Leader in Integrated ICT Hardware & Systems
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1. Identify a research project and supervisor. Browse the latest postgraduate vacancies here.
2. Apply to register on a academic programme. Supervisors will advise as to most relevant academic programme. Students can register on a range of Masters and PhD programmes.
You should apply at least 3 months prior to the commencement date to allow for your application to be processed and approved. You should factor in 8 weeks approximately to obtain a Student Visa (if applicable). Further Information can be obtained from the International Office UCC.
Tyndall based students can choose from a range of PhD and Masters Programmes. You can contact Tyndall Graduate Studies postgrad-admin@tyndall.ie or your supervisor for information on the relevant programme for your research.
You need an honours level degree (NFQ level 8) with a minimum of a 2.H1 (second class honours, first class) before being considered to study as a PhD or research Masters in University College Cork. Although students generally choose a topic for their research from their degree discipline you are not restricted to your primary degree subjects.
Once you know which area or topic you wish to research you then need to contact the UCC Department/School relevant to that area of research and check the availability of an appropriate supervisor. You need to choose a supervisor and discuss your prospective research with them before applying. Your supervisor will let you know if you need to prepare a research proposal and will need to approve your proposal before you submit it. You may need to submit this proposal directly to the department and/or submit it with your online application. Candidates who apply to research programmes in Arts, Law or Medicine & Health are required to submit a research proposal of approximately 1,500 words, and in Commerce a proposal of approximately 500 words is required.
All Candidates applying to research degree programmes must contact the prospective supervisor to discuss their proposed area of research prior to making a research application. It is not possible to make a research application without having a research topic naming a supervisor, unless you are applying for a specific structured PhD programme.
Once you have clarified your research area and have found a UCC Supervisor you can apply online for Academic Approval with UCC. You will need to apply at least three months in advance of your estimated start date. There are 4 start dates each year for PhD students; October, January, April and July.
All applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency. English language tests must be undertaken no more than two years prior to commencement of a programme.
The table below lists the approved English language qualifications are currently accepted at UCC. Students must satisfy not only the overall score but also the minimum score per section.
| English Language Qualification | Minimum Requirements |
| IELTS |
6.5 Minimum Individual Sections 6 |
| TOEFL |
TOEFL 90 Listening - 20; Reading – 19; Speaking -21; Writing 20 |
| Cambridge Proficiency Exam | Grade B |
| Cambridge Advanced Exam | Grade B |
| Pearsen PTE | Minimum Score of 63 with no section score below 59 |
The following documents will be required in support of your application.
You do not need to supply originals of any document in support of your application at the application stage. However, you will be asked to produce the original documents in support of your application to UCC when you register.
Your application cannot be processed until all supporting documentation has been submitted.
Fees for all postgraduate programmes are payable in two instalments.
The first part will be payable when you register online with the second instalment payable three months later.
Funding
Students may receive funding for their fees and maintenance from a number of different sources:
Internship at Tyndall, nurturing you to the next phase of your career
At Tyndall we provide Internships and Co-Op Placements to third level students, either as part of their term time course work or summer work. Our internships are designed to give under graduate and graduate students a comprehensive experience and insight into the life of a researcher.
Some stay with us for 2 months, some 6 months, all we welcome with open arms into the Tyndall National Institute.
“This year we are pleased to have welcomed an additional 65 interns from 14 countries to our already diverse research community within Tyndall. While our interns learn from working in cross-functional collaborative teams with leading researchers in our world-class facilities, we also benefit from the diverse skillsets, fresh perspectives and enthusiasm that they bring to the Institute. It’s a pleasure to have them as part of the Tyndall family.” William Scanlon CEO Tyndall National Institute
Andrea Rossi, one of our current interns in the Photonics Systems group commented on her experience with Tyndall -
“I’m Andrea Rossi, I’m Italian, I’m 24 years old and I started my 6-month internship in Tyndall in February for my final year master’s project in Photonics Systems Group, thanks to the Erasmus programme.
This has been my first experience abroad and in a research environment and I wouldn’t have ever expected to have such an amazing experience.
In Tyndall the atmosphere is incredibly cosy, people are very nice and I have felt welcome since the first moment. As a very international place, I had the opportunity to meet people coming from different countries and learn more about different cultures. It is extremely easy to socialize as well here.
From a research point of view, I had the opportunity to learn how a research project is carried out and experience the research life. I loved this experience and this country so much that I decided to start a PhD programme in UCC next autumn, although I never considering doing it before coming here.”
Definitely, Tyndall gave me the opportunity to grow up and added an important stepping stone to my future career. I couldn’t have made a better choice than coming here.
Barry O’Donnell, one of our interns from the IPIC group shared his experience with Tyndall -
“I’m Barry O’Donnell, I’m Irish and I started my 2-month internship with Tyndall in June as part of the Bursary Programme with IPIC.
So far in my 8 weeks here, I have learned more than I ever expected to learn. Coming into this internship, I was unsure about my ability in coding and my knowledge of Machine Learning, but with the resources supplied to me, I was quickly able to catch up on the field of Machine Learning and its current place in the research world. A subject I had only glanced at before has now become one that I am completely enthralled by!
This internship also offered me a lot of insight into what working as a researcher is like; the dynamic, the work and the life of it. It is great to see how open and friendly people are to each other in this area, and how willing the people I am working with are to help me. I was also given the chance to tour the labs and was given a hands on explanation of tools and machinery used on a day-to-day basis.
Another opportunity I was given was the chance to live and work in Cork. Being from Limerick and attending NUIG, I had rarely ever visited Cork, and being able to have the opportunity to live in the city for a summer was a great experience.”
More than just an Internship
Our Internship Programme will give you a real experience of what it is like to work with us, and a great opportunity to discover first-hand if Science & Engineering or professional services is the career for you. Our internship programme will give you a taste of professional life and will allow you to get ahead in your career even before you have left college or university. It is a great way to enhance your CV with practical work experience.
You’ll get to choose which of our Science & Engineering disciplines or professional services areas you’d like to join. You’ll work as part of a team getting valuable on-the-job experience. You’ll get insights into the real world that will set you up for an exceptional graduate life.
Our Research Centres including the Photonics, Micro & Nano Systems Centres and our agency funded centres at Tyndall accommodate internships as do our Professional Support functions which offer internships in a range of disciplines.
If you’ve a curiosity for science and engineering and are intrigued as to what a career in Integrated ICT Hardware & Systems or Quantum Dots can offer you, then find out more here today internships-and-co-op-placements