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MSc in Environmental Policy

MSc (NFQ Level 9)
Sustainable Development Goals

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

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Societies, governments, and businesses across the globe are faced with increasingly complex environmental challenges, in areas such as climate change and adaptation and local environmental quality in our cities and regions. The UCD MSc in Environmental Policy arms graduates with the capacity to develop environmental policy choices, analyse them critically, and to provide guidance in regard to their implementation and evaluation. The programme introduces graduates to research-based economic and environmental tools and insights to enable graduates to be effective change management leaders and management leaders and environmental and sustainability experts in both the public and private sectors.

UCD Environmental Policy has an established international track record as a leading research centre in environmental policy and is in the Top 150 QS World University Rankings by subject area. Students may also chose to undertake either a thesis, an internship, or an academic research project during the Summer trimester. 

Also for professionals who want to balance their passion for the environment while advancing their career this programme is offered as a two-year part-time degree (W580). The part-time program is scheduled to be completed over two years with one or two modules (10 credits per module) per semester. Part-time students join the full-time students for the classes and hence can meet two cohorts of the full-time MSc programme.

Module Information:

Under the "What modules can I take?" section below you will see general module information, for a more detailed description including module selection rules click here.

About This Course

  • Acknowledge the spatial consequences of policy approaches, and recognize the importance of fairness in environmental policy processes and outcomes.
  • Apply their professional knowledge using tools and transferable skills to generate integrated and evidence-based responses to environmental challenges, including climate change, to achieve a more resilient and sustainable future.
  • Communicate effectively verbally, graphically and through written documents and to communicate concepts, knowledge and conclusions to peers, specialist and non-specialist audiences within an interdisciplinary environment.
  • Demonstrate effective research, policy analysis tools and evaluation skills and the ability to develop evidence-based policy proposals.
  • On successful completion of the programme students should be able to: Appreciate environmental policy research, develop skills as autonomous researchers, and recognize the value of research as an input into improved policy making and policy implementation.
  • Understand how environmental policy is operationalised within the wider political, institutional and legal frameworks, and understand the social, economic and political context that informs approaches to achieve sustainable development.
  • Understand the challenges and responsibilities of assessing tradeoffs in their response to environmental challenges and be open to critically assessing, debating and reflecting on these, and acting in the interests of the common good.
  • Work effectively both on their own and as part of a team in an interdisciplinary context.

To date, our graduates have been very successful in gaining employment in environment related fields in a diverse range of public, private and NGO  organisations. Past graduates are now working for a number of agencies both nationally and internationally including private (e.g. Samsung Electronics; Wisetek;  Citi Bank; AWN Consulting; EnvEcon; Irish Water), public bodies (e.g. Department  of Public Expenditure and Reform; Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs) and NGO organisations (e.g. Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice; Plant life Economy Foundation; Amazon Environmental Research Institute Brazil; publicpolicy.ie; Global Action plan Ireland), in a range of environmental positions (e.g. environmental consultants; policy officers; researchers; climate officers; environmental justice officers). Our graduates have also gone on to pursue further study (PhDs).

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
 ENVP40100 Environmental Economics & Climate Policy Autumn  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 ENVP40180 European Environmental Policy Autumn  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 ENVP40240 Environment and Development Autumn  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 ENVP40040 Tools for Sust Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 ENVP40170 Research for Environmental Pol Spring  10
Stage 1 Core Modules
 ENVP40190 Applications of Enviro Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of:
ALL students MUST initially select the module ENVP40030 Environmental Policy Thesis. During the Autumn Trimester, those students interested in pursuing an Internship will be expected to prepare their CV and seek Professional Work Experience opportunities from prospective employers under the guidance of the Internship Module Coordinator and the Programme Director. In the event that a student is successful in securing a suitable Professional Work Experience placement, subject to gaining approval of the Internship Module Coordinator, the student will be re-registered to ENVP40160 Internship - Research Project by the Programme Office.
ENVP40030 Environmental Policy Thesis Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of:
ALL students MUST initially select the module ENVP40030 Environmental Policy Thesis. During the Autumn Trimester, those students interested in pursuing an Internship will be expected to prepare their CV and seek Professional Work Experience opportunities from prospective employers under the guidance of the Internship Module Coordinator and the Programme Director. In the event that a student is successful in securing a suitable Professional Work Experience placement, subject to gaining approval of the Internship Module Coordinator, the student will be re-registered to ENVP40160 Internship - Research Project by the Programme Office.
ENVP40160 Internship - Research Project Summer  30

UCD ranks 1st in Ireland and in the top 50 worldwide in the QS Sustainability rankings 2023, which focus on what institutions are doing to tackle the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges

Graduate Profile - Tiago Reis, Brazil

"I chose the UCD Masters in Environmental Policy because I wanted to make a career shift from running my own small business in logistics to a qualified socio-environmental career. The UCD programme prepared me for that career shift by providing me with the knowledge and important ideas in the field of environmental sciences and policy, and by giving me transferrable skills that later would be invaluable in my professional life as a NGO researcher, project manager and activist. In the Environmental Policy programme, the balance between scientific overview, policy application and the development of transferrable skills really impressed me. I would recommend UCD for other international students because it is a lively university, with an excellent infrastructure, professors and staff. Moreover, Dublin is an awesome place to live, where you can have services and cultural life close by and at the same time the UCD campus is quiet and peaceful to concentrate on studies."

MSc in Environmental Policy (W269) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9530
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MSc in Environmental Policy (W580) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4630
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

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 www.ucd.ie/global/scholarships/

This programme is intended for applicants with a degree in any discipline such as social sciences and arts, environmental sciences, law, business studies or engineering.

  • An honours undergraduate degree (NFQ Level 8) with a minimum upper second class honours or international equivalence is required
  • 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.
  • 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 
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.

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: Yes


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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MSc in Environmental Policy:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W269
MSc in Environmental Policy
Master of Science
Full-Time
Commencing September 2024
 Graduate Taught Closed
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W580
MSc in Environmental Policy
Master of Science
Part-Time
Commencing September 2024
 Graduate Taught Closed
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W269
MSc in Environmental Policy
Master of Science
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Graduate Taught Apply
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W580
MSc in Environmental Policy
Master of Science
Part-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Graduate Taught Apply
* you can change options at the top of the page
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