Celtic Civilisation

Course Outline
Our MA in Celtic Civilisation is concerned with the history of the Celtic peoples from central Europe to Ireland, and from the early Iron Age into the Middle Ages. The focus is on Ireland's affinities with the outside world: our European inheritance in prehistoric times, and the manner in which Ireland influenced European culture in the early Christian period. Celtic literature, mythology, languages, learning, and the Celtic saints are particular topics of study.

Students are encouraged to develop their skills through a close reading of sources. You will have the opportunity to study medieval Welsh and Latin, and to take advanced courses in literary studies, paleography, and textual editing. Provision has been made for supervised independent research to allow you to broaden and deepen your scholarly interests, while a 20,000-word thesis gives scope to postgraduates to complete a significant piece of work in a specific area of interest.

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

identify basic Old Irish grammatical forms, and translate sentences that illustrate their use;

translate selected passages of Medieval Welsh prose;

transcribe Early Irish texts from manuscript sources;

write and present a seminar paper on an agreed topic;

present the results of supervised research on a topic within the discipline in the form of a fully-annotated thesis.

Course Practicalities
For the full-time one-year option, you are required to choose modules to the value of 50 credits. Most modules have a value of 10 credits and involve weekly classes for the duration of the academic year (24 weeks). Depending on options, a full-time student will have a minimum of 5 classes per week (though many will also contain weekly assignments); students may also choose to attend the two-day paleography workshop held annually in early September. For one-on-one supervised studies, and for the 40-credit dissertation, students are expected to meet with their supervisors on a regular basis.

After choosing the modules that you wish to study, you are expected to attend regularly and participate fully in taught classes. Attendance at Old Irish language classes and at the weekly Department research seminar is compulsory. In areas of supervised study, supervisors for the relevant modules will be organised by the teaching staff of the Department. The thesis topic and supervisor will be chosen by you in consultation with members of staff. The MA in Celtic Civilisation entails a lot of reading and study — happily, the library facilities at UCC are particularly good in our subject area.

The taught modules are generally assessed by continuous assessment and by end-of-year examinations. In paleography and the supervised-study modules, assessment is by essay/project while in the research presentation, public delivery to an academic audience is also assessed. The MA dissertation is graded by an external examiner.

The part-time option is taught during weekday working hours over 2 years.

Why Choose This Course?
The MA in Celtic Civilisation at UCC offers great training to students interested in the language, literature and culture of the medieval Celtic countries. It provides opportunities for postgraduates to study medieval Irish, medieval Welsh and Latin. You can develop your scholarly potential by directed independent study and taught modules, and by working with staff who are internationally recognised in areas such as medieval Irish Christianity, Celtic mythology, paleography, textual editing, and legendary history. MA students will join a large cohort of international and Irish students already engaged in postgraduate studies in the Department of Early and Medieval Irish, UCC.

Placement or Study Abroad Information
Upon successful completion of the Master of Arts in Celtic Civilisation, students often go on to Ph.D. degrees at home and abroad. In recent years, many of our students have received scholarships to study for further degrees in North America, Scotland, Germany and Wales, as well as in Ireland. As we have numerous formal links with higher education institutions overseas, students who avail of the opportunity to pursue their doctoral studies in UCC may elect to spend some time abroad as part of their course.

Modules
Part I (50 credits)

CC6001 Old Irish (10 credits) or
CC6011 Continuing Old Irish (10 credits)
(Part-time students: If you register in Year 1 for CC6001, in Year 2 you may substitute one elective module with CC6011.)

Plus 40 credits from:

CC6004 Medieval Welsh (10 credits)
CC6005 Research Seminar (10 credits)
CC6006 Special Topic (10 credits)
CC6007 Research Presentation (10 credits)
CC6008 Palaeography and Manuscript-based Research (10 credits)

Part II (40 credits)

CC6009 Dissertation in Celtic Civilisation (40 credits)
The choice of modules is made in consultation with the student's supervisor and is subject to the approval of the Programme Coordinator. For further details and module, descriptions see the Postgraduate Academic Calendar.

Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation

Candidates who pass Part I and opt not to proceed to Part II of the Master's programme may register for Supervised Research in Celtic Civilisation (CC6002) worth 10 credits. On successful completion of CC6002, you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation. Students must submit CC6002 (comprising an Annotated Bibliography and Project) to the Department by the second Friday in September in the same academic year or may register for CC6002 in the following academic year (part-time), following completion of Part I.

Candidates who pass Part I and opt to proceed to Part II of the Master's programme and who fail, or fail to submit, Part II may register for CC6002 in the following academic year (part-time), and upon successful completion, will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation.

A student who subsequently applies to continue to Master's level must do so within 5 academic years of successful completion of Part I.

Postgraduate Certificate in Celtic Civilisation

Candidates who pass at least 30 credits of taught modules (including CC6001 or CC6011) may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Celtic Civilisation. A student who subsequently applies to continue to a Master's must do so within 5 years of successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

Candidates should normally hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in a relevant discipline. Candidates who hold a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) will also be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to the approval of the programme selection committee.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 30 June 2023

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.
Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

Please detail your research interest(s).
Please enter the names and email addresses of 2 referees.

The taught modules are generally assessed by continuous assessment and by end-of-year examinations. In paleography and the supervised-study modules, assessment is by essay/project while in the research presentation, public delivery to an academic audience is also assessed. The MA dissertation is graded by an external examiner.

Full details and regulations governing examinations for each course will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date: 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
An MA degree in Celtic Civilisation, besides preparing you for further study in the field of Celtic Studies, can also provide an additional qualification — and a mark of distinction — for students pursuing advanced degrees in such fields as classics, English, history or medieval studies. It is also a useful qualification for those seeking employment in the heritage and broadcasting sectors.