Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

Applicants with a primary degree in Philosophy, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience or other cognate subjects.

Until quite recently, the experience of embodiment and the role that the body plays in shaping the mind had been neglected. Descartes’s view of the body as a machine assigned its study to physics and mechanics rather than to philosophy. Outside of the phenomenological circle, and the work of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty in particular, the explosion of interest in philosophy of mind and cognitive science in the 1980s and 90s, focused primarily on consciousness rather than the bodily aspects of cognition. In the last decade a new appreciation of the role of the body and its physical and social surroundings has sharpened our traditional understanding of the key issues of perception, the emotions, and attention. Moreover, the relationship between consciousness and embodiment has brought into focus the intersecting roles of agency, rationality and society in an understanding of the embodied mind. 

Our MA in Consciousness and Embodiment programme is aimed at students who wish to deepen their knowledge of the core areas of philosophy and embodied consciousness at graduate level.  It is also intended to provide a good foundation of graduate work for students who wish to continue to more advanced graduate research. The programme draws on the research interests of philosophers and cognitive scientists in UCD. It brings together expertise from the phenomenological and analytic traditions in philosophy as well as empirical approaches to the study of the mind/brain to offer a unique taught Masters course on a much discussed and important topic.  The School of Philosophy encourages our students to be critical philosophical thinkers with the ability to reflect critically on current philosophical debates, history of philosophical thought and add their own contribution.  As the largest teaching and research centre in philosophy in Ireland, the programme benefits from many world-leading figures in philosophy that give invited seminars and conferences throughout the year. Small group seminars and participation in conferences and workshops are a key element of the programme design.  As such, the programme uses key approaches to teaching such as philosophical debates, critical reflections, essays and paper presentations.

• A deepened appreciation of the significance and value of ideas in and for internationalisation and globalisation
• A grasp of how to pursue a career in academic life and the acquiring of transferable skills in research and organisation
• A knowledge of how to write research proposals and attain funding from national and international organisations
• An awareness of how to compose and structure philosophical writing for peer reviewed journals, book collections and monographs
• An awareness of how to present and defend philosophical papers in seminars, workshops, conferences and other fora.
• An enhanced awareness of how to work with texts, organise a thesis and set out extended philosophical arguments clearly and compellingly.
• An enhanced awareness of the relevance of philosophy to other academic disciplines and to personal, professional and political life.
• An extensive knowledge of library and online sources that facilitate research, including classical and foreign language sources.
• Focusing on embodied cognition, this brings together the phenomenological and analytic traditions and contemporary empirical work on body and brain in cognitive science

View All Modules Here

MA Consciousness & Embodiment (W309) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 7990
nonEU    fee per year - € 21520

MA Consciousness & Embodiment (W310) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 5200
nonEU    fee per year - € 10760

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

An honours bachelor degree (NFQ Level 8) in Philosophy, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience or other cognate subjects with a grade of  2.1 or better is required.

These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes 

• MA Philosophy FT
• MA Philosophy & Literature FT
• MA Philosophy & Public Affairs FT
• MSc Cognitive Science FT

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised