Postgraduate study in engineering

While a postgraduate qualification may not guarantee you an easy entry into an engineering career, statistics show that postgraduates have superior employment prospects.

Recent years have seen a growth in the number of engineering graduates who choose to pursue further study in the field, ranging from year-long postgraduate diplomas and master's programmes to research based MPhils and PhDs. Conversion courses in engineering can also be taken, though they often require a primary degree from a relevant discipline. You can find funded master's and PhDs advertised in the national press and on institution websites. An up-to-date list of courses can be found at our course database on gradireland.com/careers-advice/postgraduate-study.

It’s common for engineering graduates to take postgraduate diplomas or master's in business, finance and project management in order to apply for business and engineering related positions upon graduation.

Both the Republic and Northern Ireland have seen heavy investment in Research and Development (R&D) in recent years, with both governments investing in collaborations with academia and industry to boost growth. Institutions are increasingly collaborating with industry to provide courses that combine theory and study with practical experience. For example, NUI Galway’s College of Engineering and Informatics’ PhD and MEngSc in Power Electronics and Energy Conversion are both facilitated by Galway’s Power Electronics Research Centre, which is one of six centres formed by the Programme of Advanced Technology, a partnership between government, industry and academia.

The following is a list of departments and institutions currently offering postgraduate courses in engineering:

• Technological University Dublin, College of Engineering and Built Environment – www.dit.ie/colleges/collegeofengineeringbuiltenvironment

• Dundalk Institute of Technology, School of Engineering – www.dkit.ie/engineering

• NUI Galway, College of Engineering and Informatics – www.nuigalway.ie/engineering

• Queen’s University Belfast, School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE

• Queen’s University Belfast, School of Electrical Engineering – www.qub.ac.uk/schools/eeecs

• Trinity College Dublin, School of Engineering – www.tcd.ie/engineering

• University College Cork, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science – www.ucc.ie/en/sefs

• University College Dublin, School of Engineering and Architecture – www.ucd.ie/eacollege/study/ graduateschool

• University of Limerick, Faculty of Science and Engineering – www.scieng.ul.ie

• University of Ulster, Faculty of Computing and Engineering – www.compeng.ulster.ac.uk A comprehensive, searchable course database, supplied by Qualifax.ie, can be found at gradireland.com/careersadvice/postgraduate-study.