Expand+Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Applying for a PhD or Research Masters Programme

When applying for a PhD or Research Masters programme, applicants should contact the Department where they wish to study bef...

Hide-Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Applying for a PhD or Research Masters Programme

When applying for a PhD or Research Masters programme, applicants should contact the Department where they wish to study before they apply on PAC. Please review the Research programmes at Maynooth University for contact details in each Department or Research Institute. Often the applicant will be asked to submit a research proposal to the Department in order to be considered. An interview may also be required as part of the application process. When the applicant has confirmed with the Department that they will be accepted as a new PhD or new Research Masters student, they should then apply on: www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity to formalise the application and acceptance process.

In the case of Non-Maynooth University applicants: the following documentation should be uploaded to their PAC online application:

Copy of birth certificate or valid passport

Official University Academic Transcripts which include name, title of degree, date of conferring and the name of degree awarding body. Non-Maynooth University applicants who are currently completing undergraduate/postgraduate programmes and have not as yet completed final exams should submit certified copies of academic transcripts with details of subjects studied and results to date as soon as possible after applying online. Final results and the proposed date of conferring should be submitted as soon as they become available. Maynooth University reserves the right to request to see original transcripts in order to verify the authenticity of transcripts.

Note: Documents, other than those in Irish, English or Latin, must be accompanied by an official translation into English.

Two referees reports (addressing their potential for postgraduate study). If candidates have graduated some years ago and are unable to get an academic reference, a professional reference may suffice.

The PAC Application Process:

The steps involved in the PAC online application process are outlined in the 'Making an Application' section. If you have any questions regarding making an application, please contact the following services:

Requests for assistance from EU or all Maynooth University graduates should be made to:

Graduate Studies Office
Tel: + 353 (1) 708 6018
Email: graduatestudies@mu.ie
Web: www.maynoothuniversity.ie/graduate-studies

Requests for assistance from NON-EU applicants should be made to:
International Office
Tel: + 353 1 708 3868
Email: international.office@mu.ie
Web: www.maynoothuniversity.ie/international

Expand+Applications are invited from students who have achieved high marks in their undergraduate degree. This is typically a first-class honours in Computer Science or a closely-related discipline, although students with a second class honours primary degr...

Hide-Applications are invited from students who have achieved high marks in their undergraduate degree. This is typically a first-class honours in Computer Science or a closely-related discipline, although students with a second class honours primary degree can also be considered.

Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements:
• IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score
• TOEFL (Paper based test): 585
• TOEFL (Internet based test): 95
• PTE (Pearson): 62

Maynooth University’s TOEFL code is 8850

Expand+Typically, a MSc takes two years to complete (three years if taken part-time); at the end of the first year the student may have the option to transfer to the PhD register if they so wish subject to satisfactory progress.

The aim of the Structure...

Hide-Typically, a MSc takes two years to complete (three years if taken part-time); at the end of the first year the student may have the option to transfer to the PhD register if they so wish subject to satisfactory progress.

The aim of the Structured MSc in Computer Science is to provide the student with an opportunity to carry out a significant body of research work with support from the teaching component of the programme. The programme will offer academic subjects to enhance their knowledge as well as transferable and generic skills that will add significantly to the MSc experience by broadening the skill base of the candidate.

The first step is to identify a potential supervisor. This involves deciding on a general research area that you are interested in and to contact a member of the department’s staff that is working in that area. The best approach is to look through the staff web pages and the list of Research Groups/Projects in the department.

Research postgraduates are typically (though not exclusively) funded during their research. Support varies depending on the source, but at best, funding can include payment of fees, a salary and travel expenses. Note that all funding programmes are highly competitive, and most are contingent on the applicant securing high marks in their primary degree.

Potential MSc students should decide on a general research area that they’re interested in, and then contact a member of the department’s staff that’s working in that area. The best approach is to look through the staff web pages and the list of Research Groups/Projects in the department – these can be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/computer-science/our-research

Research students can also register to work jointly with the Department of Computer Science and one of the following MU research institutes: National Centre for Geocomputation, An Foras Feasa, the Hamilton Institute and the Innovation Value Institute. Please see the entries for these institutes for more details of the research topics available.

The aim of the Structured PhD in Computer Science is to provide the student with an opportunity to carry out a significant body of research work with support from the teaching component of the programme. The programme will offer both academic modules to enhance the student's specialist knowledge, and transferable and generic skills modules. These modules will add significantly to the PhD experience by broadening the skill base of the candidate.

The first step to applying is to identify a potential supervisor; this involves deciding on a general research area that you are interested in and then contacting a member of the department’s staff that is specialising in that area. More information on research in the department can be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/computer-science/our-research.

Research postgraduates are typically (though not exclusively) funded during their research. Support varies depending on the source, but funding can include payment of fees, a salary and travel expenses. Please note that all funding programmes are highly competitive, and most are contingent on the applicant securing high marks in their primary degree.

Research students can also register to work jointly with the Department of Computer Science and one of the following Maynooth University research institutes: National Centre for Geocomputation, An Foras Feasa, the Hamilton Institute, the Callan Institute, and the Innovation Value Institute. Please see the entries for these institutes for more details of the research topics available.

The PhD consists of 30 credits minimum / 90 credits maximum in taught modules (15 must be in generic or transferable skills and 15 in subject-specific or advanced specialist advanced modules) with the remaining 270–330 credits being allocated to the research project and thesis.

Expand+On completing an MSc in Computer Science the graduate has a number of options open to them. They can continue to build their career as a researcher in academia or pursue a career in the technology industry.

On completing a PhD in Computer Science...

Hide-On completing an MSc in Computer Science the graduate has a number of options open to them. They can continue to build their career as a researcher in academia or pursue a career in the technology industry.

On completing a PhD in Computer Science the graduate has a number of options open to them. They can continue to build their career as a researcher in academia, for example as a Post-Doctoral researcher, or in the technology industry. They will also be attractive as an educator in all facets of the Higher Education sector.

Other possibilities include working in scientific research administration or a hightech start-up environment. The experience and discipline gained from completing an MSc in Computer Science also can open other avenues outside of Computer Science where these skills are prized.