In keeping with its strong emphasis on research and publication, the School of Education UCC offers a Cohort PhD programme in Education that welcomes applicants both national and international.
The introduction of the Cohort PhD in the School of Education in 2008 was a response to the demand for doctoral-level work in the field of education in Ireland. It was also a response to changing views about doctoral study reflected in the international critique of the solo scholar/supervisor model of the traditional PhD, particularly concerning the need for more systematic training in a broader range of advanced research methodologies. The Cohort PhD offers a cohort experience from the beginning of the four-year programme, requiring the kind of collaboration and responsibility expected in high-level professional practice.
It aims to enhance high-level professional practice in the field of education by enabling professionals to articulate existing and new expertise and develop the knowledge and skills required of the expert. An expert is someone who has an intellectual and practical ability, particularly in terms of collaboration, reflexivity and responsibility, to meet the challenge of developing new and responsive practices and to mediate knowledge in increasingly complex professional environments. The Cohort PhD develops such expertise by meeting professional research needs within a structured learning environment. The central aim of the programme is to enable education professionals to develop the kind of advanced knowledge and analytical skills necessary to interpret and undertake varied kinds of research to enhance policy and professional practice in a wide range of educational settings.