American Politics & Foreign Policy

This Graduate Diploma was the first of its kind to be established in Europe and North America providing students with a sophisticated understanding of the United States, its foreign relations, and domestic politics.



Key reasons to join this program:



- Learn from and engage with top experts in the field. Eugenio Lilli is an influential scholar of US foreign policy, the Middle East, and emerging technologies. Eugenio was invited by United States Strategic Command to discuss his work on cyber deterrence. Scott Lucas has been at the forefront of analysis and commentary on American politics and foreign policy for more than three decades. Scott is a frequent guest of outlets such as CNN, BBC, Ireland's RTE, Canada's CBC, Al Jazeera, France 24, Deutsche Welle, and channels throughout India. Liam Kennedy is an authority in the areas of US-Irish relations, public diplomacy and soft power. On the former topic Liam has advised the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.



- Avail of our internship and mentorship opportunities. To know more about this, contact us via the form on this page or write to the program director eugenio.lilli[at]ucd.ie



- Participate in unique events. Past events organized for our students featured Bill Clinton (42nd president of the United States), Jake Sullivan (National Security Advisor to US President Biden), Christopher Painter (1st US cyber ambassador), Noam Chomsky (scholar and intellectual) and many other leading politicians, diplomats, policymakers, scholars, and journalists.



- Contribute to our flagship media outlets. Our students have the opportunity to contribute with their analysis to American Unfiltered and EA WorldView; two media outlets run by our own Liam Kennedy and Scott Lucas.



- Take advantage of the benefits of an exclusive venue. All the core modules of this Diploma take place in the exclusive Clinton Institute located in UCD Belfield Campus. Our core modules consist of small cohorts of students therefore allowing you to benefit from high levels of interaction with your instructors.



- Study an incredibly topical and fascinating subject. In the 21st century the United States remains the most influential country in the world. Whether you look at climate change, the covid-19 pandemic, or the war in Ukraine, decisions taken in Washington DC have an impact on the rest of the world. However, a number of challenges in recent years have called into question the sustainability of American leadership abroad and prosperity at home. This includes, but is not limited to, the notion of American decline in relation to rising powers such as China and resurging ones like Russia, a political system that appears to have entered an extended period of dysfunction, recurring problems in race relations, and rising economic inequality.



This Diploma is designed for those people planning, or already engaged in, a career in the diplomatic service, journalism, international organizations, or non-governmental organizations. This Diploma will also prepare you for a career in politics, political risk analysis, academia, and think tanks.



What Will I Learn?

-Students should be able to communicate in academic language about American politics and foreign policy using historical and theoretical concepts.

-apply knowledge in a variety of professional settings or in the form of further study, including at the doctoral level.

-demonstrate an ability to communicate in writing and in public speaking with a variety of specialist and non-specialist audiences.

-develop sophisticated judgments about American politics and foreign policy that encompass domestic and international/comparative perspectives.

-learn skills that will enable them to accumulate further knowledge in this or other subjects in an autonomous manner.

Module / Trimester / Credits

Stage 1 Core Modules

AMST40480 Research Skills Seminar Autumn 10

AMST40590 Trump's America Autumn 10

AMST40310 Challenges in US Foreign Policy Spring 10

AMST40570 The U.S. and the Middle East Spring 10

AMST40700 Cyber, AI and Intern Conflict Spring 10



Stage 1 Options - A)1 of:

Students must select one option module.

AMST40580 News Media Today Autumn 10

AMST40620 Journalism & International Aff Autumn 10

GEOG41050 Globalization, Empire and Race: Economic Geography Autumn 10

HIS41780 Origins of Modern Diplomacy Autumn 10

HIS42840 Modern Asia Autumn 10

HIS42850 NATO’s Wars: From Bosnia to Afghanistan Autumn 10

AMST40650 Politics and Digital Storytelling Spring 10

GEOG40450 Critical Geopolitics and Diplomacy Spring 10

An upper second class honours degree, or the international equivalent in the subject areas such as the humanities, politics or international relations but not exclusively.



Standard of English required it is expected that students will normally have reached an overall 7 in the IELTS with no individual band less than 6.5 or equivalent.



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. https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/rpl/

Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

What are the opening and closing dates?

Applications may open at various stages throughout the year but, in general, applications for graduate taught programmes to start next September, open on 1 October.



Closing dates vary and may be seen on the course catalogue if they are already decided. Most courses operate a rolling admissions policy with decisions being taken as soon as possible after receipt of completed applications. Therefore, it is advisable that you do not delay making an application as competition for places may result in courses reaching capacity quickly. In general, courses remain open until such time as all places have been filled.

Z236 - 1 year full-time

Z237 - 2 years part-time

Delivery: On Campus

Z236 American Politics & Foreign Policy Graduate Diploma Full-Time

Commencing September 2026

Graduate Taught



Z237 American Politics & Foreign Policy Graduate Diploma Part-Time

Commencing September 2026

Graduate Taught

This Diploma is designed for those people planning, or already engaged in, a career in the diplomatic service, journalism, international organizations, or non-governmental organizations. This Diploma will also prepare you for a career in politics, political risk analysis, academia, and think tanks.



This is an academic programme but is also suited to practitioners/professionals in a related field who wish to gain a broader understanding of processes, policies, and outcomes in the area of American politics and foreign policy, both domestically and within the context of international affairs.