Geography

The MA in Geography is designed for students who want to deepen their understanding of key geographical ideas and themes, develop strong critical thinking skills, undertake independent research in an area of specialist interest, and enhance their professional capabilities.



This programme offers a wide-ranging suite of taught modules, allowing students to choose the classes that best align with their interests and career goals. It supports the development of critical spatial thinking, deeper specialist knowledge, and advanced employability skills grounded in human geography.



Students will engage with a variety of geographical approaches applied to key societal and environmental challenges, including decarbonisation, migration, mobility, and housing.



The Department's long-standing, publicly engaged research has created an extensive network of civil society partners. The MA provides unique opportunities for students to work with these partners through innovative and immersive modules, collaborating on real-world projects. Our research-led and community-partnered teaching and learning model has been recognised nationally by the Irish Universities Association.



The programme is available full-time (1 year, MHN60) or part-time (2 years, MHN61). For information on the part-time programme (MHN61), please click here.

This MA is flexible in delivery, innovative in emphasis, and stresses experiential- and field-based learning opportunities for students to develop ethical research skills and other employability competencies. Teaching and learning takes the form of small-group seminars, collaborative and project-based learning, guest talks and workshops, and regular immersive fieldwork.



Degree structure: 90 credits, taken over 1 year full-time (MHN66) or 2 years part-time (MHN67).



Students must take 50 compulsory credits, which develop competencies in field methods, spatial thinking, and theory and applied research methods in spatial justice. It also includes a 30-credit independent thesis focused on a topic of the student's choosing as related to spatial justice.



Depending on the student's interests, s/he will take an additional 40 optional credits, with at least 20 credits in Geography and up to 20 credits of electives in anthropology, law, media studies and sociology.



All modules are 100% continuous assessment, with a range of assessment types (academic essays, field research journals, applied research projects, mapping projects, blogs, vlogs and videos, field-based reports, individual and group presentations, other). Please see the list of possible classes in Course Finder



Compulsory modules:



GY607 Field School (10 credits)

GY608 Thinking Geographically (10 credits)

GY609 Thesis (30 credits)



Indicative Optional Modules in Geography:



GY619 Public Engagement (10 credits)

GY621 Dublin Urban Laboratory (10 credits)

GY629 Spatial Justice: Geographies of Social & Environmental Change (10 credits

Applicants must hold a minimum of a bachelor honours degree (NFQ Level 8) (or equivalent) with a minimum of a second-class honours, grade 1 (2:1) in Geography or a related discipline.





Minimum English language requirements:

Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study. For information about English language tests accepted and required scores, please see here. The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and international applicants.



Maynooth University's TOEFL code is 8850

Closing Date : 14 August 2026

Commences: September

Closing Date : 14 August 2026

Our graduates acquire valuable research, analytical and critical, spatial thinking, ethical and professional skills. The skills learned allow our graduates to find employment in various fields, such as: administration; education; services; creative industries; and working with NGOs and local government authorities. A number of our graduates go on to pursue a PhD.