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Business School

DCU Business School - Postgraduate Research

DCU Business School

Postgraduate Research

Postgraduate Research Opportunities

Why pursue a research degree at DCU Business School?

DCU Business School provides a stimulating research environment for postgraduate scholars at Masters and Doctoral levels in the wide range of disciplines represented within five main discipline areas. These are:

  • Accounting
  • Economics and Finance
  • Human Resource Management (incl. Organisational Psychology)
  • Management
  • Marketing

Undertaking a research degree, PhD or Masters, allows you to carry out an in-depth study of an issue that you have chosen in a discipline in which you already have a good academic grounding. It will also enable you to develop skills in organising, presenting and project management that will stand to you in whatever career you pursue afterwards. Having a research degree marks you out as someone with both specialist knowledge in your discipline and the ability and commitment to manage and complete a demanding and challenging piece of academic research.

Students work together in a modern, purpose-built business school, with excellent computer and other facilities. Academic supervision for each student is provided by a specialist or specialists in the appropriate discipline. While postgraduate research is necessarily highly specialised, DCU Business School provides a multidisciplinary environment for research students. The School also believes that the research postgraduate experience should be both intellectually and culturally stimulating.

Seminars on research methodology are held each semester for the research postgraduate community and a weekly research seminar for the various subject groupings enables students at an appropriate stage in their research to discuss their findings with fellow students and faculty. Students may also participate as appropriate in relevant classes and seminars on the various taught Masters degree programmes run by the School.

Full or Part - time options

While DCU Business School encourages its research students to undertake a limited amount of seminar presentation, teaching and other academic work in order to broaden their experience of academic life, the primary purpose of registering for a research is to ensure that you complete your thesis successfully on time.

About half of all DCUBS research students register as part-time students, because this enables them to maintain work or other commitments. Experience shows that such students usually take somewhat longer to complete their dissertations than do those undertaking research full-time. Anyone planning to register as a part-time student should expect to take perhaps three years for a Masters degree, and about five for a Ph.D.

Research Studentships and Scholarships

DCUBS offers a limited number of funded Research Studentships each year for suitable full-time Masters and Ph.D candidates. Studentship holders are funded for up to 18 months in the case of a Masters candidate, and for up to three years in the case of a Ph.D candidate, subject to semi-annual review of performance. Studentship holders receive a generous maintenance grant, currently under review, and their fees are also paid.

All applicants should ascertain their eligibility for higher education grants, which may defray all or part of their registration and maintenance costs.

All research students are eligible for a research travel/conference grant from the University during their period of registration. This is currently fixed at €540.

Contact Us

Those interested in applying can obtain a detailed information pack by contacting Rachel Keegan at phdbusiness@dcu.ie