Planning for Postgraduate Study
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Introduction
The Path to Postgraduate Study
Research Postgrads at UL
Postgraduate Study Overseas
Funding for Postgraduate Study
Q&A
Some Statistics
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PGs in Ireland = approx 25% of student
population
18.3% of total UL students are postgrads
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Graduated 133 research postgrads 2004
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1200 taught postgrad programmes
808 research postgrads
45% funded
52 Masters and 67 PhDs
26% of UL graduates of 2004 in further study
Why Postgraduate Study?
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What are your goals?
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Career objectives / plans
Employment prospects
Interest in the academic area / academia
Professional requirement
Convert to a new area
Uncertainty/recommendation of others
Key issues you need to think about…
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Sufficient motivation
Academic ability, suitability and your needs
Time and money
Types of Postgraduate Courses
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Taught versus Research degrees
Taught Grad Diplomas/Masters degrees
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Full-time/part-time/bloc release
Conversion courses
Development of an academic specialism
Entry requirements vary (2.2 Hons. plus)
Research degrees
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Entry requirements: usually 1st & 2nd Class Hons. degrees
Full-time and part-time
May include some taught elements (methodology, etc)
Research proposal and plan
Masters: 1-3 years (60,000 words); PhD: 3-5 years (100,000)
Timing and Location
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When to study
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After your first degree … easiest time
After a break
After working full-time
While still working full or part-time
Where to study
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In Ireland: Limerick or elsewhere
Overseas: planning and timeframe
Advantages/disadvantages of moving institution
Personal/professional considerations
Evaluate what is on offer
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Type of course
Number of places
Selection criteria
Closing date
Employment record
Fees and finance
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Size of Department
Research interests
Type of supervision
Facilities
Inside story
Publishing rights
Research Postgrads at UL
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70+ taught PG Programmes
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Research Masters / PhD
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Graduate Diplomas / Masters
Masters
All Colleges
Look at College / Department Web sites
Research your options … now!
Compare and contrast UL with other
institutions
Funding at UL: research p’grads
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Privately funded
Advance Scholars’ Awards
University / department scholarships
Limited number of EU fee waivers
Maintenance … tutorial assistants,
demonstratorships …ask HODs/ADsR
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University demonstratorships
€6,864 Masters; € 8,232 PhD
External funding
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Irish Research Councils
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Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS), €12,700
(16 January deadline) www.irchss.ie
Science, Engineering & Technology (IRCSET), circa
€16,000 (April?) + fees + bench fee €3k
www.ircset.ie
Research Grants (supervisors)
Local Authority Grants
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1 PG programme; fees plus 3 x €837 … now goes
directly to student
Other funding possibilities
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HEA Programme for Research in Third Level
Institutes HEA – PTRLI
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Dec 2006 – possible PG funding in 2007
UL successful in 2002  MSSI
Other agencies: Health Research Board,
Marine Institute, etc. see Graduate School
web site
See UL web site for more details
http://www.graduatestudies.ul.ie
Application Timeline
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Autumn
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Spring
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Discuss your interests with advisors
Research course offerings and funding
Request application forms and course details
Contact course leaders, possible supervisors
Complete application forms (keep a copy)
Apply for funding (January onwards)
Complete GRE (if USA)
Summer
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Provide supporting documents – transcripts
Prepare for interview, if required
Arrange visa, if required
Decide which offer to accept
Research Postgrad…
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Why bother?
What is a research Masters?
And a PhD?
At what stage should you consider
doing this? When…. and which?
Doing something about it…
Why bother?
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Additional expertise
Some time / space between
undergraduate life and the real world
(Hopefully) you have become totally
interested in some specialist topic you
encountered during your undergraduate
course
And…
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PhDs are usually required for academic
positions
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Masters and PhDs are usually required for
more senior positions in
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(usually = almost invariably! In fact Post-doc
experience plus publications the norm in Science)
Research labs / Labs in industry
Many industries are opting to pay for their
laboratory staff to register and complete a
postgraduate degree Part Time!
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Continuous Professional Development CPD in
jargon!
What is a research Masters?
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In UL, titles like MSc, MTech, MEng, MA, MEd
etc.
Full time: minimum of one academic year
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In practice… usually 2 academic years but (should
be) easily completed in that time
You are expected to complete a substantial
volume of research and present it as a thesis
Good option if you want an additional
expertise
Or slight change in direction from your
undergraduate course
And a PhD?
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Always a PhD in UL; sometimes called a
D.Phil. or dr.philos. etc. elsewhere
Full time: a minimum of 3 academic years
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You are expected to undertake a substantial
amount of independent research
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To be fair, most take ~ 4 years
It must be publishable in peer reviewed journals … original
You present it as a thesis… perhaps with published papers
You must demonstrate that you are capable
of independent research and be able to
design and carry out a research project
Be warned…
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Many people want academic jobs… so it’s
very competitive!
And getting worse!
Hence they are not well paid!
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IMHO!
In science: lectureships usually ask for
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“a doctorate, with post-doctorate experience,
some refereed publications and research grants.
Additionally some teaching experience would be
desirable.”
!!!
But the national policy is to…
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Double the output of people with
postgrad qualifications by 2010
A national “upskilling”…
Masters
or PhD
as
% of
Labour
Force
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0
Persons with Masters or PhD as % of the Labour
0
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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0 0.1 0.1
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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0
0
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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0 0.1 0.1
0
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<2%
2%Š4%
4%+
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0 0.1
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So you want to go ahead?


