For our new arrivals, welcome to the UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe), and for the others, welcome back! This page provides you with the necessary information to pursue your studies at our School.
While studying at UCD, you will notice that there are fellow PhD students in a large variety of different specializations within SPIRe, as well as on specialized thematic PhDs that cross various disciplines. Within SPIRe, we have students working on British-Irish studies, European studies, political theory and human rights, development studies, nationalism and ethnic conflict, et cetera. SPIRe also houses students in thematic PhD programmes such as Quantitative and Computational Social Science (QCSS), Global Human Development (GHD), Complex Systems and Computational Social Science (CSCS) and European Law and Governance (ELG) . The course requirements for these students differ but overlap with those taking the PhD in Politics and International Relations.
Since we are continually making improvements to our research degree programmes, the structure and requirements are evolving over time. To get a full overview of the school's and university's requirements it is recommended that you review both the Graduate Research Student Handbook and the relevant PhD Handbook for your programme - Pol & IR, QCSS or GHD - for additional information specific to the school. In addition, the Welcome Note from the Dean of Graduate Studies provides useful information on registration, fees, support services and orientations. And the following website offers more information about college and university-level regulations and services for graduate students:
Graduate Studies Resource Hub (click on link)
If after reading the handbooks you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or anyone listed under the contact details section.
Prof Ben Tonra
SPIRe PhD Programs Director