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Public Policy

PhD (NFQ Level 10)

This course is available through the following application route(s)

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The PhD programme in Public Policy is a research degree that is normally undertaken full-time over 3-4 years (with a part-time option over a longer period).

This programme provides an interdisciplinary graduate learning and research environment for doctoral studies in the field of public policy. Pooling the resources of the UCD College of Social Sciences & Law and the College of Business, the programme provides doctoral training with considerable flexibility and breadth of interest.

 Our Programmes form part of the UCD Structured PhD programme. Our expert faculty all conduct research in their own fields and welcome expressions of interest from prospective students wishing to study in areas including, but not limited to, those in the list below. Applicants should contact a member of faculty whose research interests match their own.

 UCD’s PhD programme has been designed to not only provide first class supervision in relation to a student’s own research, but also to support that research through access to a broad range of taught modules covering both general research methods training and specific subjects.

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As set out by the requirements of the UCD Structured PhD Programme (PDF), candidates are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits of course-work, that is, three 10-credit modules. One of these should be the Research Design module provided jointly by the College of Social Sciences and Law and the College of Business. The other two modules should normally be chosen from among the core modules provided by the Master of Public Policy programme (unless the candidate has already completed this or an analogous degree programme, in which case the required modules will be decided in consultation with the student’s Doctoral Studies Panel).

It is also possible to take additional modules, depending on the training needs identified in consultation with the candidate's principal supervisor and the other two members of the Doctoral Studies Panel (DSP).

The PhD may take the form of a traditional thesis, or a collection of papers (including published papers or papers submitted or prepared for submission) describing a coherent programme of research which has been published or prepared for publication in peer-reviewed journals of international standing, accompanied by a critical and theoretical overview of the work presented in the papers.

A formal transfer assessment takes place after about 15 months (longer if part-time), in order to progress from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the PhD. Students must submit a body of written work to a review panel, who will conduct an interview on the work submitted; students must have attained an average of B- in all modules, and must also complete a Research and Professional Development Programme (RPDP).

All students will submit their final dissertation to UCD and upon successful completion of their examination, will be awarded a UCD PhD.

For inquiries, please contact the Programme Director, Dr. Stephan Koppe in the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice.

For the structured PhD programme in Public Policy, applications are welcomed from applicants with a good Master’s degree in an appropriate area. If you are interested in exploring your research plans further with a member of staff, please feel free to contact us individually.

About This Course

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 ECON41820 Econometrics  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 ECON42660 Behavioural Economics  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 GSBL50050 Approaches & Techniques in Qualitative Research  7.5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 POL40160 Comparative Public Policy  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 POL40950 Introduction to Statistics  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 SOC40330 Workshop in Qualitative Research  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 SPOL40450 Evidence-Based Policy Making  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 SPOL40470 Comparing Healthcare Systems  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 SSJ40010 Feminist & Egalitarian Research  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.NOTE: ECON modules are ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR DEGREE TRAINING IN ECONOMICS.
 STAT40150 Multivariate Analysis  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.
 SPOL40450 Evidence-Based Policy Making  10
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.
 SPOL40470 Comparing Healthcare Systems  10
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of:
PhD students are required to complete 30 taught credits over the course of their programme (as outlined in Section 7 of the Academic Regulations). A list of modules considered appropriate by your School is given below, and from which you can select module(s) subject to timetables/capacity. Please, ensure that you have discussed your choice with your supervisor. If your supervisor has recommended a module that does not appear below then please follow the advice on registration to taught modules published on the Graduate Studies website.
 SSJ40010 Feminist & Egalitarian Research  10

PhD Public Policy (W151) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 7130
nonEU    fee per year - € 13730

PhD Public Policy (W151) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 7130
nonEU    fee per year - € 13730

PhD Public Policy (W152) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4710
EU          fee per year - € 4710
nonEU    fee per year - € 9200
nonEU    fee per year - € 9200

***Fees are subject to change

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No


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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to Public Policy:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU W151
PhD Public Policy
Doctor of Philosophy		 Commencing 2024/2025 September Graduate Research Apply
showAudience-audienceEU W152
Public Policy
Doctor of Philosophy		 Commencing 2024/2025 September Graduate Research Apply
showAudience-audienceEU W151
Public Policy
Doctor of Philosophy		 Commencing 2024/2025 January Graduate Research Opens 01 Oct 2024
showAudience-audienceEU W152
Public Policy
Doctor of Philosophy		 Commencing 2024/2025 January Graduate Research Opens 01 Oct 2024
* you can change options at the top of the page
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