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 2022/23 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 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
  • POL41650 Global Political Econ ofEurope
  • 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
  • POL40370 International Political Economy
  • 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 (Year 2)

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

MA Politics & International Relations (W292) 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.

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