On completion of the programme, you will have acquired comprehensive skills relevant to the workplace and modern society. You will be able to think clearly and rigorously for yourself as you are encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning by being an active participant in the learning process.

The inter-disciplinary nature of the course allows you to avail of a broad education in the areas of economics, sociology and politics. These three subject areas are interlinked and will give you a good basis for a wide range of careers.

What type of student is suited to the B.A. in Environment and Society, Youth and Family Studies?

If you have general interest in the environment and the interactions between the environment, the economy and society, then you will find the Environment & Society pathway stimulating.

If you have a general interest in families and family change, as well as childhood and adolescence, then you will find the Youth & Family Studies pathway stimulating.

Both pathways are expected to attract a mixture of school-leavers and mature students.

This degree programme provides you with a sound foundation in the key areas of economics, environmental economics and applied public policy, in addition to enabling you to develop skills in essay writing, teamwork, problem-solving and discursive analyses. The Economics courses introduce you to a way of thinking about the economic world around us and the various complex issues that arise. You acquire the analytical tools to explore these issues.

In First Arts, you study Economics by exploring:

• The decision-making behaviour of individual economic actors, for example, individual consumers, business entrepreneurs, bankers and government ministers - this is called microeconomics
• The collective behaviour of these actors, looking at how all these decisions interact - this is called macroeconomics

In the Environment & Society pathway, in second and third years, you delve deeper into microeconomcis, macroeconomics and environmental economics. You consider GDP, employment, unemployment, inflation - you gain an understanding of many issues that are driving forces in the modern economy.

In the Youth & Family Studies pathway, in second and third years, you will study some economics modules relevant to that specialism.

For detailed descriptions of the courses in each year, check out the Current Students section of this web site.

Where might you work?

The B.A. in Environment & Society/Youth & Family Studies as a qualification is very suited to a wide range of employment opportunities or for further training in specific areas. It provides an excellent foundation if you are interested in a career in social work, community work, management, public administration, industrial relations or journalism or if you would like to work with development agencies, research institutions or various international organizations.

When you graduate with a B.A. in Environment & Society/Youth & Family Studies, you can apply for entry into four taught Economics postgraduate programmes at NUI Galway: the Higher Diploma in Economic Science and three different Master of Economic Science programmes, a masters programme in Economic Policy Evaluation & Planning, a masters programme in International Finance or a masters programme in Economic and Environmental Modelling. You can also apply for a number of other postgraduate programmes in the Cairnes Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at NUI Galway.

To be added.

Apply for the B.A. in Environment & Society/Youth & Family Studies through the CAO system, using the code GY120 - check out the Admissions section of the NUI Galway web site and the CAO web site for more information, where you will also find details on entry requirements.

A certain number of places are reserved each year for mature students. Mature students also apply through the CAO system. Check out the Mature Students section of the NUI Galway web site for more information.