About the School
The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy was formed in 2005 and comprises the Departments of Economics, Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology, together with the Policy Institute.
Research
The School is at the forefront of research and teaching in Ireland across the disciplines of economics, philosophy, political science and sociology. All four departments are rated highly in international research evaluations and our academic staff include some of the leading scholars in Ireland.
Undergraduate Education
The School is home to just under 50 staff and over 1,300 undergraduate students. We have a relatively diverse student body with increasing numbers of international students. We also encourage and support the admission of students from under-represented socio economic groups, mature students and students with disabilities.
The School offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and many of our students have the opportunity to spend time studying abroad. At undergraduate level by far the largest group of students are those studying Business, Economic and Social Studies (BESS). The School is also home to the unique undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES) and contributes to Two Subject Moderatorship (TSM) programmes in Economics, Philosophy and Sociology.
Postgraduate Education
Taught postgraduate courses are offered by the departments of Economics, Political Science and Sociology and we now have over 100 graduate students conducting research across the School's four disciplines.
Engagement with Society
The School's public events programme, organised by the Policy Institute,plays a key role in enabling the public to engage with the School and its work, and in ensuring that leading academics and policy makers from around the world are publicly accessible.