Ireland is a very peaceful and beautiful country .Maynooth University is the best university in Ireland for climate research and hence was the ideal choice for me as I wanted a career in climate sciences and was hoping to undertake a master's abroad. This course ,which I am currently pursuing, M.Sc in climate change is offered by ICARUS (Irish climate analysis and research units) which is a forerunner in climate research in Ireland .The professors teaching us are leading scientists, some of them being lead authors in the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC).What I mostly liked about my course is that it is more learning based .The modules are a blend of science, policies, statistics and data analysis, thus it is interdisciplinary. This is the most attractive feature of the course. Maynooth University has the highest student satisfaction rates and the best international office with a thriving international student community and last but not the least the campus is breathtaking !
Course Curriculum :
The course curriculum is excellent. These are the list of modules: 1)Applied climate science. 2)Impacts, Adaptation and mitigation. 3)Spatial and temporal analysis using R. 4)Detection and attribution of climate change. 5)The ocean and climate change 6)4 Field courses. 7)Thesis The evaluation is continuous evaluation where we have to write scientific papers and essays ,so is it imperative that we are up-to date ,that is one of the foremost objectives of this course. All the assignments are real world problems which we had to tackle with our own ideas. This course itself prepares the students for carrying out independent research. Internships and industrial exposure are available and is for the student to undertake at their own convenience.
Exams :
At a masters level the admission requirements are as follows: 1)Class 10 and 12 th Marksheets. 2)Bachelor's marksheets of every semester and the final transcript. 3)Two Letters of Recommendation(LORs). 4)Resume and statement of purpose(SOP). 5)English language test like IELTS (commonly taken)with a minimum band score of 6.5. 6)Passport and birth certificate. 7)Work experience (if any) and extra curriculars(if any). In the case of furnishing work experience ,a letter confirming the same is required.
Placement :
Most students undertake this course with the objective of pursuing research and they subsequently continue with their PhD with suitable funding. A lot of students take up Jobs and the jobs are widely varying as the skillsets attained during the course makes one eligible to apply to various sectors . A lot of Students find jobs in prestigious organisations like ECMWF,ECO-UNESCO, met Eireann, Environmental protection agency etc. They work as flood risk managers, consultants and also take up jobs in data analytics ,development ,Insurance/Re-insurance amongst many others. Students can choose to sit for placements in the second semester. Median salaries also vary widely depending on the job but a rough figure would be around 30k-33k euros per year for a fresh graduate. There is a wide variety of opportunities after successfully completing the masters in climate change. The Maynooth university career development centre is phenomenal in assisting students to make any career decisions and keeps the students updated with various workshops offering useful guidance . The recent companies that have visited are ones providing climate services and offered roles as an environmental officers and consultant. There are a number of funding scholarships available like John and Pat Hume PhD funding, Irish research council funding.,etc. For PhD it is always advisable to contact a prospective supervisor as they will be able to guide in the best possible way, since by the second semester the students and professor get to know each other reasonably well. Thus, opportunities are endless and boils down to students making smart choices and decisions.
Internship :
No, I haven't applied for any internship as the course is very intensive and requires a lot of reading .I hope to pursue my PhD next. I did take up a short term research assistant post at the school of business at Maynooth itself helping Prof. John Cullen in his research around improving teaching quality by a system of 'feedforward' .Currently I am employed part time as an international student ambassador on the Unibuddy platform at Maynooth.I was paid around 24.34 EUR per hour for the research assistant post and being currently paid 13.18 EUR per hour as a student ambassador for 2 hours every week.
Events :
Maynooth university has a very vibrant national and international student community. There are around 31 clubs and 78 societies with a membership fee of 2 euros. There is always an activity that would closely resonate with you with innumerable extra curricular activities on campus. The north campus has a 'phoenix' sports centre with a large sports hall(600 sq.m), one small hall (300 sq.m) and a PE teaching hall (300 sq.m)which is home to the University's basketball, volleyball and badminton clubs. There are two state of the art libraries: John paul II library and Russel Library where you will find every kind of book and can also access it off campus. The campus is fully equipped with high speed WiFi . The research facilities are equipped with sophisticated instrumentation and is up to date. The Maynooth's student union is extremely proactive and supports each and every student in the best way possible.There are counselors and support staff to help students hitting a rough patch.
Fees :
The course fee for M.Sc Climate change is 14000 euros (INR 1,207,865.64)for international students.
Scholarship :
yes, I am in receipt of 50% Maynooth University International scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to International students purely on the basis of academic performance throughout ,no separate application is required for this . Additionally there is a 2000 euros taught masters scholarship which requires a separate application in a platform called "PAC". This can only be done if a student has been successfully accepted into a program.
Faculty :
The class size is small. There are only 13 students including me. So the faculty to student ratio is excellent. Around 7 faculties have taught us so far ,so that ratio is approximately 1:2 .This course is offered by ICARUS, which is attached to the department of geography . The faculty and staff are extremely kind and supportive. They were generous with the assignment submission deadlines during this pandemic. The faculties are experts in their fields with cutting edge research and they play a central role in policy making around climate change in Ireland. Dr.Conor murphy, the course director for M.sc climate change is a genuinely great professor and is ready to help anytime and he provided me invaluable guidance regarding writing academic essays by learning how to 'cut through the complexity'.
Hostel :
There is accommodation on campus which can be a bit expensive . Including food and bills would add up to 600 euros for the single rooms with laundry extra. Postgraduates are provided with single rooms . Most students choose to live off campus where the prices are comparatively lesser. A single room with shared bathroom will cost a little over 450 euros excluding bills and food , a single room with attached bathroom will be more than 500 euros. Bills are equally split between the housemates and are usually less and food bills depends on the individual's lifestyle. Shared rooms are available as well and are generally cheaper but would still be around 400 euros.
