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MA Politics & International Relations

MA (NFQ Level 9)
Internships Available

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

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The MA Politics and International Relations is designed to accommodate the scheduling needs of working professionals in government, journalism, the NGO sector and other areas who wish to deepen their education in politics and international relations whilst continuing their employment
  • 90-credit, part-time programme including six optional 10-credit modules (no particular module is required)
  • MA students have the option of pursuing an internship in lieu of a thesis.

About This Course

  • develop oral presentation skills
  • develop student's research and professional development skills
  • develop students' presentational skills
  • enhance group work skills
  • enhance students' problem solving power
  • equip students with the skills necessary to understand and critically assess issues in politics and international relations

Graduates work with a wide variety of international private-sector employers, government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations such as:

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

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

  • European Parliament
  • OSCE
  • European Institute for the Media
  • Korean Delegation to the OECD
  • KPMG Management Consulting
  • Queen's University Belfast

 



The UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) has established an internship programme for graduate students undertaking MA programmes in Politics, International Relations, International Political Economy, International Development, Peace and Conflict, MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law, MSc Human Rights and MSc Politics and Data Science. You can either opt for a Masters thesis, or an internship of at least 480 hours, typically undertaken from June to August. 



See this page for more information 



 


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 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students must pick either POL42300 SPIRe Internship or POL42310 Thesis as a core module
 POL42300 SPIRe Internship Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students must pick either POL42300 SPIRe Internship or POL42310 Thesis as a core module
 POL42310 Thesis Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - C) Min 0 of:
Pick 10 credits in Year 2.
 POL42330 Research Design Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40050 Theories of International Relations Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40950 Introduction to Statistics Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40970 Politics of European Governance Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41020 Politics of Human Rights Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42040 Gender & the Political System Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42530 Politics of International Trade and Investment Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42550 Feminist Theory Autumn  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40100 Politics of Development Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40140 Theories of Global Justice Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40160 Comparative Public Policy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40370 International Political Economy Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40540 Comparative European Politics Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol. Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41030 Theory of Human Rights Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL41910 Political Violence Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42060 International Security Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - D) Min 0 of:
Students should select 5 modules over the course of this programme.
 POL42430 IR Theory: Conflict and Identity Spring  10

MA Politics & International Relations (W292) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 6580
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.

A primary degree with at least Second Class Honours Grade 1 (2H1). 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.
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.

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants: No


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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MA Politics & International Relations:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W292
MA Politics & International Relations
Master of Arts
Part-Time
Commencing September 2024
 Graduate Taught Not available to International applicantsClosed
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W292
MA Politics & International Relations
Master of Arts
Part-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Graduate Taught Not available to International applicantsApply
* you can change options at the top of the page
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