European Politics & Policy

MA European Politics & Policy
Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)

The MA is structured around a set of courses dedicated to different aspects of European politics, both EU and comparative European.

- Students will gain a well-grounded knowledge of the issues facing European governance and the manner in which different European political systems have sought to address the challenges they face in an increasingly Europeanized and globalized world.

- MA students have the option of writing a masters thesis or doing an internship

Who should apply?
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

The masters programs in European Politics and Policy-making aim to attract students interested in understanding European Politics and the challenges faced by European states in the 21st century.

The MA European Politics and Policy is a 90-credit programme. Full-time students must take a total of 60 credits between core and optional taught modules. Students must also submit a thesis worth 30 credits that will be written during the summer trimester. MA students have the option of pursuing an internship in lieu of a thesis.

SPIRe part time programmes run for 2 years and students normally do 1 -2 modules per semester. The final 30-credit module is completed during the second year of the programme. PT students should complete the research design module in year 2.

Please note that our part-time programmes run during the day and are not timetabled in the evenings or at weekends.

Core and Option Modules for MA European Politics and Policy Making (credits in parentheses)

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

POL40970 Politics, European Governance (Autumn)
POL42330 Research Design (Autumn)
POL40540 Comparative European Politics (Spring)

Option Modules

Autumn

LAW41040 Law and Governance of the EU
POL40160 Comparative Public Policy
POL41020 Politics of Human Rights
POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies
POL42040 Gender & the Political System
POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information
POL42490 Politics of Ireland North & South

Spring

POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy
POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science
POL41780 The Politics of Inequality
POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis
POL42350 Connected_Politics
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

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

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.

The following entry routes are available:

MA European Politics & Policy FT (W346)

Deadline
Rolling*

MA European Politics & Policy PT (W347)

Deadline
Rolling*

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised

90

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time..

MA European Politics & Policy (W346) Full Time
EU fee per year - € 8525
nonEU fee per year - € 19900

MA European Politics & Policy (W347) Part Time
EU fee per year - € 5600
nonEU fee per year - € 9950

***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. To access details, see SPIRe Graduate Scholarship Scheme.

Next Intake: 2024/2025 September.

Careers & Employability
Graduates can work within European institutions, with international private-sector employers, government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations. Organisations including the European Union, the United Nations and IMF are all potential employers, with students having the skills to compete for roles such as Government Social Researcher, Diplomatic Advisor, and Public Affairs Consultant.