The Business Environment World
Information Literacy and Academic Learning
Work placement Preparation
Work placement assessment activities

In Year 2 the modules are:

Building Responsibility
Leadership & Team Environments
Data Management
Digital Marketing
Sustainability for Business
Critical Thinking
Work Place Preparation 2
Work Placement 2

Each module in this stage carries 5 credits, except for 2.1 which is valued at 10 credits, and 2.8 Work Placement 2, which is valued at 20 credits.

Year 3

Academic Supports for Learning and Writing Well
Strategic Tools for Managing in a Business Environment
Data Analytics
Organisational Culture, People and Leadership
Digital Marketing
User Experience
Programming
Workplace preparation
Work placement 3

Year 4

Career Readiness
Business Innovation and Development
Artificial Intelligence
Advanced Artificial Intelligence
Data Visualisation
Business Cloud Security Management
Sustainability for Business and Society
Work Placement Preparation 4
Work Placement 4

Accreditation, Embedded and Step Back Awards

Higher Certificate in Arts (Higher Certificate at NFQ Level 6) 6M22669 120 credits
Bachelor of Arts (Ordinary Bachelor Degree at NFQ Level 7) 7M22667 180 credits
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (Honours Bachelor Degree at NFQ Level 8) 8M22665 240 credits

Planned Intake

14 students per year.

Entry Requirements and Eligibility

The applicant’s academic ability may be demonstrated by successful completion of any of the following:

Leaving Certificate (5 passes)
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (5 passes)
Leaving Certificate Applied plus level 6 P-TECH award (Pathways to Technology)
Level 5 QQI Certificate in a relevant area
Other equivalent award
Level 6 Certificate in P-TECH (Pathways in Technology) from NCI

In the case of mature learners, i.e. 21 years and over, there are no formal academic entry requirements. The applicant’s academic ability is determined using the principles of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Prospective learners will be expected to demonstrate:

a desire to work in the business sector
an ability to act with responsibility and autonomy
an ability to take responsibility for their own learning while under supervision
an ability to to work collaboratively with others
effective communication and presentation skills
Minimum English language and literacy competence at entry to the programme for speakers of English as a second language is Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, B2 in writing, reading, listening and speaking
Where the learner has not completed their second-level education through the medium of English, evidence of achievement of this standard is necessary for entry to the programme.

Onward Pathways

Employment

Special Features

This Digital and Business Skills degree programme builds on the successful P-TECH project in Dublin’s North-East Inner City (NEIC) schools. Originally pioneered by IBM in the USA, P-TECH was launched in Ireland in 2018 and works with learners in seven post-primary schools, three of which are City of Dublin ETB schools, in the North-East Inner City.

P-TECH’s main aim is to tackle educational disadvantages. P-TECH is supported by the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of the Taoiseach, as well as the NEIC Programme Implementation Board.