Program Overview

Program Overview

The M.Phil. in Gender and Women’s Studies is a postgraduate program that exposes students to theories, methodologies, debates, and controversies that produce contemporary scholarship on women, gender, and sexuality. The program draws on insights and perspectives from the three disciplines in the School of Histories and Humanities: Classics, History, and History of Art and Architecture.

Program Structure

• The program is offered on a full-time basis for 12 months, starting in September, and on a part-time basis over two years for EU/UK/EEA students.
• Teaching is spread over two terms, beginning in September and concluding the following April.
• The M.Phil. degree within the School of Histories and Humanities consists of 90 ECTS.

Course Content

• All students take the core modules Gender Theories, and Approaches; and Methods to Gender Research, which provide a grounding in key approaches and skills.
• Students choose further modules from a wide range of electives, varying from year to year.
• These include both special topics and further skills and methodologies training options, allowing students to build specific skills and to follow their individual interests.
• Recently offered modules include:
  • Desire and the Body from Catullus to Seneca
  • The Lived Experiences of Women in Early Modern Ireland
  • Medieval Sexualities and Gender Identities
  • Family and Sexuality in Modern Ireland
  • Art, Gender, Identity
• The capstone of the course is a dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a research topic in the area of Gender and Women’s Studies from within or across the three disciplines in the School of Histories and Humanities: Classics, History, and History of Art and Architecture.

Admission Requirements

• Applicants should normally have at least an upper second class (2.1) Honours Bachelor degree or equivalent in a relevant area.
• Since places on the course are limited, applicants may be interviewed or asked to submit a writing sample for assessment.
• All applicants are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language, meeting Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements.

Career Opportunities

The program helps prepare graduates for a wide variety of careers in the public and private sector, including education, nonprofit/advocacy, healthcare, public health, law, business, social work, and civil service. It also provides invaluable training in research for those planning to pursue a doctorate and/or a career in research.

Course Fees

For a full list of postgraduate fees, please refer to the relevant university resources.

Awards and Duration

• NFQ Level 9
• 1 year full-time (EU and non-EU students) / 2 years part-time (EU/UK/EEA students only)
• 15 Places available

Course Director

Dr. Gillian Frank

Closing Date

30th May 2025

Next Intake

September 2025

Program Description

This course is aimed at students interested in historically and theoretically nuanced approaches to studying women, gender, and sexuality that are offered through the three disciplines in the School of Histories and Humanities: Classics, History, and History of Art and Architecture. By emphasizing a rigorous multidisciplinary perspective in teaching and research, the faculty offers students a range of analytical and methodological skills to think historically and contextually about gender and sexuality. Through the modules, students will consider the social, political, and economic aspects of gender and sexuality and have opportunities to analyze the ways in which these modalities relate to other categories such as race, ethnicity, nationality, class, age, and dis/ability.