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MSc European Governance

MSc (NFQ Level 9)
Internships Available

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

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In the MSc European Governance programme students will learn to analyse issues of European governance from different angles, involving law, and public administration in an interdisciplinary environment.

  • This innovative two-year double-masters degree from University College Dublin and the Utrecht University investigates vital questions facing European countries today.
  • Students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to answer these questions and formulate appropriate responses to the challenges they pose.
  • In Year 1 students study in UCD with a particular focus on Law and Governance of the EU, and European Political Economy.
  • In Year 2, you study in the Utrecht University in the Netherlands and complete a research internship as part of your masters thesis, which is co-supervised by both universities.

  • Internship with organisation that deals with European governance issues
  • Students graduate with two masters degrees – an MSc in European Governance from UCD and an MSc in European Governance from the Utrecht University

About This Course

  • Specialised and detailed knowledge in EU Governance and Law; Application of knowledge and understanding and enhanced capacity for problem solving in the context of EU law and governance; Understanding of the interdisciplinary context of EU governance and law; Ability to communicate their ideas.

The MSc in European Governance is a double degree programme to be run in conjunction with the University of Utrecht School of Governance, starting in September 2016. As an interdisciplinary programme leading to two degrees, with bi-location and internships (in the Netherlands), and a co-supervised, end of programme(s) thesis, students will develop interdisciplinary skills, working in the domains of law and politics, with an enhanced capacity for problem solving. The distinctive contribution of the UCD programme is that it brings legal insights into questions of European governance, exploring law as a framing and constraining device and looks at the EU as an actor from a global perspective paying close attention to political economy questions.

The skill set acquired in this double degree opens up a wide-range of job opportunities in local, regional and national governments; EU institutions; other European organisations; non-profit and for-profit organisations; and consultancy firms that deal with issues of European governance.

In the final semester, all students write a thesis as part of a research internship within an organisation that deals with issues of European governance. This can be an EU organisation in Brussels or an organisation working at the national, regional or local level. The dissertation is supervised jointly by UCD and the University of Utrecht.

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
 LAW41040 Law and Governance of the EU Autumn  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 POL40970 Politics of European Governance Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40120 Foundations of Environmental Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40140 International Economic Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40150 International Competition Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40670 Corporate Governance Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40780 Law of the ECHR Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42230 Natural Resources Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42280 International Refugee Law Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL40050 Theories of International Relations Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL40100 Politics of Development Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL40140 Theories of Global Justice Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL41020 Politics of Human Rights Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL42040 Gender & the Political System Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 SPOL41060 Public Administration & Policy Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW40360 Advanced Issues in European Competition Law Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW41090 Climate Change Law and Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW41150 Online Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW41200 Cross-Border Litigation: European and International Perspectives on the Conflict of Laws Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW41790 Data Protection Governance Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42010 Financial Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42020 Law of Armed Conflict Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42170 Behavioural Laws Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42270 International Migration Law Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 LAW42310 AI Regulation Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL40160 Comparative Public Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL40540 Comparative European Politics Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL41030 Theory of Human Rights Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL42060 International Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL42430 IR Theory: Conflict and Identity Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 4 of:
Students must choose 4 option modules from the following list in year 1 of the programme.
 POL42530 Politics of International Trade and Investment Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - C) Min 0 of:
Students should choose the European Governance Dissertation in year 2 in Utrecht
POL42390 EG Thesis(Internship) Summer  30

Osman Berkin Çetintaş

My time with the MSc in European Governance at UCD was truly an informative journey. The emphasis on law and the opportunities for adding law into my program was what attracted me to the UCD over University of Konstanz and Bruno in the first place. For that aim I took all my optional courses in law which were International Competition Law for the autumn semester while taking Climate Change Law and Policy and Behavioral Law & Economics for the spring semester. The law courses coupled with the international background of everyone involved was definitely a positive which helped me grow as an academic and I am sure will help with my future career as well. All in all a year full of new experiences and a journey that I have been glad to be a part of.

MSc European Governance (W351) Full Time
EU          Year 1 - € 10350 db

dbStudents pay the UCD fee for first year, and the Utrecht University fee for the second year.
***Fees are subject to change

You pay UCD Fees while studying in UCD and Utrecht fees while studying in Utrecht.

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.

You will need:

If English is not your native language, unless you have done your primary degree through English in an English speaking country, an English language qualification is required for all programmes. Exceptional cases will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

MSc European Governance

You will need:

  • This programme is intended for applicants with an upper second class honours or international equivalent in a primary degree in a relevant subject such as archaeology, development studies, economics, EU studies, geography, global studies, history, international relations, law, philosophy, political science, public policy,social science, sociology, .
  • Relevant professional experience may also be taken into account.
  • Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 7.0 (with no band less than 6.0 in each element) or equivalent.

Please apply directly to Utrecht University:

http://www.uu.nl/masters/en/european-governance/admission-and-application

Note application is directly via Utrecht University  and not through the online application system in UCD

You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes


The programme was developed for graduates in the social sciences and related disciplines who are interested in, or working in, the area of European governance.
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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MSc European Governance:

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W351
MSc European Governance
Master of Science

Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
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