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PhD in Inclusive Design and Creative Technology Innovation

Ireland

13

What will I learn?

The IDRC provides the national and international framework for interdisciplinary expertise to deliver on major research programmes in Research, Policy and Practice for Inclusive Design, including STEM & STEAM Education, the Care Economy, Empathic Computing, Future Forsighting, Assistive Technologies for People with Intellectual and other abilities and disabilities, Gamification for Connected Health, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Performance Technologies, Unconscious Bias/Data Bias, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and multiple interdisciplinary programmes directly supporting the Sustainable Development Goals with our partners in the United Nations and their NGOs and IGOs.

Inclusive Design supports all the UN Sustainability Goals, and is a perfect model for providing the 'transversal skills' required for the next century, and beyond.

THE MINDSET AND METHODOLOGY:

INCLUSIVE DESIGN begins and ends with people and the need for equity, diversity and radical inclusion.

It insists on a 1-size-fits-1 model of inclusion in society, technology, pedagogy, engineering and all domains. In fact, that model was developed by Professor Jutta Trevieranus of the IDRC Canada: herself a graduate of our PhD Programme at UCD, with a thesis that put forward the core principles, methods and tools of Inclusive Design now adopted by global stakeholders at scale.

Inclusive Design does not conceive of a 'norm' from which some of us 'deviate' if we have differences or disabilities, whether visible or invisible: physical, sensory, cognitive, neurodivergent, intellectual, And/OR if we differ from the majority around us for other reasons, such as 'lack of culture fit', difference in terms of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, economic status, language, age or religion.

ALL people exist on a spectrum of humanity and are deserving of equal respect and equitable inclusion in all aspects of life. We strive together to achieve this aim. We work in creative technology and hardware/software solutions, policy and activism, and across all educational sectors, to share the new paradigm and create a world that is INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN.

Inclusive Design is inherently and emphatically trans-disciplinary, and employs mixed methods and action research models, developing case studies with communities to achieve local and global goals. We do not 'file' people into categories or operate in disciplinary or sectoral silos. We design for the edges, in order to enable us ALL!

Which department am I in?

UCD College of Arts and Humanities

Study options

Full Time (4 years)

Tuition fees
€15,440.00 (US$ 16,547) per year

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please

Start date

September 2025

Venue

UCD College of Arts and Humanities

BELFIELD,

Dublin,

Republic of Ireland

Entry requirements

For international students

Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by Princeton University

A minimum score of 600 in the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT), with Test of Written English at 475 +.
A minimum score of 90 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section

Cambridge Examinations

English language examinations administered by the University of Cambridge: 176+ on Cambridge English scale (with no less than 169 in each skill and use of English)

Acceptable Examinations:

Proficiency Certificate, Grade C (i.e. CEFR Level C1 or C2).
Advanced Certificate, Grade C (i.e. CEFR Level C1 or C2)
First Certificate, Grade A (i.e. CEFR Level C1)

Pearson English Language Text: Minimum of 63 and at least 59 for each item in the Communicative Skills section.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

ADD TO MY FAVOURITES

About University College Dublin

UCD is the most international and diverse university in Ireland, and is the destination of choice for over 10,400 international students.

  • Main campus in Belfield, only 5km from Dublin city centre
  • 126th in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2025)
  • One of Europe’s top research-intensive universities
  • Scholarships available for international students