Child Family & Community Studies - Grangegorman

What is Child, Family & Community Studies?

This programme will be of interest to graduates of early education, social care, psychology, sociology, community studies and related disciplines, as well as professionals in the broad social services delivery area (example, social work, youth work, teaching, community work, early education, family support work).



The overall aim of the Masters is to examine how human capacity can be enhanced across the lifespan in the socio-educational sector. It will provide participants with a critical understanding of concepts and approaches to enabling individuals and groups to realise their potential as human persons and participative communities. The course aims to educate students to high levels of contemporary theoretical awareness in fields central to social services provision and to create an atmosphere of rigorous academic enquiry and writing.

Module listing:

Semester 1

Management Issues in Child, Family and Community Work [Mandatory]

Perspectives on Child, Family and Community [Mandatory]

Research Methods and Dissertation [Mandatory]

Transitions Across the Lifespan [Mandatory]



Semester 2

Equality, diversity and intercultural practice [Mandatory]

Research Methods and Dissertation [Mandatory]

Contemporary issues in the early years [Elective]

Deviance, Punishment and Social Control in Modern Ireland [Elective]

European Study Trip [Elective]

Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health [Elective]

Masculinities, Care and Equality [Elective]

Risk, Protection and Resilience of Children and Vulnerable Adults [Elective]

Social Entrepreneurship [Elective]

Youth Offending and Youth Justice Perspectives [Elective]

Applicants must normally hold a second class honours bachelor degree, higher division (2.1) or higher in the area of social care, early education, social sciences, psychology, sociology, youth and community studies or cognate discipline.



Applicants who do not meet the minimum academic requirements, but who have significant professional or vocational experience in child, family and community services shall also be considered. In addition to an application form, this latter category of applicants may also be asked to present for interview. The Programme Committee will work to ensure a balance of recent graduates and professionals among the student intake.



If English is not your first language you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. In addition, applicants whose first language is not English must have an IELTS score minimum of 6.5 overall, with nothing less than 6 in each component.



Note: Due to the considerable competition for our postgraduate courses satisfying the minimum entry requirement is not a guarantee of a place. Depending on the course of study, applications will be assessed based on your academic grades and may also take into account your work/life experience. Applicants may also be required to attend for interview for specific courses.

Applications for full-time and some part-time postgraduate programmes commencing in September 2026 are now open. Applications for the remaining part-time programmes will open in February 2026. Please check individual course pages for application details.

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



F/T Schedule

Full-time students attend college two evenings a week (generally Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 4:00pm and 8:00pm) for two semesters and submit their dissertation the following semester. The programme will be a taught modularised programme, delivered in semesters of 15 weeks duration (12 weeks teaching, 1 review week and 2 weeks assessment). Students may take the taught programme on a full-time basis over two semesters and complete a dissertation in the third semester.



P/T Schedule

Part-time students attend college one day per week for four semesters (the first year is usually scheduled on Tuesday evenings, with the second year on Thursday evenings) and submit their dissertation the following semester. Students who do not wish to pursue the programme to Master level may opt to be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Child, Family and Community Studies after the completion of 60 credits of coursework.

Commencement Date: September 2026.

What are my career opportunities?

Many participants on the MA in Child, Family and Community Studies already have practice experience and use the MA to develop their careers in different directions or to move in to management roles. Graduates have gone on to work in a variety of sectors including development and policy work in social care, early childhood education and the voluntary care sector. It is not necessary to have prior professional experience, however, to find the programme beneficial for career development.