So you have the talent in art and decided that you want to embark on a career in the arts. What now? Selecting art as a path of study is not always easy as there are a wide variety of art majors that cover almost any type of career you’d like to consider. If you wish to focus your studies at a liberal arts toward the creative world, there are different factors to consider when deciding what art major is right for you. Creative art course is designed for the intellectually more inclined in the right brain you. Unlike before, people are no longer batting their eyes on graduates in art and design. Talents in this industry has become a need in so many sectors that it creates a flourishing demand from the job market.
What is Creative Arts and Design all about?
As self-explanatory as it is, this course will let you to creatively curate and design a produce that will soon be used for many different purposes. In contrary to fine arts, the course of creative arts and design refers more to the studies that focus more on the significance and practicality of the designed produce. Design is everywhere; photographs, graphics, illustrations, virtual spaces and physical spaces influence our daily decisions. Creative art and design degree equips you with an ideal mix of both theoretical and practical skills. You will have to specialise in a specific area. For instance, fashion or textiles, photography, 2D or 3D design, and product or web design. But, there are courses that give you a broad overview of the whole program. Graduates from university in Ireland will have the necessary skills to actively partake in any arts related activities. You will receive recognition as one of the contributors in the creative industry that you wish to embark on.
Why study Creative Arts and Design in Ireland?
Here are a few good reasons to continue your studies in Creative Arts and Design major in Ireland:
- Rich culture that encompasses on creative arts
Ireland is one of many countries that is heavily enriched with seasoned culture. There is a wide variety of artwork, landmark and theatre stage is heavily influenced by art.
Pursuing studies in creative arts and design in Ireland will grant you the opportunity to dig more inspiration through the country’s enriched culture.
- World-class university with international standard
There are two world’s best university with impeccable international standard that offers creative arts and design course in Ireland. Namely, they are Dublin Institute of Technology and National College of Art and Design.
- Flourishing career prospect
As a graduate of creative arts and design from Ireland, you will enter various job markets in the creative world. From graphic design, animation, music, up to digital media art.
Throughout your studies, you will be provided with all kinds of training, ensuring that you are able to compete in the industry.
- A chance to take on an international career footsteps
Top universities in Ireland are recognised by various accreditors, both locally and internationally. That will help you in getting the recognition by many organisations and institutions that runs in the international scheme.
What kind of subjects are taught in Creative Arts and Design course?
In this course, you will learn many things that are related with the creation, concept, meaning, and practicality of any creative and arts produce. The subjects that you come across will vary, depending on the specialisation that you take in the major. A glimpse of subjects that are offered in some sub-major of Creative Arts and Design course in Ireland:
Arts
- Fine arts, printing
- Creative media
- Fine arts, painting
- Fine arts, 3D sculpture
- Visual arts
Design
- Fashion design
- Graphic design
- Illustration
- Interactive design
- Jewellery design
- Product design
- Textile
- Animation
What are the skills and characteristics needed for Creative Arts and Design course?
There are a few characteristics and skills that are ideal for Creative Arts and Design course:
Creative and imaginative
Creative art and design will require you to be creative that is heavily emphasised on a great extent of imagination. This is important so that the artwork that you produce will meet the demand as creative art and design market involves new innovation at stake. To work in the creative and design world, you will have to get used to thinking outside of the box. There are many other artworks and design that is created out of new inspiration from things that have never been done or thought of before.
Patience in paying attention to detail
Creative arts and design is not an easy field to takeover. Many art and design products that can be found requires a high degree of patience to create. This is due to the high level of detail that needs to be attended in replenishing the produce. Both of these characteristics are interrelated with each other.
Able to illustrate and operate designing software
If you wish to continue your studies in creative arts and design, you will definitely need to have a bag of creativity skills. The ability to draw and illustrate is the basic fundamental that is expected from each student for this course. Not only that, you will also need to level with the operation of any designing software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. Majority of creative arts and design fields require the students to create their work in a digital form.
