- develop oral presentation skills
- develop student's research and professional development skills
- develop students' presentational skills
- enhance group work skills
- enhance students' problem solving power
- equip students with the skills necessary to understand and critically assess issues in politics and international relations
MA Politics
This course is available through the following application route(s)
- Duration:
- 1 Year
- Attendance:
- Full Time
- Delivery:
- On Campus
- NFQ Level:
- 9 (90 credits)
- Level:
- Graduate Taught
- Award:
- Master of Arts
- Next Intake:
- September
- Country Specific Entry Requirements:
- Visit the UCD Global Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage.
- Other School Leaving Requirements:
- See www.ucd.ie/admissions
- Duration:
- 2 Years
- Attendance:
- Part-Time
- Delivery:
- On Campus
- NFQ Level:
- 9 (90 credits)
- Level:
- Graduate Taught
- Award:
- Master of Arts
- Next Intake:
- September
- Country Specific Entry Requirements:
- Visit the UCD Global Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage.
- Other School Leaving Requirements:
- See www.ucd.ie/admissions
World Top 100 in the QS Ranking 2024 in Politics | Oldest and Largest School of its Kind in Ireland.
UCD School of Politics & International Relations is the oldest and largest school of its kind in Ireland with over 150 years of experience in political studies and a world-renowned faculty drawn from many countries.
Visit Our Website for Further Information such as Entry Requirement and Application Documents.
The MA Politics degree was developed for those who wish to understand the role of politics in shaping the great issues of our day including power and conflict, distribution and inequality, relations between nations, and the new challenges of globalisation, financial crisis, national security, and climate change.
The course focuses on the two traditional pillars of the discipline – political theory and comparative politics.
- Comparative politics looks at the European nation-states in a comparative perspective.
- Political theory— the reflection on the nature and morality of politics.
About This Course
Graduates work with a wide variety of international private-sector employers, government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations, in roles that include:
- Government Social Researcher
- Diplomatic Advisor
- Public Affairs Consultant
- Public Relations Officer
- Political Advisor
Recent graduates of UCD School of Politics & International Relations now work in:
- United Nations, New York and Geneva
- World Trade Organisation
- IMF
- OSCE
- Asia Development Bank
- Saatchi & Saatchi
- Credit Suisse First Boston
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.
Trimester | Credits | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 Core Modules |
POL42330 | Research Design | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
POL40540 | Comparative European Politics | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
DEV40020 | Gender and Development | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
GS40110 | Gender, Sexuality, and the Body; The Politics of Belonging | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40050 | Theories of International Relations | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40950 | Introduction to Statistics | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40970 | Politics of European Governance | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41020 | Politics of Human Rights | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41510 | Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41980 | Peace & Conflict Studies | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL42040 | Gender & the Political System | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
SPOL41060 | Public Administration & Policy | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
SPOL41110 | Ideas, Ideology in Public Pol. | Autumn | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
GS40030 | Gender, Inequality and Public Policy | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40100 | Politics of Development | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40140 | Theories of Global Justice | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40160 | Comparative Public Policy | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40370 | International Political Economy | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL40610 | EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol. | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41030 | Theory of Human Rights | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41640 | Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41720 | Gender, Peace, and Security | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL41910 | Political Violence | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL42050 | Quantitative Text Analysis | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL42060 | International Security | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL42340 | Programming for Soc Scientists | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
POL42430 | IR Theory: Conflict and Identity | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
SOC40620 | Nationalism and Social Change | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - A)4 of: Select four of |
SPOL40450 | Evidence-Based Policy Making | Spring | 10 |
Stage 1 Options - B)1 of: Students must pick either POL42300 SPIRe Internship or POL42310 Thesis as a core module |
POL42300 | SPIRe Internship | Summer | 30 |
Stage 1 Options - B)1 of: Students must pick either POL42300 SPIRe Internship or POL42310 Thesis as a core module |
POL42310 | Thesis | Summer | 30 |
Coral Richardson
Hello, my name is Coral and I am originally from California in the US. When looking at potential programs, the UCD Politics program stood out because it offered unique elective options and featured faculty members with expertise and current research in fields that interested me.
Starting a degree in a new field was daunting at first, however, the faculty, peers, and courses have overwhelming highlights of my time at UCD and I feel more than adequately prepared for future work in research and academia. I have had the chance to work with several faculty members in my own courses and as a tutor through the Master’s Graduate Scholarship program. Each professor has been engaging and passionate about their research as well as willing to help me narrow my academic interests.
In addition to the uplifting academic environment, I have met so many new friends from Europe and abroad that have introduced me to new customs and ideas that have expanded my worldview and made my time in Dublin even more enjoyable. Academically speaking, this course offered a balance of elective and required courses that simultaneously improved my research abilities and general understanding of modern politics without restricting opportunities to further my research interests in more specific subfields such as development politics. The optional elective courses are diverse and can accommodate most research interests with focuses on major political subfields: international relations, comparative politics, and political theory while the required courses were engaging and invaluable to building my confidence in research methods.
EU fee per year - € 10350
nonEU fee per year - € 22600
MA Politics (W111) Part Time
EU fee per year - € 6580
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.
- Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/
- 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 EU) applicants: Yes
Part Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants: No
How to Apply
General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MA Politics:
ROWCLASS | Apply to |
---|---|
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W023 MA Politics Master of Arts Full-Time Commencing September 2025 Graduate Taught |
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | W111 MA Politics Master of Arts Part-Time Commencing September 2025 Graduate Taught Not available to International applicantsApply |