Departmental Assistantship Scheme 2025-2026 Guidelines for Applicants

General Information

The successful applicant will work under the supervision of a member of staff in RPECS. The DA Award currently provides for a stipend of €6,900 per annum (AY2025/6), along with a fee waiver for a maximum of three years within the normal duration of programme for PhD students. Where a DA Awardee who has received funding for three years enters a 4th year of studies, a fee waiver is provided, but no stipend is payable in Year 4; neither are duties required in Year 4. MA (research & thesis) students who receive a DA Award are entitled to a stipend of €6,900 (AY2025/6) with a fee waiver for a two-year period. A fee waiver consists of a contribution to defray tuition fees for a student. 

General information on the Departmental Assistantship funding scheme is available here.

Current PhD/ Masters by Research Students

Applicants should complete the Departmental Assistantship Scheme (RPECS) application form at the link below.   

Potential PhD/ Masters by Research Students

To be considered for a Departmental Assistantship, applicants should identify an area of interest and a focus for their proposed research project. Potential applicants should consult with a potential academic supervisor or supervisors in the Department and with the Research and Graduate School and complete a research postgraduate application. Information on the application process for a Postgraduate Degree is available here. It is essential that potential applicants allow sufficient time to prepare an application in conjunction with a potential supervisor. Further information on the research interests of Department staff can be accessed here. In addition, the applicant should complete a Departmental Assistantship Scheme (RPECS) application form at the link below. An Assistantship can only be taken up when a successful applicant is accepted and registered as a PGR student in MIC.

Making an Application

Applications are welcome from current students and potential students who intend to begin a research postgraduate programme in Education, related to the fields of expertise in the Department. Complete the RPECS Departmental Assistantship Scheme application form at the link below. 

Please note: Applicants are required to upload an academic reference with their online application. 

Apply Now
 

The deadline for receipt of applications is 12pm on Friday 16 May 2025.

Please direct general queries to Head of Department, Lisha O’Sullivan, Email: Lisha.OSullivan@mic.ul.ie.

The DRPECS Departmental Assistantship Scheme is a competitive process. The Department will convene its Postgraduate Awards Committee (PAC) to assess applications based on the assessment criteria and make recommendation(s) for approval via the Graduate School Director to the Executive Team. The following assessment criteria are used to determine selection:

• Academic record at undergraduate and post-graduate level (if appropriate)
• Relevance of previous work experience to the role
• Quality of research project and goodness of fit with the research interests of RPECS
• Personal statement: aptitude for the teaching, research, and administrative work of the department
• Availability to support the work of the Department
• Overall quality of the application 

The Committee reserves the rights to make no recommendations where the requisite standard is not reached by any applicant. The Head of Department will notify applicants of the outcome of the application process as soon as possible. Late Applications will not be accepted. 

Appeals Process

Should an applicant not be satisfied with the outcome of their application they can appeal the decision in writing to the HoD.  Where an appeal is lodged, application and assessment forms will be reviewed and final decisions will be made by the HoD (or nominee where the HoD chaired the Selection Committee). Appeals should be lodged within one week of receiving notification of the outcome of the application process.

Further Information 

Please direct general queries to Head of Department, Lisha O’Sullivan, Email: Lisha.OSullivan@mic.ul.ie.

Your privacy is extremely important to us. You can access our Direct Student Application Privacy Notice which explains how Mary Immaculate College collects, uses and shares and retains your personal data (i.e., information that can be used to identify you as an individual). It also explains your rights under data protection law in relation to the processing of your data. The College is the data controller of your personal data and is subject to the Data Protection Acts 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/6. 

For more information on data protection, please visit Information Compliance Office.