One of the most challenging and rewarding ways to study is to travel your own path and do a research degree at PhD level. Studying at this level requires that you like doing independent research and have demonstrated, at some stage in your academic or professional career, an ability to write critically at an advanced level.
The starting point for a PhD is finding an appropriate supervisory match. At the School of Business, we are well established in the area of postgraduate research supervision. Currently, we have approximately thirty research students engaging in research across a wide range of topics relating to business, and we welcome applications from prospective students wishing to pursue independent postgraduate research.
So for example, if you are interested in how firms grow and develop you may be engaged by our research on enterprise development, regional economy, leadership capability, knowledge sharing and transfer, and innovation. If you are interested in how firms finance and govern their affairs you could be inspired by our research in behavioural finance and capital markets, small firm finance, governance and corporate responsibility, and personal finance. If you are interested in marketing, we have specialisms in branding, service innovation, strategic marketing, and business-to-business marketing.
When does the PhD Programme start and how long does it take to complete?
Our PhD programme runs throughout the academic year. New research students are typically enrolled at either the beginning of September or the beginning of January. Students may enrol on either a full-time (FT) or part-time (PT) basis. The minimum enrolment periods for each option are:
Mode
Duration
Full-time
Minimum 48 months
Part-time
Minimum 72 months
What does undertaking the PhD Programme entail?
The School operates a Structured PhD programme, which is a development of the traditional PhD where students select an area of enquiry and complete their doctoral thesis under the supervision of one designated supervisor. On our structured programme, you will work with a supervisory team (minimum of two supervisors) to develop your doctoral thesis. In addition, in consultation with your supervisors, you will identify specific areas where you would benefit from attending taught modules, and will complete 30 ECTS credits, before programme completion.
In summary, undertaking the structured PhD programme entails the following:
You will develop and execute a research project under the supervision of highly-qualified research leaders.
You will demonstrate outstanding scholarship and ability, conducting original, independent research while acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of the specialist area wherein your research is focussed.
You will participate in a range of taught modules, tailored to your individual training needs, covering both generic and discipline-specific skills designed to enhance your career development following graduation.
Your research will culminate in a written doctoral thesis which will be assessed at a viva voce examination.
A wide range of modules are available for selection on the programme, designed to enable you to develop your ability to undertake independent research at an advanced level. Both Universal modules (designed to develop generic skills) and Project Path modules (designed to develop discipline-specific skills) are made available. You are required to complete 30 ECTS before submitting your doctoral thesis.
Universal PhD Modules available to research students
The following Universal Path Modules are provided to enable you to develop important generic skills. Students must complete a minimum of 10 credits from these modules:
Full Title
Credits
Module ID
Research Planning and Project Management
5
RESA-0183
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
5
ENTR-0038
Statistics and Quantitative Data Analysis
5
STAT-0055
Research Integrity and Ethics (mandatory)
5
RESA-0180
Introduction to Research Methodologies
5
RESA-0179
Research Communication
5
COMM-0078
Academic Writing for Research Postgraduates
5
RESA-0182
Practical Pedagogy for Research Postgraduates
10
RESA-0181
Power, Place and Knowledge Production
5
PROD-0019
Project Path Modules available to research students
The following Project Path modules are designed to enable you to develop important discipline-specific skills. Students must complete a minimum of 10 credits from these modules.
Full Title
Credits
Professional Skills Development 1
5
Business Theory Development and Application 1
5
Research Philosophy
5
Qualitative Data Analysis
5
Advanced Statistical Analysis
5
Directed Independent Learning
5
External Advanced Research Learning
5
External 5 Credit Module
5
External 10 Credit Module
10
The entry requirement for registration on a PhD research degree is an Honours Bachelor degree (minimum level: Second Class Honours) in a field of study related to the subject matter of the PhD degree sought.
For applicants whose first language is not English, demonstrable competence in English, both spoken and written, is also required (e.g. 6.5 IELTS). Please see SETU Waterford’s English Language Requirements for details.
