Irish Folklore & Ethnology

The MA Irish Folklore and Ethnology is a recently established programme which offers students the chance to acquire in-depth knowledge of a unique and vibrant aspect of Irish culture – that of oral tradition and folklore, representing the history and heritage of Ireland at vernacular level.

In the normal course, entry requirements will consist of an undergraduate degree in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences with a minimum 2.1 or an equivalent of a UCD GPA of 3.08 (NFQ Level 8). The School may also consider applicants with equivalent qualifications/professional experience for the Pathway Programme. Applicants are required to submit original academic transcripts. Applicants are also required to submit two references, preferably both relating to academic performance. For applicants with equivalent professional qualifications, applicants will be required to submit a focussed statement of 500 words stating why this particular programme is right for the candidate at this point in their career (to be part of the online application). Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit evidence of their language proficiency. Applicants will have reached an overall 7 in IELTS with no individual band lower than 6.5, or equivalent. The School is willing to consider applicants who achieve IELTS 6.5 if they attend a five-week pre-sessional language course offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre. A basic reading knowledge of the Irish language is recommended for MA students. This can be acquired concurrently with the student’s MA studies. These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes. You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information at: https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/rpl/ Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.