Politics & International Relations - Politics
The course focuses on the two traditional pillars of the discipline – political theory and comparative politics.
Comparative politics looks at the European nation-states in a comparative perspective.
Political theory — the reflection on the nature and morality of politics.
Vision and Values Statement
The vision of this programme is to transform students into specialists in the field of politics at the levels of both theory and practice and to allow them participate effectively in both theoretical and practical debates in that field.
Student Internships
SPIRe's MA Internship opportunities.
Related Programmes
MA Politics & International Relations PT
Subjects taught
The MA Politics is a 90-credit programme. Full time students must take three 10-credit modules in the autumn trimester, and three 10-credit modules in the spring trimester. Students must also submit a thesis worth 30-credits or pursue an Internship instead.
Core and Option Modules for MA Politics (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.
Autumn Trimester Core
POL42330 Research Design
Autumn Trimester Option
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 of Europe
POL41800 Theories of Int'l Rels Stream2
POL41860 Governance Pol Dev
POL42040 Gender & the Political System
POL42440 Political Economy of Security
Spring Trimester Core
POL40540 Comparative European Politics
POL42000 Political Theory and the EU
Spring Trimester Option
POL40100 Politics of Development
POL40160 Comparative Public Policy
POL40370 International Political Econom
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
POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis
POL42060 International Security
POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists
POL42430 Social Theory & IR
SOC40620 Nationalism and Social Change
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
POL42300 SPIRe Internship (30 credits)
or
POL42310 Thesis (30 credits)
Entry requirements
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.
- 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
Application dates
How to apply?
The following entry routes are available:
MA Politics FT (W023)
Duration
1 Years
Attend
Full Time
Deadline
Rolling*
MA Politics PT (W111)
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.
Assessment Info
You will be assessed by in-course or continuous assessment (essays, report writing, projects, mid-term tests, presentations) and a final examination.
Credits
90
Duration
1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.
Fees
MA Politics (W023) Full Time
EU fee per year - € 8525
nonEU fee per year - € 19900
MA Politics (W111) 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.
Enrolment dates
Next Intake: 2019/2020 September
Post Course Info
Careers & Employability
Graduates work with a wide variety of international private-sector employers, government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations, in roles that include:
Government Social Researcher
Diplomatic Advisor
Public Affairs Consultant
Public Relations Officer
Political Advisor
Recent graduates of UCD School of Politics & International Relations now work in:
United Nations, New York and Geneva
World Trade Organisation
IMF
OSCE
Asia Development Bank
Saatchi & Saatchi
Credit Suisse First Boston