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MSc Politics & Data Science

MSc (NFQ Level 9)
Internships Available

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

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The MSc Politics and Data Science programme is specifically tailored to address the transformative impact of generative AI, large language models, and machine learning on political processes and their ethical implications. This cutting-edge degree is an ideal choice for applicants from diverse backgrounds, aiming to explore the intersection of politics and advanced data science in the digital era.

The curriculum delves deeply into the ways generative AI and large language models are revolutionising our understanding of political discourse, public opinion, and policy-making. With a focus on the ethical and societal implications of these technologies, the programme equips students with a critical perspective on how data science shapes political narratives and decisions in both democratic and non-democratic regimes.

  • Work with the most popular programming languages (R and Python)
  • Apply computational approaches to pressing issues in politics and society
  •  Conduct cutting-edge research in the group-based module Connected_Politics and the dissertation

Structured in two streams, the programme caters to students from varying academic backgrounds.

  • The first stream introduces students from social sciences, including political science, to advanced data science methods, emphasising the use of large language models and machine learning in political analysis.
  • The second stream, tailored for those with a technical background, focuses on political science research design and theories, integrating these with data science applications.

This programme not only offers comprehensive training in political science and its sub-disciplines but also equips students with empirical skills to navigate and analyse the complex interplay between politics and technology in the modern world. It prepares graduates to critically assess and contribute to the evolving landscape of politics in the age of data science and AI.

About This Course

The key objective is to have graduates who are able to join data science teams in the Government, corporate, or private sectors, with sufficient understanding of technical concepts in data science and machine learning to collaborate with computer scientists and engineers and with sufficient understanding of social science and politics to be able to bring a deeper understanding of human behaviour to otherwise technology oriented teams.

Core modules for the Social Science Background stream provide a foundational understanding of data science methods, while optional modules allow exploration into specialised areas like machine learning, quantitative text analysis, and the ethical use of AI in politics. Similarly, the Technical Background stream includes core and elective modules that blend technical skills with an understanding of political science theories and applications.

Graduates can also use the skills acquired to continue work in political science research, either in academia, think tanks, or the non-profit or public sector, where they will benefit from a deep understanding of the cross-section between data science and political science.

Knowledge and understanding

  • Understanding the range of data science and machine learning methodologies that are available to data scientists, and their key advantages and disadvantages.
  • Understanding of theories of political behaviour, political processes, and political institutions.
  • Understanding variations in political systems and their functioning.

Applying knowledge and understanding

  • Understanding of central aspects of political and social science research design, such as conceptualization, operationalization and measurement.
  • Ability to use knowledge of research design to systematically address questions pertaining politics and public policy.
  • Gain general experience in applying data science techniques to questions of political and social science relevance.

Making judgements

  • Ability to decide on appropriate statistical techniques given a particular research question in relation to political behaviour and public policy.
  • Ability to evaluate reported statistical and algorithmic results in political and social science research.
  • Through training in general research design, ability to evaluate the veracity of input data of political and social behaviour for use in data science applications.
  • Have a basic understanding of the situations where automated techniques as used in standard data science practice are suitable and ethically appropriate, and where not.

Communications and working skills

  • Ability to clearly communicate results from statistical analysis of political and social behaviour.
  • Ability to communicate the possibilities and scope of data science tools for the understanding of political and social behaviour.
  • Basic practice in team work and learning how to collaborate in larger technical projects, including ability to work with techniques for code sharing, agile development, tools for scientific replication, etcetera.

Learning skills

  • Have sufficient grounding in fundamentals of statistical analysis and computer science to be able to acquire new skills in data science.
  • Have sufficient grounding in political and social science to be able to read into new domains of political and social science research.

Graduates from this programme will be ideally equipped for careers in a large and varied set of employment sectors. The combination of a solid understanding of social science theory and the technical ability to apply advanced data-science approaches to answer questions of political and societal relevance, makes our graduates a unique addition to any data science team.
Furthermore, graduates will be well-positioned to apply for quantitative social science PhD programmes with the aim of pursuing an academic career.

Potential future employers include:

  • Government
  • Tech industry
  • Corporate Sector
  • International Organisations (EU, UN, WTO, World Bank)
  • Non-Government Organisations
  • Not-for-profit sector
  • Public opinion institutes

​Potential roles include:

  • Think tanks
  • Political Advisor
  • Social Data Specialist
  • Data Scientist
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Social Science PhD candidate



**We are delighted to announce that the SPIRe Internship 30 credit module is now available for all students under this programme! Students will now have a choice between this module and the thesis. 



The UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) has established an internship programme for graduate students undertaking MA programmes in Politics, International Relations, International Political Economy, International Development, Peace and Conflict, MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law, MSc Human Rights and MSc Politics and Data Science. You can either opt for a Masters thesis, or an internship of at least 480 hours, typically undertaken from June to August. 



See this page for more information 


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 Core Modules
 POL42540 Applied Data Wrangling and Visualisation Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
 POL42570 Connected_Politics 1 Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
 POL42350 Connected_Politics 2 Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - H) Min 0 of:
Select 20 Credits
 POL40950 Introduction to Statistics Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - H) Min 0 of:
Select 20 Credits
 POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 IS40840 Data & Society Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40050 Theories of International Relations Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40950 Introduction to Statistics Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40970 Politics of European Governance Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41020 Politics of Human Rights Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42040 Gender & the Political System Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42530 Politics of International Trade and Investment Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42550 Feminist Theory Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 DEV40020 Gender and Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40100 Politics of Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40140 Theories of Global Justice Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40160 Comparative Public Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40370 International Political Economy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40540 Comparative European Politics Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol. Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41030 Theory of Human Rights Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL41910 Political Violence Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42060 International Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 POL42430 IR Theory: Conflict and Identity Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - I) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits.
 SOC41130 AI and Society Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - J) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits only.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - J) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits only.
 POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - J) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits only.
 POL42560 AI and Large Language Models Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - K) Min 0 of:
Please 10 credits only.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - K) Min 0 of:
Please 10 credits only.
 POL42560 AI and Large Language Models Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 IS40840 Data & Society Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40050 Theories of International Relations Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40950 Introduction to Statistics Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40970 Politics of European Governance Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41020 Politics of Human Rights Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42040 Gender & the Political System Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42530 Politics of International Trade and Investment Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42550 Feminist Theory Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 DEV40020 Gender and Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40100 Politics of Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40140 Theories of Global Justice Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40160 Comparative Public Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40370 International Political Economy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40540 Comparative European Politics Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol. Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41030 Theory of Human Rights Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL41910 Political Violence Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42060 International Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 POL42430 IR Theory: Conflict and Identity Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - L) Min 0 of:
Pick 20 credits.
 SOC41130 AI and Society Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - M) Min 0 of:
Stage 1 - Technical Background CORE modules. Pick 10 credits.
 POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - N) Min 1 of:
ALL STUDENTS:Select 1 30-Credit Module
 POL42300 SPIRe Internship Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - N) Min 1 of:
ALL STUDENTS:Select 1 30-Credit Module
 POL42310 Thesis Summer  30

Jeanette Garcia
Graduate

I entered the program with nothing more than an enthusiasm for quantitative research, and I left with a skill set that includes data wrangling, machine learning, and quantitative text analysis. The faculty at UCD is very passionate about education and research, encouraging my peers and me to take the initiative in our learning processes and collaborative projects.

At UCD, I found a supportive network and developed a deep appreciation for data and how its study and nuanced interpretation promotes informed policies and decisions. The MSc in Politics and Data Science offers a much-needed bridge across disciplines and expertise.

MSc Politics & Data Science (W473) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 10100
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MSc Politics & Data Science (W474) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 6420
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

SPIRe operates a Graduate Scholarship programme, which normally opens in late Spring. To access details, see SPIRe Graduate Scholarship Scheme. Please note that not all programmes are eligible for this Scholarship.

  • A primary degree with at least Second Class Honours Grade 1 (2H1). 2H1 is equivalent to 60 per cent, B minus or 3.08 GPA - in American system: B or 3.00 GPA.

  • Your application will be considered on its individual merits and relevant professional experience will also be taken into account.
  • English language requirements: applicants whose first language is not English should have met TOEFL, IELTs, or computer-based TOEFL requirements (600, 6.5, or 250 respectively), or the Cambridge English Test (Certificate in Advanced English at a minimum of Grade B, or Certificate of Proficiency in English at Grade C). Applicants who obtained a previous degree from an English-speaking university may be exempted from this requirement. Click here for further info.
  • These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

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


The MSc in Politics and Data Science is aimed towards students with backgrounds in political science and related social sciences with a strong interest in learning data science methods, and towards students with a Computer Science or related technical background who want to study politics.


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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MSc Politics & Data Science:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W473
MSc Politics & Data Science
Master of Science		 Full-Time
Commencing 2024/2025 September		 Graduate Taught Apply
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W474
MSc Politics & Data Science
Master of Science		 Part-Time
Commencing 2024/2025 September		 Graduate Taught Apply
* you can change options at the top of the page
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