Structured Ph.D programme

I'm an applicant interested in pursuing a PhD with the School of Education. What are the entry requirements?

Prospective Ph.D. candidates are normally expected to hold a good honours degree (preferably an upper second class) or above, to be fluent in the English language, to demonstrate via their research proposal that they have a viable project, to be able to complete a piece of research at a doctoral level, and to have an agreed supervisor in place. All applicants whose first language is not English and have not been educated through the medium of English must provide evidence of English language proficiency: IELTS Grade 6.5. For more details including application forms, closing dates and registration process can be viewed here.

I'm thinking of undertaking one of the programmes in your School. Could you explain the difference between a structured PhD and the DEd Programme?

The PhD structured programme has a full-time and a part-time option with two mandatory modules (a PhD Research Methods module, and a Research Integrity and Impact in an Open Scholarship module). A PhD thesis is not to exceed 100,000 words of text. The D. Ed. is a part time programme designed primarily to meet the needs of professionals within the Irish education system. The most structurally visible part of the DEd programme are the taught modules/seminar sessions. The DEd thesis is typically between 60,000 and 80,000 words of text. The PhD and DEd are both level 10 programmes. Handbooks are available for each programme and more details on entry requirements, fees, etc. can be viewed here. View the YouTube video above  to learn more on the differences between the PhD and DEd programmes.

Could you advise at what times of year and how often there is an intake of students to the PhD and DEd Programmes?

Registration for the PhD structured programme is in September, and full details are available here. There is an annual intake of students on the PhD programme, and an intake of students on the DEd programme every two years.

What are the key aspects of my application?

In addition to submitting all necessary supplementary documentation by the application deadline, a key aspect is to produce a viable research proposal. It is equally important to assess if an academic staff member within the School of Education is in a position to supervise your PhD. In order to determine if a potential supervisor is available, we recommend that you consult the School of Education staff webpage, and contact a potential supervisor via email.

I'm interested in pursuing a programme in the School of Education. Do I need to select and communicate with a potential supervisor prior to applying?

Yes. This is a central aspect of your application. It is recommended that you consult the staff page on the School of Education website with a view to identifying a potential supervisor who has a background in the area of research of interest to you. Once you identify a potential supervisor you should make contact with them to enquire if they would be open to being your supervisor.

I’m interested in pursuing a Ph.D. programme with the School of Education. However, upon review of your staff webpage, I've not been able to identify a potential supervisor. Can I still process an application?

If you have not been successful in identifying a potential supervisor, you can still apply through the online system and your application will be considered by the admissions committee. At its discretion, the committee may direct your proposal to an appropriate staff member within the School of Education - but please note there is no guarantee that it will be possible to find an appropriate potential supervisor. So we would encourage you to identify a supervisor in advance of making an application. In the case that a supervisor is not secured, the application will still incur a small fee.

Once a potential supervisor has been identified, what is the next step?

The next step is to contact the potential supervisor and find out if they might have capacity to supervise you. It is advisable to send a short email with pertinent information to enable a response: including your draft research proposal, your suitability to undertake this work, note any scholarships/fellowships or funding in place, and any other important information. Applications without an agreed supervisor have a lower success rate.

At what stage can the application process be completed?

A full application must be completed and submitted by July 31st.

How is an application assessed for the doctoral programmes?

All submitted applications are considered by a review committee in the School of Education. The role of this committee is to determine whether or not you will be extended an offer to take up a place on the PhD programme. The research proposal is a key consideration in this process.

Is it possible to attend the taught modules online?

The PhD Research Integrity and Impact in an Open Scholarship module is available online. Other modules are taught in a face to face format, and it is required that all PhD candidates will attend these in person.

I would like to find out more information …. who do I contact?

Please contact the PhD and DEd administrator via email at phdrsrch@tcd.ie or via phone at 01-8963583 and they would be delighted to help you further.