How to apply
The deadlines for applications to the School for the forthcoming academic year are updated on the College's Academic Registry website.Minimum requirements for PhD applicants
- A minimum 2.1 honours class undergraduate degree from an Irish university or its international equivalent. A master’s degree in a related subject is very strongly recommended, ideally with a distinction classification;
- A demonstrable working knowledge of the languages you plan to work with, as well as any other technical aspects that underpin the project;
- Candidates who are not native English speakers and have not completed a degree through the medium of English, must pass English language proficiency requirements. Comprehensive information on English language proficiency requirements are available on the Academic Registry website.
Planning your application
In planning your application for a PhD, many factors will come into play: academic reputation, research experts, location, quality of training and availability of funding. Applying for the PhD itself, and applying for funding are both competitive processes that depend on your qualifications, experience and research aspirations. The first stage in the process is to come up with an idea of what you would like to study.
You should write out your idea in the form of a 300-word abstract, being sure to identify precisely and specifically:
- What your overarching research question will be;
- What books, poems, films, or other materials you will analyse in order to answer your research question;
- What discreet steps your analysis will go through in order to use your materials to answer your research question;
- What answering your research question will allow us to do which we cannot currently do;
- Any contextual information that a reader will need to understand the other four points.
Avoid making general statements of any kind, and do not assume that your question has not been asked before. Research at the doctoral level almost always builds heavily on a wide range of existing research. Although the abstract is short, it should take a substantial amount of time and background research for you to write it.
Once you have written your abstract, you should next approach potential supervisors with this abstract and your current CV. These academics will help you identify whether your idea is feasible in the four years of the Trinity PhD programme, whether the question is sufficiently original, and especially, whether they would be interested in supervising it.
Identify a potential supervisor
In order for your application to be successful, you must discuss your research proposal with a proposed supervisor before applying to the programme. You should review the School's staff profiles for potential supervisors. You can have more than one supervisor, and this is particularly advisable in the case of inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research.
Secondary supervisors can be drawn from within our School or from another School in the Faculty or College. However, only staff at the Assistant Professor level or above are available to supervise.
It is recommended that you try to make a short list of possible supervisors and start reaching out to them with your abstract early in the process.
Writing your proposal
After you have spent the time you need to write your proposal, and you have worked with your supervisor to edit and polish it, you are ready to apply for the degree.
Required documents for your application:
Proposal Form |
Download the School's Proposal Form. |
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Sample of academic writing |
You will require a sample of no more than 2,500 words of your best academic writing in English or Irish.
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English language proficiency qualifications |
Unless you have completed a degree through the medium of English or are a native speaker, you are required to prove your proficiency with the language.
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Degree certificate(s) |
You will require the certificates that prove you have completed all the degrees you mention in your application. If you haven’t yet completed one or more of your degrees, you can still apply and supply the details on these when you have them. |
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Degree transcripts |
You will need official transcripts showing all the components you have completed as part of your degree(s). |
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Two reference letters |
You should ask two people who are not related to you to write letters of reference, recommending you for this course and laying out why you would be a good candidate. |
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Online application form |
Once you have all these materials ready, you are ready to apply. To make your application, consult the Academic Registry listing for the School, and locate the correct degree title and month of entry. If you are unsure as to which degree title is correct, you should ask your supervisor. The degree title corresponds with the department your supervisor is in, rather than the subject of your research. This is only an administrative formality. The title does not appear on your final degree certificate. |