Overview

The MA in Irish will develop you as an academic, a linguist and an enthusiast of the wonderful canon of language and literature.  You will become sensitive to different literary modes and genres, and their characteristics.  You will immerse yourself in the historical, social and intellectual contexts of the subject.  You will become adaptable in your study methods, recognising the variety of analytic techniques. You will become an interconnective thinker, recognising integration and interrelation of texts, times and cultures, and you will become rigorous in your execution of academic methods and conventions.

The MA in Irish is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters.  In part one, you will direct your own study (in agreement with your tutor) by choosing 120 credits’ worth from an outstanding range of option modules.  In part two, you will demonstrate your learning in a written dissertation of less than 20,000 words, worth an additional 60 credits.   By engaging with your dissertation topic, you will play a part in advancing the boundaries of departmental knowledge through research and the production of academically appropriate pieces of written work.  The full descriptions relating to all the study modules can be found in the "At a glance" tab.

This course is designed for you to direct your own study in the pursuit of Irish literature and language, choosing from a range of fascinating modules.  These modules are designed to develop your specialist knowledge and practical abilities together, so the course includes the study of philology, ethnography and language alongside the use of IT, the techniques of language analysis and the conventions of thesis presentation.

Though the subject is highly specific, the skills you will learn are deployable across a range of employment situations.  Your written communication will be enhanced through the need for precision and adherence to editorial conventions, and the high level of research that you will undertake will demand organisation, focus and consistency from you.  Employers in every industry value creativity, research skills and discursive competence that you will secure in the course of your studies. 

Upon graduation from the MA in Irish, you will have demonstrated personal motivation, academic professionalism and linguistic mastery of this fascinating subject.  The breadth of newly-sharpened skills you will have obtained on this course will ensure you are well-prepared for immediate advancement in further study or employment as a professional, widely competent and dynamic language specialist.

Fact File

Duration:	One year full-time. The academic year is divided into three semesters, but this course is administered in two parts: Part One runs from October to May; Part Two runs from June to September.]
Contact Time:	Approximately 10-14 hours a week in the first two semesters.  During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment:	The taught part of the course (Part 1) is delivered and assessed through lectures, tutorials and essay projects. Successful completion of your portfolio (Part 2) leads to the award of an MA.
Entry Requirements:	BA honours degree (2:1) in a related subject at undergraduate level and accompanying references.  We will consider applicants with other experience which gives an equivalent basis for entry.
English Language Requirements:	If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test.Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency: IELTS or TOEFL.  The required IELTS minimum proficiency level is 6.5.  For TOEFL, the minimum scores are as follows: 580 for the paper-based test; 237 for the computer-based test (with an essay rating of 5.0); and a score of 93 for the internet-based test.  More information on IELTS can be found here [Link: www.ielts.org] and, for TOEFL, here [Link: www.ets.org/toefl/
Course Fees:	For details of fees, please view this page. [Link: http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/funding-fees/eu-taught/tuitonfees/ There are a number of Aberystwyth Scholarships and International Excellence Scholarships (AIES) to help fund the studies of students who meet specific criteria.  In addition, accommodation is guaranteed to all international students.



At a glance

Part One: Option Modules Candidates must choose 120 Credits from the following:		Part Two
Semester One IRM0100 Old And Middle Irish Language And Literature I	Semester Two IRM0130 Old And Middle Irish Language And Literature I	Semester Three IRM2060 Dissertation
IRM0200 Old And Middle Irish Language And Literature Ii	IRM0230 Old And Middle Irish Language And Literature Ii
IRM0300 Classical Irish Language And Literature I	IRM0330 Classical Irish Language And Literature I	Click on any module code to find out: what the module covers; how it’s taught and delivered; how it’s assessed.
IRM0400 Classical Irish Language And Literature Ii	IRM0430 Classical Irish Language And Literature Ii
IRM0500 Modern Irish Language And Literature I	IRM0530 Modern Irish Language And Literature I
IRM0600 Modern Irish Language And Literature Ii	IRM0630 Modern Irish Language And Literature Ii
IRM0700 Modern Irish Language And Literature Iii	IRM0730 Modern Irish Language And Literature Iii
IRM0800 Modern Irish Language And Literature Iv	IRM0830 Modern Irish Language And Literature Iv
IRM0900 Irish Philology	IRM0930 Irish Philology
IRM1000 Comparative Celtic Philology	IRM1030 Comparative Celtic Philology
IRM1100 Comparative Celtic Literature	IRM1130 Comparative Celtic Literature
IRM1200 Celtic Ethnography	IRM1230 Celtic Ethnography
IRM1300 Scottish Gaelic Language And Literature	IRM1330 Scottish Gaelic Language And Literature



Career Development

Qualification:             MA in Irish

This degree will suit you:

• If you wish to study Irish language and literature at an advanced academic level;
• If you desire a strengthen your critical and scholarly abilities through engagement with Irish texts;
• If you wish to explore your enthusiasm for this exciting and highly satisfying subject;
• If you aim to foster transferable skills and engage in professional and personal development for entering employment.

Employability

Every element of the Aberystwyth Master’s in Irish enhances your employability.  Alongside the development of your subject-specific knowledge and experience, an especially noteworthy strength of this course is the emphasis on personal development.  As an emerging language specialist, your strengthened research and critical faculties will make you a strong candidate for any post where ideas and topics need research, analysis, discussion, expansion and classification.

Throughout the course you will demonstrate initiative and self-motivated learning, supported by the crucial self-awareness to be flexible and independently-minded.  Allied with strengthened skills in communication, you will be fully confident in framing coherent and insightful questions and expressing them in oral and written form. 

Employers in every industry value such skills and the pattern of creativity, research, analysis and discussion you will undertake in this course creates highly marketable skills which will, upon graduation, stand you in excellent stead for entry into the jobs market.  The organisational skills you will learn on this course will help you direct and therefore make the most of your individual flair, bringing a balance of skills that prospective employers will find attractive.

Personal, Professional and Project-Management Skills

The MA will require of you a high level of personal and professional discipline.  As the assessment for this Master’s course is done through essay-writing, tutorial and seminar presentation, culminating in the dissertation of up to 20,000 words, you will receive much practise in writing and reporting, as well as rigorous feedback on your submissions.  This will develop in you a thorough knowledge of the structure, conventions and development of written communications, which will, in turn, make your writing clear, accurate and authoritative.  These skills will stand you in good stead for your future progression into employed and academic environments. 

You will have to work independently and pursue your own individual dissertation topic with care and energy.  You will be required to cultivate a professional work ethic to deliver the combination of research, analysis, communication and presentation demanded by your dissertation.  This rigorous part of the MA will require you to employ project management skills which are entirely transferrable to almost any work context that Master’s graduates apply for.

Studying for this Master’s degree will allow you to sharpen up all your research and analysis disciplines, your professional work ethos and your presentation and communication skills.  A host of employers look for accuracy, thoroughness, an eye for detail and the ability to find and prove connections across broad subject matter, and you certainly will have proven yourself, simply by graduating from this prestigious MA course.

Contacts, Links and How to Apply

The Programme Leader for this course is Professor Marged Haycock

Email: mah@aber.ac.uk
Tel: (01970) 622137

Fax: (01970) 622976

Department of Welsh
Aberystwyth University
The Old College
King Street
Aberystwyth
SY23 2AX

Department of Welsh website

 

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