Masters by Research

Research, development, enterprise and innovation are embedded into the culture of IADT.



We pride ourselves on our expertise and experience in a range of creative, technological and entrepreneurial fields.



Academic staff and postgraduate research students across IADT lead or collaborate in research projects across the research spectrum – practice-based and scholarly, basic and applied – working with a diverse range of stakeholders and collaborators in the public and private sectors, at local, national and global level.



With research taking place in art, design, entrepreneurship, film, media, psychology, technology, and in many areas of the humanities, we tackle big questions across the creative industries and address some of the most important societal challenges, including equality, diversity, and sustainability. We also investigate and develop innovative approaches to Teaching and Learning across disciplines and utilising a range of digital and collaborative technologies.

Applicants must normally hold a degree (2nd class honours) at NFQ Level 8 in a relevant discipline. It is possible for applications to be considered under the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) process.



The applicant must identify a potential supervisor (see here for a list of current staff or contact us for assistance). You must seek the agreement in principle of your proposed supervisor before you apply. The applicant and supervisor will then work together to ensure that the abstract, proposal and all associated documentation is submitted.

Applications are accepted at any time in the academic year. The first stage is to submit your expression of interest (an abstract and a completed PG1 form) to the Research Officer. We will then review the application to ensure that it is within IADT’s remit and suitable for postgraduate research, and contact you with the outcome. Once this first stage is complete, we ask applicants to complete the second stage (submission of a research proposal and a PG2A form) within six weeks.



This full proposal and accompanying documentation is then reviewed by an appointed external examiner (an expert in your proposed field of research). The final decision on whether to accept a proposal, and so offer a place on the Masters by Research programme, is made by the Head of Faculty.



Avril Healy

Research Officer

Em: avril.healy@iadt.ie

For any queries in relation to the Fee Schedule for the Masters by Research Fees, please contact the Fees and Grants Team. Details at the link below:

Research topics that link directly to Ireland's smart economy including Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Sport Psychology / User Experience (UX) + User Interface (UI) / Film + Content / Photography / Digital Story Telling are all welcome.


Thematic Research Calls are advertised on the IADT website, usually in Spring: http://www.iadt.ie/researchandindustryold/current-research-opportunities.

Submissions are also invited from prospective candidates who wish to propose their own topic of research. For further information, please email mastersbyresearch@iadt.ie.