Expand+PhD / Mlitt Programmes
The School welcomes applications from prospective PhD Students who wish to undertake research in sociology. We are very pleased to consider applications in any area of sociology in which we can provide appropriate supervision....

Hide-PhD / Mlitt Programmes
The School welcomes applications from prospective PhD Students who wish to undertake research in sociology. We are very pleased to consider applications in any area of sociology in which we can provide appropriate supervision.

The School has exciting and diverse PhD/MLitt programmes which have been extensively revised in recent years. There are new taught components that provide greater structure and professional training, but the emphasis remains on students completing a major, independent piece of research that makes a significant contribution to sociological knowledge.

The School is also involved with an interdisciplinary Thematic PhD Programme in Complex Systems and Computational Social Science. This is a 4 year programme which combines the application of computer simulation and other computer-based methods to the analysis of social systems and processes at all levels of complexity.

The PhD in Sociology is awarded following the completion of 270 credits, comprising 240 credits for the thesis and a further 30 credits of taught modules.

The MLitt in Sociology is awarded following the completion of 180 credits, comprising 150 credit for the thesis and a further 30 credits of taught modules.

The School has its own PhD/MLitt module: a Roundtable in research and theory which runs throughout the academic year. Students may also take modules from within the School’s taught Masters Programmes or from other programmes within the College of Human Sciences, including a wide range of modules in research methods. The PhD or MLitt can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis. See Structured PhD and Structured MLitt for more details.

The School currently has 22 research students.

The School of Sociology has some limited funding for PhD / MLitt students which mainly revolve around teaching and tutoring. Students who are assigned tutoring responsibilities and complete at least six hours a week over the academic year are entitled to a fee concession of approx. €2,500. Many of our students have been successful in obtaining scholarships and other financial awards from outside funding agencies.