UCD Philosophy Graduate Taught MA Programmes

The information on this page concerns our taught masters programmes. Click here for information on the doctoral programme, now offered in conjunction with Trinity College Dublin.

UCD School of Philosophy has a thriving postgraduate community with over sixty students working on topics from across the philosophical spectrum. The School prides itself on cultivating a supportive and friendly atmosphere, and there is plenty of intellectual stimulation on offer in the form of seminars, reading groups, symposia, and an annual postgraduate conference.

The School offers a number of MA programmes. Each programme comprises six taught modules and a dissertation of 12-15,000 words. Students taking these courses full time take three modules in the first semester, three in the second, and submit their dissertation at the end of August. (Part time, this will mean three modules in the first year, three in the second, with the dissertation due at the end of the second August. Part time students may decide, in a given year, whether to take one module in the first semester and two in the second, or vice versa.)

The School offers more than a dozen MA modules. See the links on the right-hand side for details of this year's modules. Most of the modules remain the same from year to year. The finalised list of modules for any academic year will be made available by May before the start of the year.

The general programme is the most straightforward: any six modules are chosen from the available Philosophy modules.

University College Dublin Postgraduate Study in General Philosophy

The next two programmes (sometimes called 'streams') involve a more restricted choice from among the Philosophy MA modules.

The MA in Contemporary European Philosophy requires the student to select FOUR modules in Contemporary European philosophy, and TWO modules from the remaining MA modules.

The MA in Mind, Language and Knowledge requires the student to select FOUR modules in analytic philosophy, and TWO modules from the remaining MA modules.

Master of Philosophy in Mind Language and Knowledge at UC Dublin. Ireland

The next three programmes are interdisciplinary

The MA in Ancient Philosophy requires the student to select any FOUR modules from any of the Philosophy MA modules on offer, and TWO modules from those offered by the School of Classics

University College Dublin Masters in Ancient Philosophy

The MA in Philosophy and Literature requires the student to select THREE modules from a list of four specific Philosophy MA modules, and THREE modules from a list offered by the different Schools of Language and Literature.

The MA in Philosophy and Public Affairs requires the student to select THREE modules from a list of four specific Philosophy MA modules, and THREE modules from a list offered by the various Schools in the College of Human Sciences.

The School of Philosophy contributes to the MA/MSc in Cognitive Science

University College Dublin Postgraduate Study in Cognitive Science

Applications to study postgraduate philosophy in any one of these programmes should be submitted online.

Admission Requirements:

(Note that these requirements do not apply to the MA/MSc in Cognitive Science. For information on that programme, follow the link above)

Applicants may apply for any of the one-year Masters degrees if they have obtained one of the following:

A BA degree with at least Second Class Honours, Grade II in the subject of the MA (or a relevant subject) and at least Second Class honours, Grade II in the second subject.
A BA degree with at least Second Class Honours, Grade I in the subject of the MA or in a relevant subject.
Second Class Honours, Grade I (or equivalent standard) in a relevant postgraduate diploma.
Second Class Honours, Grade I in the relevant MA qualifying examination.

If you are unsure as to your eligibility you should check with the School Manager.

It should be noted that eligibility to apply for admission to the graduate programmes does not guarantee a place on the programme as demand generally exceeds the number of available places.

English Language Requirement

For all programmes, fluency in written English is required. If you are not a native speaker of English and your secondary education or university degree has not been carried out in English, then you must satisfy the following English language requirement: A minimum score of 600 TOEFL (250 computer based, with test of written English at 475+) or 6.5 IELTS (minimum of 6.0 in each band).