MA International Political Economy

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)

MA International Political Economy - explores the international trade, monetary and finance systems, the processes of globalisation, the impact of emerging economies, and the causes and consequences of economic underdevelopment.
  •  probes the linkages of the global economy with international environmental, human rights, gender and migration issues
  •  includes core modules covering both the ‘British’ and ‘American’ schools of IPE. 
  •  allows you to choose to complete a dissertation or apply for an internship.

Careers & Employability

Graduates work with international private-sector employers, government agencies and NGOs as:

  • Government Social Researcher
  • Diplomatic Advisor
  • Public Affairs Consultant
  • Political Advisor

Recent graduates of UCD School of Politics & International Relations now work in:

  • United Nations, New York and Geneva
  • World Trade Organisation
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei
  • Asia Development Bank
  • IMF
  • Dutch-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry
  • Korean Foreign Trade Association

Curricular information is subject to change


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

This programme aims to transform students into specialists in International Political Economy with the capacity to critically appraise cutting edge debates at both national and international level and to be capable to carrying out policy-relevant research therein

  • allow students participate in debates around both the theory and practice of IPE
  • boost students' research and writing skills
  • develop oral presentation skills
  • enhance group work skills
  • enhance students' skills in policy analysis
  • familiarise students with a comprehensive knowledge of leading issues in International Political Economy

View All Modules Here

The MA International Political Economy is a 90-credit programme. Full time students must take three 10-credit modules in the autumn trimester, and three 10-credit modules in the spring trimester. Students must also submit a thesis worth 30-credits or pursue an Internship instead in the summer trimester.

Core and Option Modules for MA International Political Economy 

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

  • POL41650 Global Political Econ of Europe (Autumn)
  • POL42330 Research Design (Autumn)
  • POL40370 International Political Economy  (Spring)

Option Modules

Autumn

  • POL40050 Theories of Internat.Relations
  • POL40140 Global Issues in Pol Theory
  • POL40950 Introduction to Statistics
  • POL40970 Politics European Governance
  • POL41020 Politics of Human Rights
  • POL41510 Middle East & North Africa
  • POL41800 Theories of Int'l Rels Stream2
  • POL41860 Governance, Pol, Dev
  • POL42040 Gender & the Political System
  • POL42440 Political Economy of Security

Spring

  • POL40100 Politics of Development
  • POL40160 Comparative Public Policy
  • 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 Political Economy (W290) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9310
nonEU    fee per year - € 21520

MA International Political Economy (W291) 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.

  • 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

Tatjana Krivaltsevits, Netherlands, Technical Project Coordinator at South Stream Transport BV

“Spending one year in fascinating Dublin was a truly fantastic experience. UCD has much to offer: an extremely interesting selection of subjects, an outstanding and competent team of teaching staff, a balanced combination of independent and team work, and, most importantly, an international and multicultural environment. Indeed, it was amazing to share the classroom with wonderful people from all around the world – Italy, Japan, China, United States, Poland, Germany, Norway, Canada, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and, of course, Ireland.”

The following entry routes are available:

MA International Political Economy FT (W290)
Duration
1 Years
Attend
Full Time
Deadline
Rolling*
MA International Political Economy PT (W291)
Duration
2 Years
Attend
Part Time
Deadline
Rolling*

* 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