UCC’s highly-regarded MA in Sociology gives you the opportunity to study a range of topics including: social theory and methodology, globalization, sustainable development, family and gender, borders, health, and the sociology of the public sphere.

The course will help you to develop your critical-thinking skills, design and conduct your own research project, identify key sociological issues, and engage effectively with the wider academic community.

The course is divided into two sections: parts A and B.

Part A

Compulsory modules:

SC6608 Social Theory

SC6614 Sociological Methodology.

You will also choose three optional modules from a list including:

SC6623 Globalisation and Culture

SC6624 Civilization and Globalisation

SC6625 Formations of Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Class in Contemporary Ireland

SC6626 Sociology of the Public Sphere

SC6627 Social Pathology and Civic Health

SC6631 Sociology of Sustainable Development

SC6638 Borders and Social Justice

Part B

SC6615 Dissertation (20,000 words)

For further details on the programme curriculum and module descriptions, see the Postgraduate College Calendar

Applicants must have obtained a minimum of a Second Class Honours Grade I (or equivalent) degree in sociology, law, politics, psychology, history, applied social studies, anthropology, geography, economics, study of religions, media studies, communication, government, public policy, criminal justice, environment and planning, criminology, European studies, women studies, early childhood studies, cultural studies, political studies, international relations or another subject relevant to the study of Sociology. Candidates who hold a primary degree with a Second Class Honours Grade II will also be considered subject to a written expression of interest and/or interview acceptable to the department selection committee.

If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please click here to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests. 

Application for this programme is on-line at www.pac.ie/ucc. Places on this programme are offered in rounds. The closing dates for each round can be found here. For full details of the application procedure click How to apply.

All required documentation must be either uploaded to your online application, or sent in hard copy to The Postgraduate Applications Centre, 1, Courthouse Square, Galway, immediately after an application is made.

Please note you will be required to answer specific additional/supplementary questions as part of the online applications process for this programme. A copy of these additional/supplementary questions are available to view here: CKE55AdditionalQuestions (312kB)‌‌‎‎

Early applications are encouraged for early decisions.

In teaching periods 1 and 2, you will have a mandatory two-hour graduate seminar on theory/methodology. Mandatory seminars are generally timetabled on Tuesday afternoons after 4pm. The timetabling of optional seminars changes from year to year but most are scheduled between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Some seminars are run on a weekly basis while others are run using a one-day workshop format.

Assessment is conducted through the grading of five graduate module papers. The word limit for the Social Theory paper is 3,000. The word limit for all other papers including Methodology is 5,000. These marks are combined with the student’s grades on their final thesis (PART B) in order to determine an overall result.

In the most recent research quality review in UCC, the Department of Sociology was ranked among the top 15 per cent of sociology departments in the UK and US for the quality of their research.

Our staff are recognised for their outstanding research and publications record. Five members of staff have been awarded UCC CACSSS Research Achievement Awards. Members of staff in Sociology are currently conducting research projects funded by the European Union, the Irish Research Council and other research bodies.

Research from the Department of Sociology is regularly featured in the national and international media.

Click HERE for details of the Department of Sociology Staff Research Profiles