The School offers several scholarships to full-time students which comprise a fee waiver and a tax-free stipend of €22,00 per year. Scholarship recipients are expected to tutor for one course per term. Students can top up their funding through additional grading support and research assistant work. Students who want to be considered for the scholarship should indicate this in the application. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit. 

In the academic year 2024/25, the current stated fees for full-time students will be 7,130€ (EU)/ 13,730€ (non-EU); the fees for part-time students will be 4,710€ (EU)/ 9,200€ (non-EU). (subject to change)

On the UCD website, applicants need to apply for the MLitt programme.

If their application is successful, they will transfer to the PhD register after completing the course phase in year 1.

The application code is W115 (MLitt full-time) or W160 (MLitt part-time). Apply here

The online application form will ask a number of questions and require you to upload documents for the PhD Committee to review. Below is a summary of this so you can prepare everything in advance.

Required Items:

• Full transcript from previous bachelor's and postgraduate degrees (we look for students to have an MSc in Economics with a 2:1 or equivalent grade)
• An English Language cert (if applicable)
• A 1-1.5 page research proposal (see FAQ for details)
• A full CV/Resume
• €60 Application Fee
• Details of two references (names and email addresses)
• Title of your Research Proposal
• Primary and secondary research interests
• Any other documentation you feel is applicable

Please note that your application will not be considered without all of the above.

You do NOT need to contact a supervisor in advance of your application. A supervisor will be allocated to you should you be accepted.

Because all students are admitted to the MLitt first, please apply for the MLitt in Economics (W115 for full-time or W160 for part-time).

No. The School of Economics can only offer 5-6 scholarships per year, which are awarded based on academic merit. Students who have been admitted but have not been made an initial scholarship offer are placed on a waiting list.

You should not contact potential supervisors before applying. A supervisor will be allocated to you should you be accepted.

However, it is helpful to indicate in the application what broad area you are interested in, such that our admissions committee can assess whether we have one or more potential supervisors.

You will only be assigned a supervisor when you are offered a place on the programme. You can indicate in your research proposal if there is someone you feel matches your research interests, but you should not contact potential supervisors before applying.

No, all students are first admitted to the MLitt programme. After successfully passing their first-year courses, they automatically transfer to the PhD register. 

It depends. We are looking for students with strong quantitative skills. If your Masters had a strong quantitative component, we may consider your application. It is best to discuss this with the PhD Director.

Yes, but the School of Economics will not provide funding for that.

For the School of Economics, the research proposal serves two purposes: a) It shows that applicants have thought about a potential PhD topic and identified interesting research questions, and b) it helps us to assess whether we have potential supervisors in the proposed research area. However, once admitted, students are not bound by their proposal. Students often choose to work on different topics, but many students stay within the broad field outlined in their proposal.

The proposal should be 1-1.5 pages long and include the following:

i) a description of a broad research area and a motivation for why this research area is interesting;

ii) 2-3 potential research questions within this area, along with a brief description how the applicant intends to answer them;

iii) references to the 2-3 most important papers in this area;

iv) mention of faculty members whose research interests the proposed research overlaps with. Please do not contact potential supervisors before applying. You will be allocated a supervisor if your application is successful

Two references will be required in support of your application. When you submit your application, an email will automatically be sent to your referees under the email addresses you provided for them. This email will contain a link where they can upload their recommendation letter. Please ensure your referees are aware of this and are looking out for this email.

If your Masters programme was taught and examined in English then you do not need to provide any further English Language qualifications.

Please direct all additional queries about the programme and the application to the School’s Graduate Administrator, Mrs Lesley Tohill ((opens in a new window)lesley.tohill@ucd.ie).

Applicants are sought for two funded PhD positions in the UCD School of Economics as part of the Marie Slodowska-Curie doctoral training networkCoDeF, beginning September 2024. 

The CoDeF project focuses on the topic of consumer energy demand flexibility and these positions provide a fantastic opportunity for researchers in economicsinterested in the energy transition. CoDeF aims to integrate knowledge of social sciences (economics, sociology, and anthropology) and engineering (e.g., mechanical and electrical engineering) in a doctoral training programme across 8 European research institutions. Consumer energy flexibility is acknowledged as a crucial tool as Europe aims for a just and sustainable energy transition to achieve climate neutrality and energy security. However, there are gaps in the understanding of the full potential for flexibility in the residential sector that may be achieved through the use of automation and incentives.

In the two positions in UCD School of Economics, the PhD students will focus on the decision-making process of householders to participate in demand response actions and the impact of those actions to increase the flexibility of electricity load in the residential sector. They will gain an understanding of the influence of economics, behavioural and social characteristics on their adoption of demand response and time-of-use pricing schemes.

The research topics (with related application details) are:

-The engagement of households with demand response interventions: Economic incentives and behavioural economics

-Household uptake and impact of demand response measures: Energy economics and agent-based modelling

In accordance with Marie Slodowska-Curie Action guidelines, candidates must not have lived in Ireland in the last 12 months of the three previous years. Application closing deadline is 10th August 2024.

More information on the CoDeF project is available at (opens in a new window)https://www.codef-dn.eu/

The successful candidacy is subject to the approval of the UCD Graduate Research Board and subsequent admittance to the PhD programme via the UCD on-line system.