Further study

Things to consider

  • Is further study a requirement for the profession you want to enter (e.g. accountancy, human resource management, teaching)?
     
  • Do you want to become more specialised in a certain aspect of your primary degree?
     
  • Do you want to increase your skills?
     
  • Are you trying to improve your employment prospects?
     
  • Do you want to change direction or achieve a complementary qualification to your primary degree and do a conversion course (1 year taught postgraduate course on an area you did not cover during your primary degree).

Whatever your reason, make sure you do plenty of research before embarking on a postgraduate qualification.

Researching options

Find out what is available and choose the best option to suit your needs. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I want to follow a taught or research programme?
     
  • Exactly which programme do I want to do and in which institution?
     
  • Do I want to study on a full-time or part-time basis?
     
  • What are the application procedures for postgraduate study and what sort of fees and funding are involved?
     

You will normally need a 2.1 Honours Degree in relevant field in order to progress onto postgraduate study. A 2.1 Honours is often minimum requirement to gain funding.

Remember:

  • Courses with the same name don't necessarily have the same content - get prospecti, talk to course tutors in the institution you are applying to and in your own institution.
     
  • Choice of subjects within a course will vary from college to college.
     
  • There may be a requirement to spend some time outside the college in industrial placement, or carrying out projects, etc.
     
  • The practical content of courses can vary.

Find out too about:

  • the reputation of the programme - talk to lecturers, past graduates, possible employers
     
  • the employment record of past graduates - the careers service will have 1st destination statistics of those who have already graduated from the course
     
  • what facilities are available to you
     
  • the financial cost

Full-time or Part-time?

  • Competition for full-time is usually harder
     
  • Part-time usually has less likelihood of funding
     
  • Length of time of study is longer with part-time. Options of courses open to part-time students can be much more limited.
     
  • Keeping motivated for longer may be a factor when studying part-time.
     
  • Access to facilities and benefits can be different according to whether you study full / part-time.

Taught courses - how to apply

  • Taught courses involve seminars and lectures just like your undergraduate degree. The usual minimum requirement is 2.2 honours - but this can vary from course to course. Taught courses include Diploma and Masters level qualifications:
     
  • A Diploma course involves 9 months of full-time study and usually incorporate a project. Conversion courses often take the format of a postgraduate diploma.
     
  • A Masters course is usually a continuation of undergraduate study in a specialised area and involves 1 year of full-time study with a major project / thesis.

There is no central applications system for postgraduate study. Each institution has its own procedures which usually include an application form, documentary evidence of academic achievements and references.

Closing dates vary from course to course. Some may be as early as December/January. Others stay open for applications until August. It's best to apply early. November is a good time to start making enquiries. Application forms usually become available around December. By February you should be starting to narrow down your choice.

(The only exception to this is the Higher Diploma in Education. For applications to the 4 NUI universities - Cork, Dublin, Galway and Maynooth - there is a common application and selection process. The closing date is usually early December. Applications to Trinity College Dublin are made directly and the closing date is 1st February).

Fees

  • Fees can vary from course to course and from Institution to Institution. The level of fees may depend on whether labs, special equipment or highly expert training is required.
     
  • Fees for full-time and part-time study are usually the same. The advantage of part-time study is that the fees are spread over two years.
     
  • There is often no difference in fees for courses taken at Diploma or Masters level.
     
  • As a broad guideline the fees for a taught programme could range from €1,500 to €4,000 though they can be higher. Fees are considerably higher for non-EU citizens.
     
  • Also take into account the cost of living - food, travel, accommodation, etc.

Funding

  • The best source of information on funding is the postgraduate office or department to whom you are interested in applying.
     
  • Many students end up financing part or all of their studies themselves, e.g. bank loans.
     
  • A student, who holds a Higher Education Grant when completing his/her primary degree, may be eligible to apply for continuation of the grant from the Local Authority.
     
  • Mature students may be eligible to apply for Higher Education Grant from Local Authority where his/her parents reside.
     
  • Students may be eligible to apply for or continue to benefit from a VEC Scholarship.
     
  • Funding through various programmes is often advertised in the national press.
     
  • Scholarships are available from industry

External Postgraduate Funding

Local Authority Grants Postgraduate students, who received an Irish local authority grant for their undergraduate studies, may usually extend this to cover one full-time postgraduate course in Ireland, including Northern Ireland.  This applies to both Masters and Doctorate degrees as well as taught postgraduate Diplomas and Masters programmes. Please contact the relevant local authority or corporation.

Department of of Education and Science The Department of Education and Science provide information in relation to postgraduate funding on this website:

Graduate Skills Programmes  During each academic year selected taught postgraduate programmes, particularly in computing, science and technology disciplines, receive funding from the European Union.  As a result, fees are subsidised and, in some cases, may be waived.

Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) Scholarships are valued at up to €12,700 per annum. While the scholarships are awarded initially for one year, they are renewable for up to two additional years subject to terms and conditions. Fees will also be covered for the period of the Scholarship.  Applicants must be either citizens of Ireland or citizens of a member state of the European Union who have been ordinarily resident within Ireland for a continuous period of not less than three years.  Applicants should be registered now, or during the academic year 2007/2008, in a recognised third-level institution as full-time post-graduate research students pursuing degrees by major thesis. Those who are undertaking taught programmes, or degrees where a thesis is a minor part of the programme, are not eligible. Further details are available from www.irchss.ie.

Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) The first call in the 2007 programme funed up to 120 Masters or Doctorate level researchers in the sciences, engineering and technology fields.  See www.ircset.ie

This scheme is open to candidates worldwide.  A small number of the scholarships will be made available to exceptional candidates from non-EU member states.

A number of additional scholarships will be jointly funded by industry as part of the IRCSET Enterprise Partnership Scheme. This scheme fosters mutually beneficial collaboration between the academic and commercial research sectors.

Teagasc (Walsh Fellowships) Teagasc offers Walsh Fellowships annually. The value of the grant is €12,700 per student as of 2008.  The fellowships are on offer to research postgraduate students who are researching agriculture, horticulture, food, agri-food economics, rural development and rural environment, and topics identified for priority funding each year. Details are available on http://www.teagasc.ie

National Children's Office The National Children's Office invites applications from current/prospective graduate who wish to undertake a full-time research Master's or PhD programme.   The research must be directly related to progressing the implementation of the National Children's Strategy.  Scholarships are valued at €12,700 per annum plus fees.

Chinese Government Scholarship Programme As a follow-up to the commitment made at the 2006 EU-China Summit, the Chinese Government has launched a scholarship progamme entitled the Chinese Government Scholarship Programme (EU Window).

This is a full scholarship scheme set up by the Chinese Ministry of Education for European students whose purpose is to expand student exchanges between China and the European Union. It will provide 100 full scholarships per academic year during the period from 2007 to 2011. The scheme will sponsor EU students to study Chinese in China for a maximum of one year. Secondary school graduates or undergraduates under the age of 35 years from EU Member States are eligible. The deadline for applications is April 20th 2007 for the academic year 2007/2008.

Application form and other documents can be downloaded from the following websites: http://www.chinamission.be/eng/ofzz/t294244.htmwww.csc.edu. and www.chinamission.be

Industry Funding

Irish-American Partnership Scholarships - offer assistance to students undertaking Masters by research in science, technology or business.

  • Forbairt - offers awards for applicants in science and engineering areas.
     
  • Economic & Social Research Institute - offers scholarships at home and abroad in Economics, Sociology & Social Psychology.
     
  • National Rehabilitation Board - advertises research scholarships to promote research on disability rehabilitation and related matters.
     
  • Irish Research Council for the Humanities & Social Sciences - offer scholarships for research within Humanities & Social Sciences, including Business and Law.
     
  • Enterprise Ireland - for Science and Engineering graduates.
     
  • RTE - have a small number of scholarships for those researching Media topics.
     
  • Health Research Board - has a small number of scholarships for Medical/Health Science researchers.
     
  • Employers - Approaches to specific employers can be made to investigate the possibility of company sponsorship.
     
  • Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology offers scholarships.
     
  • Science Foundation Ireland

Studying abroad

If you want to study in another country, you will need to check the acceptability/transferability of your qualifications. Higher Education systems vary from country to country, so detailed transcripts of your degree programme will probably be required. If you want to study in a non English speaking country you may need to provide proof of your ability to speak the local language.

How to apply

  • Contact institutions directly. There is no central applications system for postgraduate study, instead each institution has its own procedures, usually incorporating an application form, documentary evidence of academic achievements and References

  • Apply early. AAplications should ideally be made 12 months in advance for US /Australia.

  • Check details of closing dates and fees with individual institutions - these vary from course to course. Fees are often much more expensive outside of the EU e.g. In the USA it could cost US$7,000 to US$16,000 for state universities and up to US$22,000 for private universities. In Australia fees could be between AU$10,000 to AU$24,000.

  • Find out from individual institutions whether research qualifications are funded.

  • Find out about admissions tests e.g. GMAT, GRE for the USA.

  • Check dates for the academic year e.g. in Australia it runs from Feb/Mar - Nov/Dec.

  • Find out whether you'll need a residence permit/visa

  • Make enquiries about Health Insurance - do you have adequate cover?

  • Contact embassies and cultural institutes for more information e.g. Fulbright Commission's Educational Advisory Service is an excellent source of information on studying in the USA.

  • Check out "A Guide to Postgraduate Study Awards" published by AGCSI and available from the Careers Service!

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