Arts & Humanties

Ireland is a nation deeply rooted in history and rich in literary tradition and artistic expression. Irish has the third oldest literature in Europe after Greek and Latin and has a strong history in the art of story-telling which has played its part in distinguishing Irish art and literature from that of other countries. It boasts the rich literary talent and masterpieces of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett to name but a few, making it easy to see the extent to which Ireland has contributed to world literature alone.

Postgraduate studies and research in arts and humanities are seen as essential to Ireland's economic, social, cultural and creative development. For those with an interest in the area there is no shortage of course options available.

Entry Requirements

Candidates for most postgraduate courses in the arts and humanities areas must have at least a second-class honours primary degree. PhD candidates will need to demonstrate a significant level of research experience and potential.

Applicants are not judged on their academic results alone; other considerations such as relevant experience and a real interest in the chosen subject will usually be taken into account. Language students at postgraduate level must demonstrate that they are approaching fluency.

Courses Available

Postgraduate courses are available in all of the traditional areas like history and literature, as well as in more modern fields such as social aspects of visual media and semiotics.

Students with an interest in the past can choose from subjects such as history, archaeology, classics, medieval studies and Celtic studies. Foreign literature and language courses include American, French, German, Spanish, Asian, Australian, Latin and European literature and languages, while related subjects such as comparative literature, cultural studies, linguistics and interpreting studies will also interest graduates with fluency in more than one idiom.

Other course options at postgraduate level include ecumenical subjects such as theology, spirituality and biblical studies, as well as subjects focusing on the opium of the masses (the media, of course) including journalism, film studies, visual studies, multimedia, creative writing and screenwriting.

Other arts and humanities options at postgraduate level worth considering include philosophy, geography, and librarianship. Irish and Irish literature, and English and English literature are also options.

Research Areas

Arts and humanities disciplines offer the potential postgraduate research student a wealth of opportunities. Many institutions offer dedicated research centres and staff with a vast collection of subject interests.

Postgraduate study is about getting to the root of issues through in-depth research. This is what makes postgraduate research in the arts and humanities so potentially exciting, interesting and fulfilling.

Often, arts and humanities postgraduate research does not fit within one neatly packaged discipline. For example, you can’t just choose philosophy as your research topic – you need to choose a more specific area upon which to focus.

Cultural identity is currently an important research area at Irish universities – research areas include cross-border studies, cultural modernity and feminist literary theory. Irish studies is also an important area of research within Irish academia, with potential areas of research including Irish folklore, history, literature, and Anglo-Irish literature.

Language departments also foster a wide range of postgraduate research, with students investigating the literature, history and politics of their chosen society, language or culture.

Media is also an increasingly popular area for postgraduate research. Options can include film theory, media content analysis and the social effects of the media.

The fields of philosophy, theology and English literature also contain rich pickings for potential postgraduate researchers.

Career Paths

A characteristic of arts and humanities disciplines at postgraduate level is their interdisciplinary nature, which provides graduates with a broad range of skills that can be used in all kinds of career areas.

A non-exhaustive list of potential careers for arts and humanities graduates can include working in the media, the civil service, advertising, marketing, public relations, politics, publishing, human resources, librarianship, education, social work, economics, law and local government. Many graduates, especially those involved in research degrees, aim to remain in academia and become professors or lecturers.

However, for many arts and humanities students, set career progression isn’t the real goal; it is the love of their particular subject that spurs them on.