How much are the fees for the PhD Programme?
Postgraduate fees are payable annually and a listing of the current Postgraduate Fee schedule is available.
Aligned with our School’s aim of developing a deep understanding of important global, societal and economic issues, our current doctoral students are engaged in researching a wide range of topics. A summary of the research projects currently taking place is provided below.
Research Student
Research Topic
Research Supervisors
Lisa Spencer
Exploring the Antecedents of SME Internationalisation and Related Government Agency Support
Prof. Sheila O'Donohoe
Yogesh Jaiyawala
An exploratory investigation of the role of residential property and other pension assets in life-cycle retirement household income for median earners in Ireland
Mr. John Maher, Dr. Richie Burke, Dr. Sean Byrne
Patrick Buckland
An Exploration of the Career Social Mobility Beliefs of Senior Female Academic Leaders: A Social Identity Approach
Dr. Chris O'Riordan & Prof. Felicity Kelliher
Norah Storey
An Exploration into the Influences Underpinning the Decision-making Process of Institutional Investors in the Low Carbon Agenda: Perspectives from Germany, Ireland and the UK
Dr. Tom Egan, Prof. Sheila O'Donohoe
Katie Scallan
Ethnography of Board Meetings and Boards of Directors
Dr. Collette Kirwan, Dr. Richie Burke, Dr. Ray Griffin
Theresa Mulcahy
Competing logics in family firms who engage in the professionalisation process by hiring external professional accountants at management level
Prof. Sheila O'Donohoe, Dr. Collette Kirwan
Paraic McGee
Risk disclosure in green bond prospectuses and its impact on price: An EU Exploratory Study
Dr. Tom Egan, Prof. Sheila O'Donohoe
Charlie Browne
The trading book in banking: An exploratory study of valuation and market risk controls
Dr. Cormac O'Keeffe, Prof. Sheila O'Donohoe
Lorna Bailey
An Explanatory Framework for a Lean Open System: A Critical Realist Perspective
Dr. Pat Lynch
Niall Crosbie
Investigation of the Nature of the Regional Innovation Paradox
Prof. Bill O'Gorman & Prof. Frank Peck
Marie Gubbins
Supervisor Social Support During Times of Change: An Exploration of Lower-Level Employee Experiences
Prof. Denis Harrington; Prof. Peter Hines.
David McCaffrey
The mediating role of contemporary medical professionalism: The case of primary care physicians
Dr. Chris O'Riordan & Prof. Felicity Kelliher
Aidan Walsh
An investigation of competencies for managing lean improvement projects in Irish hospitals: A mixed methods study.
Prof. Denis Harrington; Prof. Peter Hines.
Edel Jennings
Renegotiating With the Wild In Destination Branding - Using Participatory Technologies To Support A Transition To Sustainable Tourism In The Age Of The Anthropocene
Dr. Anthony Foley, Dr. Pat Lynch
Emma Maguire
The social life of a law: An ethnography of the Irish Charities Act, 2009.
Dr. Ray Griffin, Dr. Collette Kirwan
Orla Hayes
Exploring Data Utilisation Strategies for Marketing Campaign Development Across the Omni-channel for Small-to-Medium Sized Business-to-Business Enterprises
Prof. Felicity Kelliher, Dr. Pat Lynch
Triona Bartholin
An exploratory study into employee and human resource professional perceptions of People Analytics.
Prof. Felicity Kelliher, Dr. Bryan Harney (DCU).
Grainne Dilleen
Understanding the internal and external factors influencing the farmer’s decision-making process when adopting Smart Farming Technology.
Dr. Ethel Claffey, Dr. Anthony Foley, Prof. Denis Harrington
Adrienne Hawley
Seeing the Labour Market
Dr. Aisling Tuite, Dr. Ray Griffin
Antoinette Jordan
The Social Life of Datafication
Dr. Zeta Dooly, Dr. Ray Griffin
Amy Whelan
Examining the drivers to sustainable consumer behaviour in the Irish aviation industry.
