Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts
Limerick, Ireland
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
This programme will allow you to develop your performance skills in one of five in areas (traditional Irish music, traditional Irish dance, contemporary dance, voice and world music). You will also be able to develop your scholarly knowledge and enquiry around your own disciplines. However, and very importantly, you will be introduced to other performance practices and scholarly traditions in order to gain new insights into the worlds of music and dance, enhancing your creative potential. You will also study a number of vocationally focused modules aimed at allowing you to translate your artistic and scholarly creativity into a fulfilling career.
As a student, you will be based at the world class, facilities of the Irish World Academy building, equipped to the highest standards with cutting edge performance and rehearsal spaces and technological infrastructure. The co-operative education period allows you to construct your own work-experience, giving you invaluable experience of the opportunities open to you when you graduate.
The programme prepares you for many different career paths including professional performance; further study; work in cultural institutions; media related posts; archival work; performance production; portfolio careers combining the preceding and others in entrepreneurial ways.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
In the first year, you will focus and develop your own performance practice and be introduced to the critical academic engagement with classical, popular, traditional and world music and dance through a performative lens.
From second year, you will follow a stream that will reflect your main performance interest.
- Irish traditional music - students will undertake additional specialist modules in Irish Music and dance studies and ethnomusicology
- Irish traditional dance - students will undertake additional specialist modules in Irish Music and dance studies, dance studies, experiential anatomy and movement analysis, dance pedagogy
- Contemporary Dance - students will undertake additional specialist modules in dance studies, experiential anatomy and movement analysis, dance pedagogy
- Voice - students will undertake additional specialist modules in Vocal pedagogy and Voice studies
- World Music - students will undertake additional specialist modules in Global Pop Music, ethnomusicology
From second year, core modules will be undertaken by all students in areas like music and dance education, ethnomusicology and ethnochoreology, professional skills, research and arts and health. You will explore areas related to your genre of performance such as music theory, keyboard skills, vocal technique, yoga, pilates, ballet technique, contemporary dance technique, movement awareness, traditional dance technique, etc. You will also be required to engage performance practices outside of your own main performance interest. You will also have the opportunity to study modules as electives taken from a broad of range of options in languages, history, sociology, performance practice, choreography, composition etc.
Program Outcome
Master of Arts Irish Traditional Dance Performance Master of Arts Irish Traditional Music Performance Master of Arts Contemporary Dance Performance Master of Arts Irish Music Studies Master of Arts Irish Dance Studies Master of Arts Ethnochoreology Master of Arts Ethnomusicology Master of Arts Ritual Chant and Song Master of Arts Community Music Master of Arts Music Therapy Master of Arts Festive Arts Master of Arts Classical String Performance in association with the Irish Chamber Orchestra Master of Education Music Professional Master of Education Music PhD Arts Practice PhD Research
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
- Professional Performance
- Further Study (MA, PhD)
- Music/Dance Therapy
- Community Music/Dance
- Music/Dance teacher
- Arts administration
- Performance management and promotion
- Backstage work in performance theatre e.g. sound engineer
- Music Technology, e.g. recording studio producer/technician
- Media (TV, Radio etc.)
- Work in cultural institutions and archives