MA in Philosophy & Public Affairs

• A deepened appreciation of the significance and value of ideas in and for internationalisation and globalisation
• A detailed study of foundational questions of public policy. Delivered with the Schools of Social Policy and Social Justice, Sociology, Politics and International Relations
• A grasp of how to pursue a career in academic life and the acquiring of transferable skills in research and organisation
• A knowledge of how to write research proposals and attain funding from national and international organisations
• An awareness of how to compose and structure philosophical writing for peer reviewed journals, book collections and monographs
• An awareness of how to present and defend philosophical papers in seminars, workshops, conferences and other fora.
• An enhanced awareness of how to work with texts, organise a thesis and set out extended philosophical arguments clearly and compellingly.
• An enhanced awareness of the relevance of philosophy to other academic disciplines and to personal, professional and political life.
• An extensive knowledge of library and online sources that facilitate research, including classical and foreign language sources.

Graduates of the programme have gone into diverse areas such as public or private research institutes, local, national or international institutions as policy analysts, firms operating in the global market and looking for professionals capable of understanding and  interpreting political, social and economic trends and devising long-term strategic plans, media, journalism, publishing
and the NGOs.

MA in Philosophy & Public Affairs (W182) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 10350
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MA in Philosophy & Public Affairs (W183) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 5600
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.

Applicants need at least four philosophy courses as part of an undergraduate degree (to be confirmed by a transcript); an overall mark of B- (60%) in your undergraduate degree (to be confirmed by a transcript); two academic letters of reference and a sample of philosophical writing, such as an undergraduate essay.

• 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.
• 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

The programme is suitable for those who have studied some philosophy as part of a university BA degree, but who also have an interest in public affairs and the social sciences. It is suited to studens who are looking for an abstract, theoretical component and a practical, empirical component in a single programme or those looking to continue their studies in a much more focused environment with like-minded peers and with more support from experienced staff.

Students will develop your skills of critical analysis in both speech and writing. You will develop precision and clarity in your self-expression. You will develop a much more nuanced appreciation of central philosophical questions, with a particular sensitivity to the problems of applying theory to practice in areas of public policy. You will have the challenge of writing the dissertation (12-15,000 words), and of really getting to grips with a problem and with other philosophers’ and social scientists' approaches to that problem.

The MA in Philosophy and Public Affairs is especially designed for those people with an interest in public policy debates, e.g. in journalism, the civil service, public policy research institutes, etc.. At the same time, it will be useful for any job requiring a subtle understanding of debate and disagreement, or requiring close attention to texts. Finally, the MA will also provide an excellent grounding for those wishing to pursue research work to the doctoral level, either in philosophy or in one of the social sciences.