Postgraduate Programme by Research
Overview
The School has a variety of research activities spanning a diverse range of areas. The School is prominently associated with three research groups in the College; the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, the Children’s Research Centre and the Aerospace Psychology Research Group.
The School will consider applications for postgraduate research across the wide area of its expertise. However, intending applicants must communicate with potential supervisors before submitting their application. An applicant can only be accepted if the School has facilities to support the research proposed and if a full-time member of the academic staff with sufficient expertise in that area is willing and able to accommodate a new postgraduate student. For a list of staff and their respective areas of research, please click here.
Applicants are usually required to possess a good honors degree in Psychology (however applicants with academic backgrounds in related areas will be considered on case by case basis).
The School is well equipped with a student computer laboratory, multi-media facilities, EEG and behavioural neuroscience laboratories, video-observation suites and sound attenuated experimental testing suites and fMRI analysis capability. There are excellent contacts with hospitals and medical services. Members of the School receive significant research funding from many sources, including the Wellcome Trust, the Health Research Board, the European Commission, the US National Institute of Health, the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences, Enterprise Ireland, and the Royal Society Ireland.
M.Sc Research
The minimum registration period for the M.Sc. (full-time) is one year, and the thesis of not more than 60,000 words must normally be submitted within two years.*
Ph.D Research
The minimum registration period for a Ph.D (full-time) is two years and the thesis of not more than 100,000 must normally be submitted within four years.*
*Depending on the subject nature of the thesis, word count guidelines as laid out above may not apply. Your supervisor will advise on an acceptable length for the thesis.
In association with other Schools in the College, the following structured PhD programmes are offered:
PhD in Child and Youth Research
The Structured PhD programme in Child and Youth Research is coordinated by the Children’s Research Centre in TCD and is offered in association with NUI Galway.
PhD in Global Health (Indigo Programme)
The International Doctorate in Global Health (Indigo) is coordinated by the Centre for Global Health at Trinity College, Dublin. Participating partners include Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), University of Malawi, Ibadan University (Nigeria), Makerere University (Uganda), Columbia University (USA), Harvard Medical School (USA) and UK Cochrane Centre (UK).
Admission
Closing Date for Applications: While there is no deadline for applications, please note that any new student wishing to apply for School or College fellowship or studentship funding must submit their application by the 1st May 2013 for the September 2013 intake. Students must make their application for Postgraduate studentship awards in conjunction with their Ph.D. application. This process is done online via www.tcd.ie/courses/postgraduate/.
How to Apply: New entrants to the Research Register must make their applications online via www.tcd.ie/courses/postgraduate/.
Funding Sources:
There are a number of Postgraduate research student funding schemes operated by the College and external funding agencies. After the first year some postgraduates can earn a modest amount by undertaking part-time teaching or demonstrating in the School or elsewhere in the College. Some staff may be able to provide support from their own research grants or from other sources.
Guidelines for Application:
It is important for intending research students to consult the current Graduate Studies Prospectus http://www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/prospectus/.
1. The guidelines below should be read in conjunction with the Trinity College Calendar Part 2.
2. The application will require the approval of a potential supervisor before the applicant can be accepted by the College. Consequently, intending applicants must discuss research ideas with potential supervisors before making a formal application for admission. This discussion should address the resources needed to support the proposed research including sources of funding.
3. Applicants must normally have a good undergraduate honors degree psychology or in an area of study deemed by their potential supervisor and the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate), to be sufficient for studying the area of research proposed. The postgraduate committee may, in consultation with the supervisor, make certain requirements in relation to reading, study or coursework to be undertaken by the student in order to compensate for any apparent deficiencies in his or her knowledge that may be essential to the proposed research.
4. The Applicant must submit a letter of support and commitment/willingness from their potential research supervisor, indicating that the potential supervisor has interviewed* the applicant and believes the applicant and their proposal is worthy of pursuit of the degree being sought, and, if outside of the main application processing time in the summer, that any required space in the School will be available.
5. If the applicant has already been successful during a research grant interview or screening process, this should be clearly indicated.
6. For PG research applicants, the postgraduate research committee will review the college application form, letters of reference, statement from the potential supervisor, and research proposal. The committee must be satisfied that the supervisory capacity in the School exists to see the student through to the awarding of their degree, and will take into account the particular expertise of the potential supervisor. Should all documents be consistent, the student will be deemed eligible for admission under the supervision of the designated supervisor.
7. In any instance where the student is deemed ineligible, the grounds on which this decision was made, will be transmitted in writing to the student and the potential supervisor. Such applicants may re-apply to the committee when any omissions or difficulties identified are resolved.
8. Applicants will be notified through the Graduate Studies Office once a final decision has been made.
*In cases where distance prohibits a face to face interview, an interview may be held by phone
Appraisal and Support
The School runs an annual appraisal system for all postgraduate research students aimed at facilitating and monitoring their progress throughout the course of their research. Two independent members of staff are assigned as the student’s appraisal committee at the beginning of their studies. As part of this system each student is required to present a progress report to their appraisal committee every year
Postgraduate research students are expected to attend the School’s research seminars, which take place on a regular basis during the teaching terms. Each postgraduate is expected to present a research proposal at an appropriate early point in the development of their ideas.