TRADITIONAL OR STRUCTURED PHD

How to Apply

Step 1: Formulate Your Research Topic

It is expected that prospective PhD students will already have done a substantial amount of preliminary research (e.g. as part of a Masters course) in an area of particular interest to them before seeking admission to the School’s PhD programme. Having a good research idea or topic, therefore, is the first step in applying to the PhD programme.

Step 2: Find a Supervisor

The second step in being considered for admission to the PhD programme is to identify a member of academic staff who is available to supervise your work. Normally a supervisor is an academic with interest and expertise relevant to the student's topic.

In the School of Political Science and Sociology, PhD students pursue their research as part of the thematic Research Cluster in which their supervisor is located. The School's Research Clusters are:

• Children, Youth and Families (the Child and Youth Research Centre)
• Gender, Empowerment and Globalisation
• Governance and Sustainable Development
• Power, Conflict and Ideologies

All prospective PhD students should visit the web pages for the Research Clusters and the individual web pages for members of academic staff in the School in order to gain an understanding of the kinds of research that take place in the School and the range of academics who are available to supervise Ph.D. students.

Step 3: Create a PhD Project Proposal

Once you have identified a possible supervisor for your work, you should then create a proposal and statement of interest in pursing a PhD under their supervision.

• The name(s) of your intended supervisor(s) in order of preference
• A title for the project
• The goals and objectives of the research project
• A rationale for undertaking this research (Why this project? Why now? What will it contribute to knowledge in the relevant field?)
• A clear statement of core research question(s) to be investigated
• A short statement of your intended methodology (i.e., how you might go about answering your research questions)
• A brief narrative review of the academic literature relevant to your topic (that is, discussing approximately 10 books, articles, chapters, or other authoritative sources that are relevant to your project)
• An indicative properly and consistently formatted bibliography
• An indicative 3 to 4 year schedule for the execution of your project

Step 4: Make contact with your potential supervisor

Once you have completed the proposal, you should email it to the person identified as a potential supervisor. It is useful to explain to your potential supervisor why you are approaching them, and why you feel that your work might be a good match with their research interests.

The proposal should be sent along with a recent CV. You shold copy the school’s Phd Research coordinator, Dr Kate Kenny, on this email (kate.kenny nuigalway.ie).

If you do not receive a reply, or require some help, please contact Dr Kenny about this.

Note: in the event that you cannot identify a member of staff that might be suitable, please email your CV and proposal directly to Dr Kate Kenny. She will circulate your details to School members. However, you should note that it is usually best to contact a potential supervisor directly.

Step 5: Apply Online via the Postgraduate Academic Centre (PAC)

Once a member of academic staff has agreed provisionally to supervise your work, you should apply to this programme online via the Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC).

Your formal acceptance into the PhD programme is subject to you meeting all established criteria for admission to PhD programmes in the College of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. For more information about enrolling in this programme, please visit the Postgraduate Admissions Office.

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