MA Irish Studies

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)

The MA Irish Studies is an interdisciplinary programme that examines the variety and diversity of Irish history, society and cultural practice. It asks a series of questions about Ireland and Irishness, including how did the Irish come to be the way they are, and to what extent are they different from other nations? How has Irish identity changed over time? What are the causes for this process? 

This MA introduces students to a wide range of sources and resources, issues and debates about the many-faceted experiences of the people who have lived in Ireland from the earliest times to the present. You will avail of UCD’s unrivalled expertise in many fields related to Irish Studies. Being in Dublin naturally also provides students with easy access to many of Ireland’s key cultural institutions and libraries.

  • Provides students with small group teaching and personalised supervision that students need at a graduate level
  • Pathway for further specialisation
  • Nationally and internationally unrivalled concentration of expertise

Careers & Employability

Graduates of this MA are trained not only to acquire, manage and communicate detailed knowledge in a creative, productive and supportive environment, but also to compare and contrast differing sources of information derived from archival, printed, visual and electronic formats. The programme enables students to hone their skills in research, critical thinking, oral and written communication, and the use of relevant computer software packages, such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. This degree is ideally suited to students seeking to deepen their knowledge of Irish Studies and to enhance their employment-relevant skills, while also providing a pathway for further specialisation in a relevant area or topic at doctoral level. Potential careers might include journalism, heritage and tourism, or academia.

Curricular information is subject to change


Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

This degree is ideally suited to students seeking to deepen their knowledge of Irish Studies and to enhance their employment-relevant skills, while also providing a pathway for further specialisation in a relevant area or topic at doctoral level.

MA Irish Studies (Z195) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9100
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MA Irish Studies (Z196) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4550
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change
Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

  • This programme is intended for applicants with a humanities and social sciences background.
  • An upper second class honours degree (NFQ Level 8), or the international equivalent in a related area is required.  Applicants who do not meet the 2.1 entry requirement will be looked at on a case by case basis and relevant work experience will be taken into account.
  • Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 7.0 (no band less than 6.5 in each element), or equivalent.
  • Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the  English language requirements, may enter the programme upon  successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/ 
  • These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes 

Maura Haverty, USA,
Graduate

My experience at UCD is one that I will always treasure. At first, as an American graduate student coming over to Ireland to study Irish Studies, I was not sure what to expect. All my nerves, however, quickly subsided once I stepped onto the very friendly campus. The MA in Irish Studies exceeded all of my expectations and more. Between the small class sizes, the one to one individual instruction from gifted and knowledgeable faculty and friendly atmosphere, I learned more in a year about myself than I ever thought possible. I would recommend UCD to anyone like myself that loves to take chances and learn out of their comfort zone.

The National Folklore Collection at UCD is one of the largest folklore repositories in the world, Cartlann na gCanúintí (the Modern Irish Dialect Archive) has a unique collection of twentieth-century Irish-language source material, while UCD Archives contain an unrivalled collection of material relating to Ireland’s political history and the formation of the Irish State.

The following entry routes are available:

MA Irish Studies FT (Z195)
Duration
1 Years
Attend
Full Time
Deadline
Rolling*
MA Irish Studies PT (Z196)
Duration
2 Years
Attend
Part Time
Deadline
Rolling*

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised