The PhD in Occupational Science is a full-time, thematic PhD programme that runs for 3 calendar years from the date of first registration for the programme (January 2021). Students complete the equivalent of 90 credits in each 12-month period. The programme is flexible and tailored to the needs of each PhD student but by the end of Year 3, all students will have completed the 60 credits of training requirements in order to progress to completion. Each year 70 credits will be allocated for the primary component of the PhD programme, which is the completion of original research leading to the submission of a research thesis equivalent to 210 credits.

Year 1
Students take at least 15 and up to 30 credits as follows:

Core Modules
Students must take Core Modules to the value of 15 credits as follows:
OS7001 Training School: Foundational Knowledge and Induction to Programme (5 credits)
OS7002 Core Concepts in Occupational Science (5 credits)
OS7003 Understanding Fundamental Concepts in Play (5 credits)

Elective Modules
By the end of Year 3, all students must pass elective modules to the value of 15 ECTS. These modules can be taken from the following list or can be modules offered by an external institution, as approved by the Programme Director. These 15 credits can be taken during any year across the 3-year programme.
PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
PG6003 Teaching and Learning Module for Graduate Studies (5 credits)
PG6008 Qualitative Data Analysis Software (NVivo) Training (5 credits)
PG6009 Graduate Information Literacy Skills (5 credits)
PG6010 Contemporary Practices in Publishing and Editing (5 credits)
PG6012 Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6015 An Introduction to Research Integrity, Ethics and Open Science (5 credits)
PG6024 Qualitative Research Inquiry (5 credits)
PG6025 Community-Based Participatory Research (5 credits)
PG6027 Going Public: Publishing Research in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6029 Skills in Public Engagement of Science (5 credits)
PG7002 Career Development for end-stage PhD Students in Humanities and Social Sciences (5 credits)
PG7016 Systematic Reviews for the Health Sciences (5 credits)
PG7044 Researching through a gender lens: an interdisciplinary introduction (5 credits)
PG7049 The PhD Journey: Research Skills for Doctoral Researchers (online) (10 credits)
PG7050 The PhD Journey: Research Training for Doctoral Researchers (5 credits)

plus
Research (70 credits)
Students undertake work on the thesis to the value of 70 credits during Year 1, progress on which will be formally assessed through annual postgraduate research progress review procedure and finally assessed by means of the thesis submitted during Year 3.

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Year 2
Students take at least 15 and up to 30 credits as follows:

Core Modules
Students must take Core Modules to the value of 15 credits as follows:
OS7004 Training School: Advancing Knowledge in Occupational Science Research (5 credits)
OS7005 Diverse Ways of Thinking: Interdisciplinary Theories and Occupational Science (5 credits)
OS7006 Contemporary Perspectives on Challenges for Play Occupation (5 credits)

Elective Modules
By the end of Year 3, all students must pass elective modules to the value of 15 ECTS. These modules can be taken from the following list or can be modules offered by an external institution, as approved by the Programme Director. These 15 credits can be taken during any year across the 3-year programme.
PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
PG6003 Teaching and Learning Module for Graduate Studies (5 credits)
PG6008 Qualitative Data Analysis Software (NVivo) Training (5 credits)
PG6009 Graduate Information Literacy Skills (5 credits)
PG6010 Contemporary Practices in Publishing and Editing (5 credits)
PG6012 Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6015 An Introduction to Research Integrity, Ethics and Open Science (5 credits)
PG6024 Qualitative Research Inquiry (5 credits)
PG6025 Community-Based Participatory Research (5 credits)
PG6027 Going Public: Publishing Research in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6029 Skills in Public Engagement of Science (5 credits)
PG7002 Career Development for end-stage PhD Students in Humanities and Social Sciences (5 credits)
PG7016 Systematic Reviews for the Health Sciences (5 credits)
PG7044 Researching through a gender lens: an interdisciplinary introduction (5 credits)
PG7049 The PhD Journey: Research Skills for Doctoral Researchers (online) (10 credits)
PG7050 The PhD Journey: Research Training for Doctoral Researchers (5 credits)

plus
Research (70 credits)
Students undertake work on the thesis to the value of 70 credits during Year 2, progress on which will be formally assessed through annual postgraduate research progress review procedure and finally assessed by means of the thesis submitted during Year 3.

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Year 3
Students take at least 15 and up to 30 credits as follows:

Core Modules
Students must take Core Modules to the value of 15 credits as follows:
OS7007 Training School: Knowledge Translation in Play and Occupational Science Research (5 credits)
OS7008 Occupation as Transformative: Translating Knowledge in Occupational Science (5 credits)
OS7009 Translating Knowledge in Play Occupation (5 credits)

Elective Modules
By the end of Year 3, all students must pass elective modules to the value of 15 ECTS. These modules can be taken from the following list or can be modules offered by an external institution, as approved by the Programme Director. These 15 credits can be taken during any year across the 3-year programme.
PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
PG6003 Teaching and Learning Module for Graduate Studies (5 credits)
PG6008 Qualitative Data Analysis Software (NVivo) Training (5 credits)
PG6009 Graduate Information Literacy Skills (5 credits)
PG6010 Contemporary Practices in Publishing and Editing (5 credits)
PG6012 Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6015 An Introduction to Research Integrity, Ethics and Open Science (5 credits)
PG6024 Qualitative Research Inquiry (5 credits)
PG6025 Community-Based Participatory Research (5 credits)
PG6027 Going Public: Publishing Research in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (5 credits)
PG6029 Skills in Public Engagement of Science (5 credits)
PG7002 Career Development for end-stage PhD Students in Humanities and Social Sciences (5 credits)
PG7016 Systematic Reviews for the Health Sciences (5 credits)
PG7044 Researching through a gender lens: an interdisciplinary introduction (5 credits)
PG7049 The PhD Journey: Research Skills for Doctoral Researchers (online) (10 credits)
PG7050 The PhD Journey: Research Training for Doctoral Researchers (5 credits)

plus
Research (70 credits)
Students undertake work on the thesis to the value of 70 credits during Year 3, progress on which will be formally assessed through annual postgraduate research progress review procedure and finally assessed by means of the thesis submitted during Year 3.

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2020/2021.

Programme Learning Outcomes for PhD in Occupational Science (NFQ Level 10, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Create and interpret new knowledge, through designing and conducting an empirical study, involving research and instrument design, data collection, data analysis and representation of findings, in a chosen research area relating to occupational science
• Demonstrate doctoral level knowledge of the epistemological and ontological foundations underpinning occupational science, and utilise these to develop occupational science research
• Demonstrate skills in critiquing the broader implications of applying occupational science knowledge to particular contexts
• Demonstrate intellectual independence and academic integrity as well as the skills to conduct ethical research assessment
• Demonstrate an ability to take leadership in addressing complex historical, social, political, and cultural processes
• Participate and contribute in critical debates on contemporary issues in occupational science relating to knowledge advancement, policy, leadership, pedagogy and practice
• Develop and demonstrate a significant range of the principal skills, techniques, tools, practices and/or materials which are associated with researching in occupational science
• Demonstrate an in-depth insight into the possibilities and limitations of academia, its role in society and the responsibility of human kind for how it is used
• Act as a critically informed occupational science researcher to communicate results of research and innovation to peers