Structured PhD in School of Education Programme content

This Structured PhD is linked to education and related to interdisciplinary areas, and is a specialist doctorate with a student-centred approach.

Key information

EU fees per year €5,800
Non-EU fees per year €12,900
NFQ Level NFQ Level 10 Major
Duration Four years or five years
Attendance Full-time or Part-time
Programme type Research
Award Doctorate
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In addition to beginning their supervised research project, students will take the following taught modules:

  1. Research methods modules (9 credits); these may be chosen from a range of research modules within the faculty
  2. Elective modules (9 credits); these are chosen from the range of post-graduate modules across the university.
  3. Core modules in Introduction to Doctoral Studies, Research Integrity, Entering the Academic Community and Post-graduate Skills Workshops & Professional Portfolio
  1. Normally the three core modules which are taught modules are completed within the first two years i.e. stage (1) of the Structured Programme.
  2. Research students can begin attending workshops and the portfolio at the onset of the programme.
  3. Research students register for and submit the Postgraduate School Workshops and Professional Portfolio module in Year (4) i.e. Stage (2) of the Structured Programme.

Core modules:

  1. The research project (270 credits) spans all four years, (there is an extended period of two years for part-time students) and is supervised by a Primary Supervisor from your home department.  The final thesis may be completed as a monograph or in an article based format
  2. Introduction to Postgraduate Research (6 credits) is designed to induct the student into good practice with respect to carrying out their PhD.  Lectures and workshops will include, for example, principles and regulations for a PhD at the University of Limerick, expectations of the student and supervisory committee and how to maximise supervisory guidance and information on seeking research funding.  Exercises in critical review will support the student's study of the literature.  In addition, the student will learn about ethics in theory and in practice and in terms of making an ethics application within the faculty.  This first module will encourage the intake of Postgraduate students across the faculty to meet and work together.
  3. Research Integrity (3 credits) builds on the previous strand looking more widely at ethics in research. These are workshop-based modules, with a small number of initial lectures on good research practice and on research misconduct. Workshops will review and debate examples of good and bad research practice, and examine how investigations into research misconduct should be undertaken using a scenario-based approach.
  4. Entering the academic community (3 credits) will equip the student with skills to network with respect to their research. A full-day workshop will allow the student to explore how to develop international contacts, get abstracts accepted at conferences, prepare good conference presentations and posters, run workshops, and review abstracts.
  5. Postgraduate School workshops & Professional Portfolio (12 credits) is a student-centered module, guided by the research supervisory team. Students will maintain a portfolio of activities such as attendance at invited speaker programmes and presentations at a conference. The portfolio will comprise documentation of the activities and reflective work reviewing the different experiences. As part of the portfolio module students are required to attend 60 hours of workshops throughout the first four years. The workshops attended are incorporated into the portfolio of learning.

Area(s) of interest

Education and Teaching
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