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Philosophy (Structured PhD)

Structured PhD (Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences) (Philosophy)

College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies,
School of Humanities

Course overview

As part of the doctoral training available on the Structured PhD programme, students avail themselves of a range of interdisciplinary taught modules. The wide menu of available options include modules that:



  • are discipline-specific in that they augment the student’s existing knowledge in their specialist area

  • are dissertation-specific in that they supply core skills which are essential to completion of the research project, e.g., additional language skills

  • acknowledge a student’s professional development e.g. presentation of a paper at an international conference

  • enhance a student’s employability through generic training, e.g,. careers workshops, computer literacy.


Each student will be assigned a primary Supervisor(s) and a Graduate Research Committee made up of experienced researchers to plan their programme of study and to provide on-going support to their research.


Both continental and analytic styles of philosophy are encouraged for research in this Discipline . The main areas for postgraduate research are post-Kantian and contemporary continental philosophy, aesthetics and bioethics. Within the Centre for Bioethical Research and Analysis (COBRA), which the Discipline hosts, research projects in areas of bioethics and professional ethics are especially encouraged. Within the area of continental philosophy we have particular interests in Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Phenomenology, Philosophy of Art and Culture, and Philosophy of Religion. Postgraduate research is also invited in the areas of Political Philosophy, Modern Philosophy (early and late), Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Psychiatry, Philosophy of Mind and Irish thought.

Programmes available

Structured PhD (Philosophy)—full-time: GYG24
Structured PhD (Philosophy)—part-time: GYG56

Entry requirements

For the Structured PhD in Philosophy we are looking for students with some background in philosophy (or cognate areas) who have, or expect to be awarded, a degree of at least upper-second class standard, or equivalent international qualification.

Areas of interest

• Phenomenology of Art and Cultures (especially visual arts)
• Phenomenology of Religion (especially contemporary French thought)
• Classical Phenomenology (Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty)
• Existentialism (especially Simone de Beauvoir)
• Bioethics (especially issues concerning disability and new genetic technologies)
• Applied Ethics
• Environmental Ethics
• Professional and Research Ethics
• Political Philosophy
• Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Philosophy (especially Kant, Hegel and
• Nietzsche)
• Marxism (Marx, Engels, Lenin)
• History of Irish thought
• Philosophy of Science,
• Philosophy of Psychology and Psychiatry
• Philosophy of Mind
• Epistemology

Researcher profiles

Contact Us

Dr. Tsarina Doyle
T +353 91 495 473
E tsarina.doyle@nuigalway.ie

PAC code

GYG24 full-time
GYG56 part-time
Important: apply by mid-July for September entry

Current project

The Phenomenology of the Body in the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Michel Henry and Martin Heidegger

Child Deprivation in Modern Ireland: A Philosophical Perspective.

Law and Ethics in Hegel and Contemporary Continental Philosophy

Fees for this course

EU: €4,275 p.a. 2016/17

Non-EU: €13,250 p.a. 2016/17

Apply now

Find out how to apply

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