Taught Porgrammes

There are two types of Master’s degrees on offer at NUI Galway – Taught Master’s and Research-based Master’s.

Taught Master’s programmes are normally one year (12 months) in duration and are designed to enable graduate students gain specialised skills and knowledge in a particular area of study. Taught programmes consist mainly of lectures, tutorials and coursework and many also include a minor research project, which gives students the opportunity to gain further specialist knowledge and further enhance their career prospects.

Search Taught Postgraduate Programmes

Research Programmes

NUI Galway is home to two Science Foundation Ireland-funded Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSETs), the Digital Enterprise research Institute (DERI) and the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI). Our other main research centres include the Irish Centre for Human Rights, the Ryan Institute (environmental, marine and energy research) and the Lifecourse Institute, which comprises the Centre for Disability Law & Policy, the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, and the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology.

Each of the colleges of the University, as well as our various research centres, offer opportunities to undertake supervised research at Research-based Master’s and Doctoral (PhD) level. High achieving research students can also apply for various sources of financial support offered by the University as well as external sources.

Research-based Master’s

Research-based Master’s courses usually take two years to complete and involve working on a specified research project under faculty supervision and the completion of a thesis.

Doctoral (PhD) Programmes

Doctoral (PhD) programmes usually take four years to complete. Students undertake independent research under faculty supervision before presenting a thesis for assessment. Structured PhD programmes also include a significant amount of professional and general skills training in addition to research.

How to Apply

Taught Master's

Applications for Taught Masters programmes are made online via the Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC).The online form is easy to use and you will be guided through the system step-by-step. Applicants indicate the PAC course code(s) for the programme(s) that they are interested in.  These are indicated alongside the programme listings in the Postgraduate Prospectus and on the University website.

Research Master's and PhD

Research applicants should begin by contacting a member of the academic staff in the relevant discipline to enquire about current opportunities and possible funding opportunities. Please refer to the research section of our website  for a list of research areas at NUI Galway and the contact details of academic staff.  Research applicsants who are invited to submit a formal application, may apply online via the Postgraduate Applications Centre.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements for postgraduate programmes vary however, an honours level Bachelor degree with good grades is normally the minimum requirement to be considered for admission.

Certain programmes may also require that you have studied a particular subject at undergraduate level, while others are open to graduates from a range of different disciplines. Please consult the Postgraduate Prospectus for more information.

Applicants whose first language is not English must also meet the University’s English language requirements.

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