Scholarship for PhD Study in Political Science

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin • Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland • 2d ago

The Department of Political Science invites applications for four-year fully funded PhD studentships at Trinity College Dublin. Application for financial support is automatically considered as part of the normal admissions process. The Department typically provides financial support in the form of tuition grants, stipends, teaching and research assistantships, and support for postgraduate conference and research travel.

Our four-year doctoral programme is designed to give students the highest level of training to become scholars at the forefront of the discipline. Most of our Ph.D. graduates have gone on to careers in research and teaching at established universities, while others have gone on to careers in government and business. Recently completed dissertations and job placement of graduates can be found here.

The Department of Political Science at Trinity is one of Europe’s leading centres for political research. It is invariably ranked the number 1 Politics department in Ireland in QS and THE evaluations, and in QS in particular it is characteristically in the top 20 in Europe and often in the top 50 worldwide. Current members of its academic staff have published in a wide range of leading journals, including (to name only a few) American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. Members of the Department have also published prize-winning monographs in leading academic presses (e.g., Oxford University Press) and several members hold substantial external grants from the European Commission and other European research councils.

In addition, the Department is involved in the Dublin School of Social Sciences, which provides graduate training in collaboration with University College Dublin. The doctoral programme is designed to impart substantive knowledge about politics, and to train students in the techniques, including quantitative methods, necessary to recognize, design and implement cutting-edge research. The writing of a dissertation of original research follows a rigorous training in how to design and conduct research.

Applications are particularly welcome from students who wish to conduct research in areas in which the Department has particular research strengths:

Comparative European Politics
Political institutions
Legislative politics
European Union politics and policies, incl. the European Court of Justice
The politics of international law (incl. international human rights and WTO dispute settlement)
Irish politics
African politics
Russian and postcommunist politics
Authoritarian politics
Electoral systems and political parties
Public opinion and political participation
Political psychology
Environmental politics, incl. politics of climate change
International conflict and security
Political theory
Quantitative text analysis

Prospective students are encouraged to consult the webpages of members of staff to check if staff research interests match their proposed projects. Enquiries about the application process may be directed to the Course Administrator Sarah Smullen (polgrad@tcd.ie). Further details of the Ph.D. programme can be found here.

The deadline for applications to the doctoral programme for entry in September 2025 is 1^st April 2025. All applications must be made via the online applications system. For details concerning the application process, please see our FAQ page.

Contact information:

Alexander Held
Ph.D. Director
Department of Political Science
Trinity College Dublin
3 College Green, Dublin 2