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

• develop oral presentation skills
• develop student's research and professional development skills
• develop students ability to understand power in an anarchic world
• enhance group work skills
• enhance students' understanding of international organisations
• equip students with the skills necessary to understand and critically assess issues in international politics and security

View All Modules Here

The MA International Relations is a 90-credit programme. Full-time students must take a total of 60 credits between core and optional taught modules. Full time students must take three 10-credit modules in the first trimester, and three 10-credit modules in the second trimester. Students must also submit a thesis worth 30-credits or pursue an Internship instead during the summer trimester.

Core and Option Modules for MA International Relations

These are the current modules for 2022/23 but are subject to change. Each of the following modules carries 10 credits unless otherwise specified. 

Core Modules

• POL40050 Theories of Internat.Relations (Autumn) or POL41800 Theories of Int'l Rels Stream2 (Autumn)
• POL42330 Research Design (Autumn)

Core Options Choose minimum of 1

• POL42440 Political Economy of Security (Autumn)
• POL42060 International Security (Spring)

Option Modules

Autumn

• POL40140 Global Issues in Pol Theory
• POL40950 Introduction to Statistics
• POL40970 Politics European Governance
• POL41020 Politics of Human Rights
• POL41510 Middle East & North Africa
• POL41650 Global Political Econ ofEurope
• POL41860 Governance, Pol, Dev
• POL42040 Gender & the Political System
• POL42440 Political Economy of Security

Spring

• POL40100 Politics of Development
• POL40160 Comparative Public Policy
• POL40370 International Political Econom
• POL40540 Comparative European Politics
• POL41030 Theory of Human Rights
• POL41640 Qual Research Methods for Pol
• POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security
• POL41780 The Politics of Inequality
• POL41870 Pol Economy & Comparative Dev
• POL41930 Psychology of Conflict in MENA
• POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies
• POL42000 Political Theory and the EU
• POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis
• POL42060 International Security
• POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists
• POL42430 Social Theory & IR

Please note, to be enrolled on POL42430 in Spring, students must have taken and passed either of the following two modules: POL41800 or POL40050.

Summer Trimester Core Module

• POL42300 SPIRe Internship (30 credits) or
• POL42310 Thesis (30 credits)

MA International Relations (W235) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9310
nonEU    fee per year - € 21520

MA International Relations (W236) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 6110
nonEU    fee per year - € 10760

***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 opens on May 1st. To access details, see SPIRe Graduate Scholarship Scheme. Please note that not all programmes are eligible for this Scholarship, please check the T&C's carefully when they become available.

SPIRe's MA Internship opportunities 

• A primary degree with at least Second Class Honours Grade 1 (2H1) in a relevant subject such as political science, international relations, social science, sociology, history, geography, economics, global studies, public policy, development studies, EU studies, law. 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

Graduate Profile
Sandra Perron, Canada,
President of Imagine Foundation

Completing the MSc in International Relations at UCD was one of the best decisions of my life. Interacting with high calibre students from around the world, I quickly realised how little I knew about international politics and relations, and how my cultural paradigms, mostly based on limited knowledge, have influenced my decision making in the past. Now, whether it is in my role as a Global Purchasing Director, President of a non-profit organisation or a simple citizen of my country, my studies at UCD have enabled me to better understand the world I live in, and consider more profoundly such elements as human rights, global climate change, or international security in my decision making.

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised

A comphrensive FAQ can be found here