Able to work under pressure
Majority of career in the creative art and design field - design especially - is always strict on their deadline setting. For that, you will have to be good enough to work fast. You will be facing plenty of pressure and criticism in your career in the creative art and design, both from your own superiors and clients that you work with. As such, you will need a resilient mentality if you want to work in the creative field. If you feel that you possess all the characteristics mentioned above, this course is most definitely going to suit you. Otherwise, don’t worry! Skills can be polished and you will be able to learn them along the way to the end of your degree.
What are the top Universities in Ireland for Creative Arts and Design course?
QS World University Rankings 2022 placed the National College of Arts and Design in Dublin, Ireland as 101-150 for Art and Design category.
What is the career outlook for Creative Arts and Design graduates from Ireland like?
As mentioned previously, the career opportunity for this major is great and can always be found across industries and sectors.
Here are some of the career options that creative arts and design graduates can consider:
- Animator
- Interior designer
- Fashion designer
- Furniture designer
- Creative copywriting
- Art Director
- Graphic designer
The wage that you will make while working in the creative art and design field in Ireland is comparatively high, but it is not the same across, depending on the occupation.The below table showcases the different types of jobs that a graduate from creative art and design in Ireland and the expected salary according to PayScale:
Animator: EUR 24,000 - 59,000
Interior designer: EUR 21,000 - 42,000
Graphic designer: EUR 23,000 - 43,000
Art director: EUR 29,000 - 70,000 per year
How long is the duration of studies for Creative Arts and Design course in Ireland?
Usually, the length of studies taken to complete creative arts and design courses in Ireland is similar to Malaysia. The duration of studies will depend on the level of studies that is taken.
Bachelor's degree: 3 years
Master's degree: 1-2 years
What are the entry requirements for Engineering courses in Ireland?
Each university has different entry requirements and the list below does not generalise the entry requirement of universities in Ireland as a whole.
Undergraduate
SPM: Pass 12 years of formal education in the country of origin, such as STPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), with a minimum average score of 6.0
English: IELTS (minimum 5.5 - 6.0 overall), TOEFL (minimum 550 or 80)
A-Levels: 2 subjects minimum score of C
International Baccalaureate Diploma: 3 subjects at grade 5 at Higer Level and 3 subjects at grade 4 at Standard Level
Supporting document: Design and art portfolio
Postgraduate
Bachelor’s Degree: CGPA minimum 2.5 - 3.0
English: IELTS (minimum 6.5 - 7.0 overall), TOEFL (minimum 650 or 98)
Supporting documents: Recommendation letter, updated CV and design & art portfolio
How much is the tuition fee to study Creative Arts and Design courses in Ireland?
There is a different variant to tuition fees in Ireland, depending on the course and university that is chosen. The estimated tuition fee per annum for creative arts and design course in the top universities in Ireland can be seen here:
Dublin Institute of Technology: EUR 11,500
National College of Arts and Design: EUR 16,520
The fee above only covers the tuition fee and not other additional fees nor living expenses. Living expenses of students in Ireland depend on the location of the university and the city that you live in.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is a university degree really necessary for someone to become a well-known artist or designer?
It is true that there are many artists and designers that do not hold a university degree or any formal education for that matter.However, having a university degree in this field will help you land a recognition from many international art and design institutions to further accelerate your career.
- How tough is it to pursue a degree in creative art and design?
Much like many other courses, lecturers for art and design major generally advocate on a self-learning method. You are to be more proactive in order to look for your own material in the subjects that are taught.This course is usually only accepting students that are profound in art and have creative talent. Hence, you will not feel the burden if you enjoy the process.
- How do I prepare myself for creative art and design course?
Polishing your creativity and artistic skills, especially the ones that involve the use of designing software. You can also extend your knowledge about the popular culture through a light movie or book.
- How do I choose the best university for art and design course?
You should always be prioritising a university that suits yourself. There are many factors to consider, such as campus environment, location, facilities and tuition fee. For some stances, you can also consider other engineering schools that aren’t necessarily in the top 10 of the country.
- When can I enrol to a university in Ireland?
If you’re interested to continue to study in Ireland, the general admission will be different for each university. For instance, National College of Arts and Design opens their intake in early February every year.