UCD Honohan and Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships: Now Open for Applications!

Politics and International Relations Programme Structure

In addition to writing the PhD thesis, SPIRe PhD students in Politics and International Relations must complete 50 credits of coursework, at least 40 of which should be completed by the time of the transfer to Stage II, which takes place within 12-18 months on the program.

Of these 50 credits, 30 will be devoted to required methodologically oriented courses (focusing on research design, quantitative methods and qualitative methods). The remaining 20 required credits (and any additional credits beyond 50) can be filled with modules selected in consultation with the student's supervisor.

* Applications currently being accepted for the UCD Honohan Doctoral Scholarship and two UCD Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships *

Application Procedure

UCD Honohan Doctoral Scholarship and UCD Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships - Applications now open!!

Applications are now being accepted for the UCD Iseult Honohan Doctoral Scholarship and two UCD Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships

Deadline for Honohan Scholarship: 30th January 2026 at 5pm Dublin time

Deadline for Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships: 6th February 2026 at 5pm Dublin time

Programme Duration

Duration: 3-4 Years Full Time 
Entry to the programme is in September only

Entry Criteria

Applicants to our Politics and International Relations research degree programme must have completed and earned a minimum of a 2.1 grade (GPA: 3.6) in a taught Masters (MA, MSc, MLitt, etc.) programme in the area of politics and international relations or a cognate field, and articulate a research interest that fits with the expertise of SPIRe’s academic staff. Staff Profiles can be found here.

Application Process and Timeframes

Note: SPIRe only accepts students who have a full scholarship (UCD Honohan Doctoral Scholarship or Research Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship) or alternative external funding, to include a full fee remission and appropriate living expenses.
Self-funded applicants are not eligible.

Applications to the PhD Politics and International Relations are dependent on the award of either a Honohan Doctoral Scholarship, a (opens in a new window)Research Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship or another fully-funded scholarship.

The Honohan Doctoral Scholarship is managed by the UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe).

Applications for the Honohan Scholarship are now open!
Full details can be found here

In addition, the school currently has Two Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships available.
Full details can be found here

The Research Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship is a Government of Ireland programme. Anyone who hopes to apply for the RI scholarship with a SPIRe mentor must first submit an application to the School and be conditionally accepted. The school application timeframe for this varies from year to year but generally opens at the end of August and closes in early September.

Full details can be found here

Honohan and Research Ireland applications will only be accepted within the stated timelines.

Application Process for all other fully-funded applicants

Applications outside of the Honohan and Research Ireland processes are accepted on a rolling basis between 1st October and 31st July for EU applicants and between 1st October and 30th June for Non-EU applicants.

Note: Anyone submitting the Google form below must have full external funding e.g. government scholarship, to includes full fees and an adequate annual stipend.
You will be asked to show proof of this funding.

Required Documents

You will be asked to upload the following documents to your Google form submission (Google form will open shortly)

• Cover letter, stating reasons for interest in the Politics and International Relations programme.  

• Proof of Funding (Full Fees and Annual Stipend)

• Thesis proposal (1,500-2,000 words maximum, excluding bibliography) using the following headings:

• • provisional thesis title
  • a statement of the research question
  • a brief literature review that points to research gaps the PhD project could address
  • an outline of theoretical approaches considered
  • a brief discussion of the proposed methodology

• Copies of Academic Transcripts (Undergraduate and Postgraduate)

• C.V. or Resume (2 pages maximum)

• Evidence of English language competence
  Non-native English speaking applicants must provide a cert from one of the examining bodies listed on this page.
  The certificate should be no more than 2 years old and must meet the minimum requirements as noted on the above webpage.
  Certificates from examining bodies not on this list or that do not meet the UCD minimum requirements will not be considered.
  
  If you have obtained a degree from a university in an English-speaking country, you are exempt from having to provide an English certificate.

• Two academic referees: You are required to include the contact details of two academic referees, who have agreed to provide a reference, on the google form. If your application is successful, we will be contacting your referees to obtain references.