As a Trinity Joint Honours student, you will have choices to make at the end of your first and second years about what type of degree you want to finish with (Single Honours, Joint Honours, or Major with Minor), and which options you’d like to take to get there.
Students will be notified by email, via in-tray message in my.tcd.ie and via social media when the pathway selection functionality is open.
Questions regarding pathway choices should be directed to your own School or course office. To find your school's contact details, you can visit this Trinity webpage.
Choices available to joint honours students
The following pathway choices are available to joint honours students:
- Law and French
- Law and German
- Joint Honours programmes
Please note that not all pathways are offered by all programmes.
First Year
For your first year as a Single Honours student, you must take the modules that are prescribed by your two core subjects, which are worth 30 ECTS credits each.
Second Year
Before you begin your second year as a Joint Honours student, you have a pathway choice to make. There are three available options to choose from
1. Keep both subjects equally weighted (20 ECTS CREDITS each), and add Trinity Electives and Open Modules (20 ECTS Credits)
This will mean you are on track to get either a JOINT HONOURS DEGREE or a MAJOR WITH MINOR DEGREE
2. Take more modules in one subject than the other (Subject one: 40 ECTS credits, Subject two: 20 ECTS Credits)
This will mean you are on track to get either a SINGLE HONOURS DEGREE, a JOINT HONOURS DEGREE or a MAJOR WITH MINOR DEGREE
3. Keep only one of your subjects (40 ECTS) and add Trinity Electives and Open Modules (20 ECTS Credits)
This will mean you are on track to get a SINGLE HONOURS DEGREE.
Third Year
Your third year pathway depends on your choice in your second year. This decision is made at the end of your second year.
Single Honours pathway with Trinity Electives/Open Modules
For this option, you must take 50 credits worth of modules as prescribed by your core subject, and 10 credits worth of Trinity Electives or Open Modules.
Note: If you have switched from a Major/Minor pathway in second year to a single pathway in 3rd year, you have the added option of taking 10 credits of modules from your old minor subject instead of the Trinity Electives or Open Modules.
Joint Honours pathway
To graduate with a Joint Honours Degree, you must take modules as prescribed by your Subject 1 [30 credits] and Subject 2 [30 credits].
Major with Minor pathway
There are two options to choose from for a Major with Minor pathway.
Option A
If you select a Major with Minor Option A for Junior Sophister (third year) you will take 40 ECTS in the Major and 20 ECTS in the Minor and will then continue studying the Minor Subject into Year 4 (20 ECTS Capstone project/20 ECTS in Major/20 ECTS in Minor subject).
Option B
If you select a Major with Minor Option B for Junior Sophister you will take 30 ECTS in each of the Major and Minor subject in third year and you will only study the Major in Year 4 (20 ECTS capstone project/40 ECTS in Major subject)
Fourth Year
Single Honours Exit
Students who have chosen the single honours pathway in their third year must take 40 credits of modules as prescribed by their core subject and must complete a 20 credit Capstone Project. This is the same for students who have chosen to take Trinity Electives, Open Modules or 10 credits of a new minor subject.
Major with Minor Exit
Option A
Students who wish to graduate with a Major with Minor degree must complete 20 credits of core subject modules (Major), 20 credits from the second subject (Minor), and a 20 credit Capstone Project in your Major Subject.
Option B
Students who wish to graduate with a Major with Minor degree must complete 40 credits of core subject modules and a 20 credit Capstone Project in your Major Subject.
Joint Honours Exit
Students who wish to graduate with a joint honours degree must take 20 credits of modules from the first subject, 20 credits of modules from their second subject, and a 20 credit Capstone Project. For Joint Honours the Capstone Project can be in either subject one or two.
Please note that some Capstone modules require you to have taken prerequisite modules in your earlier years before you can select a Capstone in a particular subject. Please consult your Course Handbook for any Capstone prerequisites.
How to make pathway selections
Accessing pathway selections
Log on to my.tcd.ie using your college username and password.
Go to the "My Programme" tab.
Click on the "Click here to select your programme" link.
Making your pathway selections
Depending on which course you are studying, your pathway options will be listed.
You can choose one of the course options listed and click "Select programme" or if you wish to remain studying your current pathway click "Continue programme".
Once you click on the "Confirm" button you cannot change your mind! So please take some time to think about your decision.
Confirming your pathway selection
To confirm your selection click on the ‘Confirm’ button. If you are unsure of anything go back to the previous screen using the ‘Reselect’ button.
Once you click on the "Confirm" button you cannot change your mind.
On the next screen the pathway you have selected will be noted.
You will then receive an Intray message confirming your decision on the homepage of my.tcd.ie.
FAQs
What happens if I don’t make a pathway selection at the end of my first year?
If you fail to make a pathway selection at the end of your first year, you will remain on the Joint pathway in your second year.
Is Pathway Selection mandatory?
Pathway Selection is mandatory for second year students on the Major with Minor pathway. Failure to select a pathway may delay your participation in module selection for your third year.
If I don’t continue with one of my two subjects in Year 2 and take Trinity Electives and Open Modules, can I still take the Major with Minor pathway?
No, you will graduate with a Single Honours degree.
Of my first year subjects can I choose either subject to focus on in Year 2?
Yes, in general you can choose to continue with any one of your subjects, or continue with both if you wish. However, there may be some exceptions to this and it is important to check with your School.
Are all exit pathways open to me with my subject choices?
This will depend on the Year 2 pathway you choose that is available within your programme. For instance, if you choose to continue one subject and not your second subject, your progression pathway will be limited to graduating with a Single Honours degree. It is important to talk to your School also as some restrictions may apply locally (not all pathways options are available on all programmes).
Do I have to take Trinity Electives or Open Modules?
This will depend on the course you are taking and the pathway you choose. In some courses or on some award pathways you will need to take Trinity Electives and/or Open Modules and in other courses or pathways you will not have to. It is best to check with your School directly to see the options available.