Dr. Ethel Claffey, Dr. Paul Morrissey
Nadia Blanchfield
Bridging Peripheral Business Communities Through Native Culture Engagement Leveraging Digital Technologies
Prof. Felicity Kelliher, Dr. Eugene Crehan, Dr. Seamus Dillon
Michelle Clancy
Establishing an Innovation Footprint in the Cultural Quarter of a Regional Capital City
Dr. Eugene Crehan, Dr. Tom O'Toole
Joe Foley
Engaging Rural Business Communities: Broker Influence on Socio-economic Regeneration
Dr. Leana Reinl, Dr. Tomas Dwyer (ITC), Prof. Felicity Kelliher
Darren Byrne
A Study of the Organisational Behaviour of Software Test Engineers, Contributing to the Digital Transformation of Banks in the Irish Financial Sector
Dr. Aisling Tuite, Dr. John Organ, Dr. Tom O'Toole
Navleen Girdhar
The role of Higher Education entrepreneurship eco-systems on students’ entrepreneurial identity formation.
Dr. Margaret Tynan, Dr. Deirdre Fleming (ITC), Prof. Felicity Kelliher
The application procedure for research degrees in SETU Waterford varies depending on whether you plan to pay fees and other costs yourself (“self-funded”) or whether you are applying for a position funded by a research grant awarded to a SETU Waterford staff member (“funded”).
Funded Research Positions:
Opportunities for funded research projects leading to postgraduate awards are typically advertised through the media and on the SETU Waterford website.
All applications for admission to funded postgraduate research degrees at SETU Waterford are made via the submission of a completed application form submitted by email to the Postgraduate Admissions Office.
Self-Funded Research Positions:
The School also welcomes applications for self-funded research projects, i.e. those that are not, at the time of your initial interactions with SETU Waterford, funded by an external research funding body. Typically, in this case, you may approach the School with your own concept for a research project, which you plan to self-fund for the duration of the project.
Applications for admission to self-funded research degrees at SETU Waterford are made through the Postgraduate Application Centre . However, before you make an application for a self-funded PhD, you are requested to complete the pre-application steps below.
Pre-Application Steps for Self-Funded Research Positions
It is strongly recommended that preliminary discussions take place between the potential applicant, a prospective supervisor and the Programme Leader/Head of Department, before a formal application to join a research programme is made. This is to ensure that the school has the requisite expertise, capacity and authority to offer supervision to you.
For help finding a prospective supervisor for a self-funded research position, please contact the PGR Research Programme Leader, Dr. Anne Sweeney , forwarding a brief research proposal and a full CV.
Guidelines for Preparing a Research Proposal
To identify potential supervisors, you are requested to forward a brief research proposal to the Programme Leader, Dr. Anne Sweeney. The proposal should set out precisely the nature of the study area, the objective of the research you plan to pursue, the research question(s) you seek to answer, an outline of the proposed methodology, and an assessment of the contribution the study would make. This should be written in a formal academic style, with proper and appropriate academic citations and references, and should enable a potential supervisor to decide if the proposal is congruent with their current research interests. As stated above, this should be accompanied by a full CV.
If a suitable supervisory team is identified at this stage, you will be advised to make an application for a self-funded research position through the Postgraduate Application Centre. If however, the School does not have the capacity to provide supervisors for your research project, you will be advised not to submit an application.
Enrolling on the Postgraduate Research Register
Once an application to join a research programme has been submitted and approved by the Head of Department, (and eligibility criteria is checked by Registry), you and your supervisory team will then submit a completed PG_A2 Form, to enable you to enrol on the postgraduate research register at SETU Waterford. Once the PG_A2 Form is approved, you will be invited to register at SETU Waterford and the research programme commences.
