Research Postgraduate Studies

Applying to Do a Research Postgraduate Degree in NUIM

You can register to do an MLitt/Phd in Politics and an MLitt/PhD in Sociology at our Department. If you are interested in pursuing a postgraduate research degree with us please first contact a member of staff to discuss your research idea. They will gladly assist you to prepare your research proposal. For a list of staff research interests please see these pages. For further information on our department research interests and supervision possibiliites please consult our Research Postgraduate Handbook.

Students applying for to pursue a research postgraduate degree in NUIM should complete an application form and pay an application fee through the online PAC system. You will need to provide a brief personal statement in the application form and this should focus on your reasons for pursuing a postgraduate degree at NUIM. Please note, when filling out the application form, that the fullest possible information should be provided.

In addition you will also need to submit a research proposal in hard copy within ten days of submitting your electronic application form to the Postgraduate Applications Centre, 1 Court House Square, Galway, Ireland. Your proposal must be marked with your Postgraduate Application Number.

The research proposal should be typed, double spaced and approximately 7-10 pages long. It should indicate:

• the central research topic that you wish to investigate;
• the central debates in the sociological and/or social science literature that the research will address;
• the main data that will be collected and/or analysed and the methods that will be used to do so;
• the significance of the proposed research for sociological work in the relevant field;
• any other critical issues regarding the research topic, approach and significance;

It is not expected that the student will stick blindly to this proposal should they be admitted as a research postgraduate student but it will provide a useful guide for students and the department in assessing the application and in developing the research. Applicants may be called for interview by departmental staff before a decision is made regarding admission.

You may apply at any time to the department to start a PhD but the deadline for applications is August the 31st if you wish to start in September of the same year. If you wish to be considered for the Department's Hume fellowships you should apply before May the 31st.

Please note that entrants from September 2010 will be required to take a programme of taught modules. There are two required modules within the Department of Sociology, 'Crafts and Logics of Social Research' and 'Teaching and Learning in Social Sciences'. These will be supplemented with a range of methodological and theoretical courses delivered at a Faculty, research institute and inter-institutional level. Your supervisor will advise you on the most appropriate programme for you.

Click here for a summary document on our research postgraduate programme and other key information.

Current MA Programmes

There are currently two taught MA programmes of one year duration in our department.

• MA in Sociology: Understanding Social Change - Societies in Transition. Deadline for applications 31st of May, 2010.
• MA in Society and Space (Joint MA between the Departments of Sociology and Geography, delivered by NIRSA) Deadline for applications 31st of May 2010.

Current Research Students

We have a large number of research postgraduates. If you click on the link below you can find out information on current students and their research topics, as well as information on recently graduated students.

• Postgraduate research students, 2009.

Postgraduate students at NUIM can participate in a number of programmes and activities outside of the Sociology department. These include:

• Irish Social Sciences Platform - a multi-university initiative to support Phd programme.
• NIRSA Postgraduate taught programme - taught PhD modules in theory, methods and skills.
• SAI Annual Postgraduate Conference

Scholastic Funding

Students can apply for funding under a number of schemes, although if you are coming from abroad please do check the rules and regulations of each programme carefully to see if you can apply.
The following are some of the internal and external funds available to Sociology Students.

• IRCHSS postgraduate scholarships - 15th of Jan. 2010.
• NUIM John and Pat Hume scholarships - date to be announced for 2010 (Friday 29th of May, 2009)
• Irish Social Sciences Platform scholarships - no call currently.
• NUIM NIRSA PhD Fellowships - no call currently.

The following website may also be of use.

• Higher Education Authority's student funding website

Your supervisor and the graduate studies office in NUIM will be able to advise you in more detail.

Travel funding

Postgraduate students may apply for travel funding to attend conferences from the graduate studies office and from the Department of Sociology.

• Department of Sociology postgraduate travel funding 09/10.
• Graduate Studies postgraduate travel funding.

For more information please contact the sociology postgraduate representative Dr. Aphra Kerr or the graduate studies office at NUIM.

Last edited: Monday, 08-Mar-2010 10:36:40 GMT

Department of Sociology, Room 22, Auxilia Building, NUI Maynooth, Co Kildare, Ireland
Tel: +353-1-708 3659 | Fax: +353-1-708 3528 | Email: sociology.department@nuim.ie