- Key outcomes include preparing students for academic careers, honing research skills, and fostering the ability to present and defend philosophical ideas effectively.
- Students have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of modules that blend analytic and phenomenological traditions with contemporary scientific research, including up to three modules from UCD’s interdisciplinary Cognitive Science programme.
This course is available through the following application route(s)
The MA in Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition draws upon the research interests of a stellar faculty of philosophers, psychologists and cognitive scientists at UCD. It brings together expertise from the phenomenological and analytic traditions in philosophy alongside empirical approaches to the study of the mind and brain to offer a unique taught Masters course on this much-discussed and important topic.
This unique Masters course examines the intersection of philosophy, phenomenology and the cognitive sciences to explore the profound relationship between mind, body and world. By examining the role of the body in shaping perception, emotions and attention, students gain a deeper understanding of the mind and its place in the natural world. The programme offers small group seminars with the opportunity to engage in philosophical debates to enhance critical thinking and presentation skills.
About This Course
The programme teaches a broad range of transferable skills that are applicable to a wide range of careers. These include problem-solving, analysing and synthesising scientific literature, clear and concise writing, conceptual analysis, and ethical reasoning.
In addition to a number of our graduates going on to further academic research opportunities, some recent roles they have progressed to include Ethical AI Consultant, journalists, poets and writers, civil servants and the corporate world
Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.
Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.
| Trimester | Credits | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 Core Modules |
PHIL40970 | Topics in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
PHIL40030 | Dissertation | Summer | 30 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41280 | Feminist & Gender Theory | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41810 | Critique, Destruction & Deconstruction | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41840 | Invention of the Modern Self | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41890 | Authenticity and Implicit Attitudes | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40980 | Guided Reading | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40990 | Guided Reading | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 2.5 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41530 | Reading and Research | Autumn&Spring&Summer(separate) | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40250 | Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40410 | Philosophy & Literature | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40420 | The Good Society | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL40960 | The Cultural Mind | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41320 | Topics in Continental Philos | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41330 | Philosophy of Time | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41660 | Moral Agency | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 20CR: Students should select a total of 50 credits (note: up to 3 modules may be taken from the Cognitive Science Options below). |
PHIL41880 | Reading Nietzsche | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
COMP40250 | Introduction to Cognitive Psychology | Autumn | 7.5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
COMP47230 | Introduction to Cognitive Scie | Autumn | 7.5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
PSY40820 | Fundamentals of Neuropsych | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
PSY40910 | Embodied & Social Cognitive Neuroscience | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
COMP40260 | Connectionism and Dynamical Systems | Spring | 7.5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
COMP40280 | Embodiment and Enactive approaches to Cognitive Science | Spring | 7.5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0CR: Students may take up to 3 options in this group in conjunction with one or both Guided Reading modules above to make up the required number of credits. |
COMP47740 | Guided reading Cog.Sci. III | Spring | 7.5 |
You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information.
Full Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes
Part Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants: Yes
This programme is intended for students with a primary degree in Philosophy, or in another degree that has significant philosophical components; an upper second class honours, or international equivalent is required.
• Candidates with an upper second class honours in a postgraduate conversion course such as a Higher Diploma in Philosophy may be considered. MA students may be required to attend an interview either via Zoom or in person.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.
How to Apply
General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MA Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition:
| ROWCLASS | Apply to | Application Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W595 MA Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition Master of Arts |
Full-Time Commencing September 2024 |
Graduate Taught | Closed |
| showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W596 MA Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition Master of Arts |
Part-Time Commencing September 2024 |
Graduate Taught | Closed |
| showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W595 MA Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition Master of Arts |
Full-Time Commencing September 2025 |
Graduate Taught | Apply |
| showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W596 MA Philosophy of Mind and Embodied Cognition Master of Arts |
Part-Time Commencing September 2025 |
Graduate Taught | Apply |
* you can change options at the top of the page