Funding
The big issue! But things have
improved!



Fees
Maintenance
So you need a supervisor with a topic
you are interested in and funding!

(Or more realistically, a supervisor with
funding for a topic you are interested in!)
Funding options (in Science)

Supervisor has a grant for the work:


IRCSET Embark Initiative


Enterprise Ireland, Environmental Protection
Agency, EU etc.
www.ircset.ie
The Department may support some postgrads
(previous overhead) and / or top up the
following:


Local Authority Scheme (one postgrad
programme: fees + 3 x €837 per annum)
UL Advance Scholars’ Awards (fees year in 1 – if
not already covered - plus small bursary)
Applications

Applications (UL)





Deadlines: research (monthly) versus taught
(early June)
Information: College / Department booklets /
websites
Talk to potential supervisors / ADsR
Choose your final year project supervisor!
Admission forms (see web site)


http://www.ul.ie/graduatestudies/
Transferring from a Masters to a PhD
Research Postgrads… at UL
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Discuss possible project and get “advice”
from your supervisor on the Project
Description
“advice” = AGREE!
Fill out the Postgraduate Form (research
version)… all the forms are on the Graduate
Studies website. Submit form by 15th of any
month
Applications are considered on the first
Tuesday of each month (except August)
Offers of places the following week
No project, No supervisor?
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Discuss possibilities with your FYP supervisor
Consult the ADR in your college …
I usually suggest writing out a SHORT cv: one
page MAXIMUM, with qualifications to date,
FYP title and supervisor, special methods used
etc.
Give this to Head of Dept saying you are
interested!
ADsR, in each College
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Business, Dr Siobhan Tiernan
Education, Dr Roland Tormey
Humanities, Prof. Tom Lodge
Informatics, Dr Gerard Lyons
Engineering, Dr Patrick Frawley
Science, Dr John Breen
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Note the name and enquire in your College
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So you’ve submitted your thesis…
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Chair, External and
Internal Examiner
Viva voce
examination
You graduate…
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Dr!
In Germany they
retain all their titles:
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Herr Professor Dr Dr!
Photographer in action at a
College of Science graduation!
What now … Sem 1, year 4 ?
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Start expressing interest
You need a 1st or 2:1 degree (hopefully)
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Discuss with potential supervisors
Get working on funding applications
Departmental funding: put together a 1 page
CV and submit to heads of department
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Not all lost with a 2:2, but funding not as easy!
Really chase it once results are known in June!
There’s more than one university in Ireland
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And in the world!
Though each tends to look after its own!
Please note …
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Some facts of life:
Note that applications e.g. to Irish Research
Councils for Humanities and Social Sciences /
Science and Technology (IRCHSS, IRCSET)
are submitted by and for the candidate (you!)
 Nominally!
However: you must involve your potential
supervisor in the application
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Reference
Help with the project description
And also note… IRCHSS / IRCSET
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You need an “endorsement” by the university
to which you are applying
We would like to have internal “prescreening” of the applications and did do this
in previous years: so the internal deadline
was 2 weeks earlier.
Application is now fully on line and there can
be frustrations as the final deadline
approaches
You need two referees!
So allow enough time!
Postgrad Overseas: Some
Initial Questions
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1. Graduate Diploma or Masters?
2. If you choose Masters then taught or
by research?
3. Home country or overseas?
4. What subject areas interest you
sufficiently that you wish to study them
further?
Overseas Universities – Some
Key Names
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1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Cambridge
4. Oxford
5. Stanford
6. California Berkeley
7. Yale
8.California IT
9. Princeton
10. Ecole Polytechnique
Some UK Universities
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London School of
Economics
Imperial College London
University College
London
University of Warwick
University of York
University of Bristol
University of St.
Andrews
Durham University
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University of Bath
University of
Nottingham
Kings College
University of Edinburgh
University of
Manchester
University of
Southampton
Loughborough
University of Exeter
University of East Anglia
General Evaluative Criteria
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1. Can I afford it?
Most taught Masters in the UK cost between
£4000 – £10,000 depending on the reputation
of the school
2. Entry requirements – 2.1
3. Staff student ratio
4. Attrition rates
5. Location
6. Facilities
Evaluative Criteria
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7. Reputation of the University
8. Do you need visas and other
documentation. Especially an issue for
the USA
Advantages of studying
abroad
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1. Exposure to new learning
environments and cultures
2. Use of research libraries in key
locations – for example London
3.Opportunity to meet and study with
overseas students at post graduate
level
4.Contact and network building
PG Studying in the UK
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My choice ; London School of
Economics – M.Sc in Industrial
Relations and HRM
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Why?
1. Reputation of University
2. English Speaking
3. Learning and Teaching styles
PG Studying in the UK
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4. Publishing record of faculty
5. Employment record from the Course
6. Guidance from original University
(TCD)
7. Fees – while I had to pay they were
not prohibitive £3000 in 1988
8. Proximity to home
Post Graduate Study in The
USA
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Can be a marvelous experience but
requires more planning
Fulbright Scholarship in 2004 for
research at Embry Riddle Aeronautical
University, Daytona Beach, Florida
Post doctoral research
Fulbright Student Awards
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€15-20,000 for 1 academic year in USA
For outstanding final-year students – min 2:1
All disciplines + sponsored awards in specific fields
Must secure own placement in US college
Application closing date 17th November
Interviews in Dublin in January
Students retain Fulbright status for full programme
Full details on website: www.fulbright.ie
33% foreign postgrad students in USA receive
funding
Factors to Consider - USA
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1. Timing of the application – 12 -18 months
in advance
2. Choice – over 35,000 different courses
from which to choose. All of the same issues
apply – location and reputation
3. Costs huge issue for students. Much
depends on the University and whether its
public or private and also location and
demand
Factors to Consider
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Fees and living expenses anything from
$11,000 to $50,000
Fees in some universities could be as low as
$10,000 others are as high as $60,000
Financial Aid – Fulbright Student Scholarships
offer up to €15,000-€20,000 to study in the
USA
Downside – 2 year home residence
requirement for Fulbright
Prestige of the award
UK Versus USA
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Timeframe for application
Distance
Cost
Funding for Postgraduate Study
…etc
Mary Sweeney
Head of Careers
Cooperative Education & Careers Division
Postgraduate Study USA (cont.)
Application Procedure
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Research Universities
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Check directories and websites
Check Fulbright website
Select realistic choice: 3-7
Request Application Material ($30 - $100 fee)
Register for Tests GRE, GMAT
Compile application material
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Consult UL faculty and Careers Service
Statement of Purpose (Fulbright guidelines)
Transcripts
References: 2/3
Complete application and apply for financial aid
Check visa requirements (US Embassy website)
Funding for Postgraduate Study Overseas
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UK
British Council, Research Councils
 Scholarships for Irish graduates
Europe
 Government-funded International Scholarships
 Marie Curie Foundation
 German Academic Exchange Scholarships
 College of Europe, European University Institute
USA
 Fulbright Awards
 O’Reilly Foundation; John F Kennedy Fund
 University Scholarships and Assistantships
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E.g. Conlisk MBA Scholarship
Conlisk Scholarship - USA
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Fairfield University, USA
Scholarship for MBA or MSc Finance
Sponsored by Irish American community
Awarded to 10 UL graduates to date
Very positive feedback from graduates
Value =$45,000
GMAT required
Check www.ul.ie/careers News section
Sources of Information
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www.ul.ie/careers (Postgraduate Study section)
www.graduatestudies.ul.ie
www.gradireland.com
www.hea.ie
www.prospects.ac.uk
www.educationlink.org
www.britishcouncil.org
www.fulbright.ie
www.fulbright.co.uk
www.eurograduate.com
www.petersons.com
www.idp.com
Other Resources
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Postgraduate Study Fair
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21st February, 2006
All UL Faculties
Other Irish Universities & Institutions
Some UK Universities
Opportunity to review options
Postgraduate Courses in Education
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Tomorrow evening @ 6.30 in C1063