Courses / Subject

Students should normally have earned a 2.1 or above in Geography (either subject degree in Geography or overall) or related disciplines. A personal statement is required so the Director can give consideration to applicants with relevant academic, work or professional experience if coming from a different background than the social sciences and/or if earned a 2.2 mark.
 

Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements: please visit Maynooth University International Office website for information about English language tests accepted and required scores. The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and non-EU applicants.

 Maynooth University’s TOEFL code is 8850

The ‘MA Geography: Spatial Justice’ offers a wide-ranging programme of taught modules, delivered through lectures, seminars, fieldwork, practicals and civil society partnerships, with an emphasis on teaching and learning informed by participatory action research.

Degree structure (90 credits, taken over 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time).

Students must take 60 compulsory credits, which includes a 30-credit minor thesis focused on Spatial Justice. Depending on the students’ research focus, s/he will take an additional 30 optional credits, with at least 10 of these optional credits in Geography and up to 20 credits of electives in Anthropology, Media Studies and Sociology.

Each taught module will consist of ten, 2-hour seminars. All modules are 100% continuous assessment, with a range of assessment types (academic essays, field research journals, applied research projects, mapping projects, blogs, vlogs, field-based reports, individual and group presentations, other). Optional module offerings are offered on a rotational basis, depending on student interest and staff availability (i.e. not all GY modules listed below are offered every year). This may also be the case for optional modules listed in Anthropology, Media Studies, and Sociology.

Duration: 1 Year Full Time

Disclaimer
The modules below are indicative of the content associated with this course of study.
The modules are subject to change as the curriculum is revised and reviewed annually. Please check periodically for updates.

Year 1

GEOGRAPHY: SPATIAL JUSTICE The MA in Geography: Spatial Justice is designed for students who wish to deepen their understanding of critical geographical ideas and themes and apply this knowledge to the most pressing societal and environmental challenges of the 21st century. Students will be empowered to think geographically, to develop their critical thinking skills, undertake independent research in an area of specialist interest, and significantly enhance their professional skills.  Through this programme, students will become familiar with a range of geographical perspectives on justice, including spatial, environmental, health and place-based justice. Through cutting-edge research modules, they will apply these perspectives to specific problems and case studies, including decarbonisation, migration, mobility and housing.  Through its publicly engaged research, the department has developed an extensive network of public engagement partners. The MA provides unique public engagement opportunities with these civil society partners through its innovative and immersive modules. Students will work together with these partners to collaborate and develop real-world projects. Our research-led and community-partnered teaching and learning approach has been recognised nationally by the Irish University Association. The MA in Spatial Justice can be taken either full time (1 year, MHN66) or part-time (2 years, MHN67). For the part time programme (MHN67) please go click here.   GYSJF6 - GEOGRAPHY: SPATIAL JUSTICE Credits: 90 Not compulsory: Module Code Credits Semester Compulsory ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT AN692 10 2 ANTHROPOLOGY OF DIGITAL MEDIA AN693 10 2 DUBLIN URBAN LABORATORY GY621 10 2 FIELD SCHOOL GY607 10 1 GENDER, SEXUALITY AND LAW: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES LW634 10 1 IRISH MEDIA HISTORY MD624 10 1 MEDIA PUBLICS: DIGITAL MEDIA, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POLITICAL FORMATIONS MD632 10 2 MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AN698 10 1 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND SPATIAL JUSTICE GY619 10 2 SPATIAL JUSTICE: GEOGRAPHIES OF SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE GY629 10 2 THEORISING TRANSITIONS SO694 10 1 THEORY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AN675A 10 1 THESIS GY609 30 Year-Long THINKING GEOGRAPHICALLY GY608 10 1 UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SOCIETY GY625A 10 1

Our graduates acquire valuable research, analytical and critical, spatial thinking, ethical and professional skills. The skills learned allow our graduates to find employment in various fields, such as: administration; education; services; creative industries; and working with NGOs and local government authorities. A number of our graduates go on to pursue a PhD.

One student said she ‘would never have gotten to this stage without the [M]asters’ because the high academic standards ‘helped me to define what I’m interested in’. Another student stated that ‘My MA in Geography has allowed me to expand my knowledge of working with vulnerable groups, census data and overall aspects of Human Geography’. Our graduates note that the professional research training in the MA ‘helped me demonstrate a varied skill set when interviewing for employment’ (data engineer). Another graduate stated that the research thesis and transferrable skills from the MA were the reason she landed a senior position ‘dream’ job in local government. Three students who went on to receive fully-funded competitive PhD fellowships acknowledged that the MA provided the skills and accomplishments leading to doctoral research: ‘This is especially true about my funding which I couldn’t continue without’.

For further information on Postgraduate options please go to the Graduate Studies site