Postgraduate Studies

No matter what your nationality, or where you live, postgraduate qualifications are becoming increasingly necessary for those who wish to work at the higher end of the jobs market, and Ireland is home to international quality fourth level options for every possible career path

Postgraduate education in Ireland has been the focus of major redevelopment and restructuring in recent years. In 2006, the Government stated its ambition to double the number of PhD graduates by 2012. This drive to secure a place for Ireland among the top research destinations in the world is benefiting the thousands of international students who arrive here every year seeking a fourth level qualification.

The Government has repeatedly emphasised its prioritisation of Ireland’s burgeoning knowledge economy, based on innovation and high tech industries such as biotechnology. Despite the economic slowdown, investment continues to be made in the science and technology sectors of postgraduate education.

The National Development Plan (NDP), and the Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation (SSTI) are investing a total of €8.2 billion in research and development during the period 2006-2013. Few countries hold such promising prospects for aspiring young scientists and researchers all over the world. There is a great deal of productive activity and research in the humanities & social sciences and business sectors also; taught and research based courses are available in a huge range of areas. 

However, a postgraduate education is not all about state of the art facilities and generous investment; course providers in Ireland are increasingly focused on producing postgraduates who bring a well rounded skill set to their jobs, rather than just a couple of narrow areas of expertise. These ‘soft skills’ are essential to career development and include areas such as project management, communications skills and report writing.

Click here to read about the postgraduate application process.

Read on to see how the following two international postgrad students have fared in Ireland.