Ireland in common with many countries has seen a dramatic rise over the past few years in the numbers of people wishing to undertake postgraduate research in politics and international relations. While prompted and framed in the main by global events, the Irish state also has an increased requirement for research in this area – both to inform policy making within Ireland and to allow the Irish government make inputs into international debates, in particular in development aid, the evolution of European security, international human rights enforcement and the implications of EU enlargement to name but a few. An increased focus on international relations teaching and research has led to a rapid growth in research centres and academic schools. Currently there is a shortage of good quality PhD graduates.
The programme aims to raise to a world class standard the training and supervision available to PhD scholars of politics and international relations in Ireland, to support their access to international networks and training and thus make PhD graduates in international relations from DCU internationally competitive. This programme provides a structured PhD programme with a much higher degree of training, supports and funding that traditional ‘apprentice’ models which have relied largely on one to one interactions with a supervisor. Employers and funders want universities to provide PhD students with a wider range of transferable skills and with better professional development. This programme combines the rigour and professionalism of the American approach top PhD programmes with the independence and imagination of the traditional British-Irish model.
The modules are designed to get students started on their PhD as soon as possible in a manner which allows then to make good progress with a sense of direction. Assignments are designed to help you make choices about your PhD as well as develop your research and analytical skills. They will not pull you in 100 different directions to no purpose.
The taught modules provided are set out below. Each module requires attendance at classes and completion of assessments. Modules cover research design, IR Theory, quantitative and qualitative approaches. Students will also have access to postgraduate level modules in sub fields within politics and IR., where they are necessary for their PhD and where they have not formally studied the topic before. In second and subsequent years students will take a second module on quantitative methods, a module in professional development and may take additional taught courses.
For further information on DCU's Graduate Studies Programme and general
information for international students see the DCU Graduate
Studies web site
For further information on our PhD programme or to begin the process of making an application contact Dr Eoin O'Malley, Director of PhD programme. Applications should be received by June each year for admission in the Fall.
