Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship
UCD School of Music - Expression of Interest
Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship
The School of Music at University College Dublin invites expressions of interest from potential doctoral researchers wishing to apply for Government of Ireland (GOI) Postgraduate Scholarships with a start date of Autumn 2026.
These prestigious scholarships are open to candidates of all nationalities wishing to pursue PhD studies for a period of three-four years. The School of Music at UCD will offer bespoke support to selected applicants. Our internal deadline is Friday 30th May 2025 (5:00pm Irish time).
Please note that the final funder deadline is expected to be mid-October 2025 for an autumn 2026 start. The information presented here is provisional, based on details of the most recent round, as the next round of this scheme has not yet formally opened. More information is available here: (opens in a new window)https://research.ie/
Application Process
If you would like to apply for this opportunity, please send the following as a single PDF document to music@ucd.ie by 5:00pm Irish time on 30th May 2025.
- A PhD Proposal of 1,000-2,000 words, to include an abstract, chapter outline, and select bibliography
- An academic writing sample of ca. 3,000 words (can be one long essay or two shorter essays)
- Your academic transcripts
- Name of one academic referee
- A short description (up to 350 words) of how your work would fit with that of a potential supervisor (or supervisors) and, where applicable, with other members of the School or University. Please note the importance attached to this fit. There should be an excellent fit between your research proposal and that of a potential supervisor or pair of co-supervisors (see faculty profiles)
Please note that Professor Thérèse Smith and Professor Harry White are not available to act as supervisors for this competition. In the case of interdisciplinary projects, you are welcome to suggest co-supervisors from outside of the School of Music.
Entry Requirements for the PhD programme
Applicants to the PhD programme should have achieved a first or a very high 2.1 in their undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees.
Other enquiries may be sent to music@ucd.ie. Please note that we are unable at this stage to provide general advice on whether there is a suitable supervisor in the School. We would advise instead that potential applicants review individual faculty interests and contact the best-matched potential supervisor directly in the case of any doubt.