MA Politics & International Relations

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)

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.

Careers & Employability

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

Curricular information is subject to change


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 provide a comprehensive and critical grounding in key issues in politics and international relations and to allow students critically engage with cutting edge issues in the discipline.
 

  • 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

View All Modules Here

The MA Politics and  International Relations is a 90-credit programme.

Part time students take a total of 90-credits over the two-year duration of the part-time programme.  It is advisable for students to take any core modules in Year 1. As the Research Design module is provided to support students writing their thesis, it is advised to take this in the second year of study.

MA students have the option of pursuing an internship in lieu of a thesis.

Core and Option Modules for MA Politics and International Relations

These are the current modules for 2023/24 but are subject to change. Each of the following modules carries 10 credits unless otherwise specified. 

Core Modules

  • POL42330 Research Design (Autumn) - Should be completed in Year 2

Option Modules

Autumn

  • POL40050 Theories of International Relations
  • POL40140 Theories of Global Justice
  • POL40160 Comparative Public Policy
  • POL40540 Comparative European Politics
  • POL40950 Introduction to Statistics
  • POL41020 Politics of Human Rights
  • POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa
  • POL41650 The Global Political Economy of Europe
  • POL41870 Political Economy of Institutions and Comparative Development
  • POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies
  • POL42040 Gender & the Political System
  • POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information​
  • POL42470 Gender, Identity, & Difference
  • POL42490 Politics of Ireland North & South

Spring

  • POL40100 Politics of Development
  • POL40370 International Political Economy
  • POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy
  • POL40970 Politics of European Governance
  • POL41030 Theory of Human Rights
  • POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science
  • POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security
  • POL41780 The Politics of Inequality
  • POL41860 Governance, Politics and Development
  • POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis
  • POL42060 International Security
  • POL42340 Programming for Social Scientists
  • POL42440 Political Economy of Security
  • POL42480 Contemporary Election Campaigns: Democratic Norms and Empirical Research
  • POL42500 Politics of Authoritarianism
  • POL42510 Party Organisation in the 21st Century

Summer Trimester Core Module (Year 2)

MA Politics & International Relations (W292) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 6420
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.

 

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 

 

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.

The following entry routes are available:

MA Politics & International Relations PT (W292)
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