What Leaving Cert Subjects Are Needed for Engineering? A Guide to Getting Your Dream Job

Contents

1. Ireland’s engineering industry
2. Leaving Cert points needed for engineering in Ireland
3. Entry requirements for engineering in Ireland
4. Which Leaving Cert subjects should I take for engineering?
5. Becoming an engineer in Ireland

The world relies on engineers! By using scientific principles to create structures and machines – like bridges, airplanes, buildings and robots – engineers determine how things work and find ways to get them onto the market. 🤖

Suppose you’re just about to enter the Senior Cycle in Ireland and are keen to pursue a career in engineering. In that case, you may be asking yourself: ‘what Leaving Cert subjects are needed for engineering?’ or ‘how do Leaving Cert points needed for engineering in Ireland work exactly?’

To get your dream job in engineering, you’ll need to take the proper steps. That starts with understanding Ireland’s entry requirements and picking the relevant Leaving Cert subjects. Let’s get you ready for a career in engineering! 👇

Ireland’s engineering industry

Ireland is well known for its engineering industries, with a strong track record of bringing innovative products and services to market quickly. Engineering Industries Ireland (Ibec) – Ireland’s largest lobby and business representative group – represents over 10,800 enterprises, employing 50,751 people, with exports of €8.8 billion of products annually. 🤑

Ireland’s engineering companies already span a broad range of markets, including automotive, energy & environment, construction and agriculture. Did you know that 8 out of the top 10 Global Automation companies are based in Ireland? 

According to Ibec’s recent Engineering Strategy report, Ireland is quickly

developing into a hub for cutting-edge research and development in areas such as the internet of things (IoT), industry 4.0, connected autonomous vehicles

and more.

With this expected industry-wide growth over the next few years will come an increase in opportunity and employment within the sector. So, now is a great time to be considering a career in engineering in Ireland! 👍

Leaving Cert points needed for engineering in Ireland

The number of Leaving Cert points you need for a future career in engineering will vary significantly between courses and institutions. Achieving anything between 476 and 625 should be enough to secure you a place at one of the top engineering universities in Ireland – more on that below. 👇

The Leaving Cert points system 

The Central Applications Office (CAO) processes applications for undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Decisions on admissions to undergraduate courses are made by the HEIs who instruct CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Your CAO points will be calculated in relation to your Leaving Certificate exam results. 💯

Remember, only the six best results will be counted for points computation. Your points will be calculated from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate Examination only. Let's look at the Leaving Cert points system in Ireland:

Leaving Certificate:

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme:

Entry requirements for engineering in Ireland

The information below details the minimum academic entry requirements for five of Ireland’s top universities, as ranked by the SCImago Institutions Rankings system. 

This information is intended as a guide only. You should check each university’s website carefully for the most up-to-date details on their entrance requirements and selection procedures. ☎️

If you do not meet or are not on track to meet any of the requirements below, we recommend contacting the relevant university’s admissions office for advice and clarification before applying. 

Studying engineering in Northern Ireland 

If you are looking to study engineering in the UK or Northern Ireland you will need to understand how your Leaving Certificates and CAO points translate into the UK’s UCAS points system. ☝️

The Leaving Certificate spans Levels 4 and 5 on Ireland’s National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), which corresponds with Levels 2 and 3 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

The UCAS system is based on 'tariff points', which are standardised for all foreign qualifications. As the number of subjects studied is greater, Higher Level examinations in the Irish Leaving Certificate are considered to be of a lower standard than A-level. 🔢

Take a look at the chart below to see how your Leaving Cert CAO points will translate into the UCAS tariff points system. You can also use the UCAS tariff point calculator to calculate your UCAS tariff points.

Which Leaving Cert subjects should I take for engineering?

So, which Leaving Cert subjects are needed for engineering? The required Leaving Certs and grades you need to secure a place at university can vary. It’s always best to check the specific entry requirements for each course you plan on applying for to make sure of what’s needed.

As laid out by Engineers Ireland, engineering students are normally competent in and enjoy maths. Many engineering degrees will require applicants to have completed Leaving Certs in maths and higher maths. 

Subjects such as physics, chemistry or agricultural science can also provide a good foundation as the first year of study often covers core scientific concepts.

Leaving cert subjects needed for engineering

Let's look at those top five universities and compare their subject and grade entry requirements:

Becoming an engineer in Ireland

Engineering can be divided into a large number of sub-disciplines that cover an enormous spectrum of industries and materials – from civil engineering to biomedical engineering, electronic engineering to mechanical engineering and many more. ⚙️

Each sub-discipline follows a different career path – with its own coursework, licenses and certification exams – but some core similarities span almost all engineering career paths. Let’s look at an example of a typical engineering career path so that you can familiarise yourself with the basic steps to becoming an engineer.

#1 Get an engineering degree

A degree in an engineering or technology-related subject is usually necessary to work in this sector. However, a few engineers have qualifications in disciplines such as maths, physics or computer science. 

#2 Postgraduate engineering course

Although not always essential, Master's degrees and PhD studies can deepen your sub-discipline knowledge and help you build sector-specific skills and forge industry connections. 🎓

#3 Placements and internships

Engineering is a competitive industry. Getting some work experience under your belt is a great way to stand out from the crowd. If you are lucky, your degree will have included a placement year. If not, it would be wise to seek out your own opportunities. 🔎

#4 Graduate schemes

Numerous large employers offer graduate schemes in engineering and manufacturing. These can be a great way to implement the knowledge you gained at degree level while becoming embedded within a specific engineering field – all while being paid. 👔

If you are looking for some extra support to get you through The Senior Cycle and Leaving Certs, why not try a free trial lesson with GoStudent? Our tutors are experts at bringing subjects to life, boosting academic success and having fun along the way! Get in touch and see how it can work for you today. 🎒