Politics & International Relations - Politics
MA Politics
Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)
The MA Politics degree, which was developed for those who wish to understand the role of politics in shaping the great issues of our day including power and conflict, distribution and inequality, relations between nations, and the new challenges of globalisation, financial crisis, national security, and climate change.
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.
Programme Outcomes
- develop students' presentational skills
- develop student's research and professional development skills
- enhance students' problem solving power
- develop oral presentation skills
- enhance group work skills
- equip students with the skills necessary to understand and critically assess issues in politics and international relations
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).
Please note that these are subject to change.
Autumn Trimester:
Core Modules:
POL42330 Research Design (10)
Option Modules:
LAW41310 Asylum and Refugee Law (10)
POL40050 Theories of Internat.Relations (10)
POL40100 Politics of Development (10)
POL40140 International Political Theory (10)
POL40950 Introduction to Statistics (10)
POL40970 Politics European Governance (10)
POL41020 Politics of Human Rights (10)
POL41650 Global Political Econ ofEurope (10)
POL41800 Theories of Int'l Rels Stream2 (10)
POL41860 Governance, Pol, Dev 10cr (10)
POL41910 Political Violence (10)
POL41930 Psychology of Conflict in MENA (10)
POL42040 Gender & the Political System (10)
POL42340 Programming for Soc Scientists (10)
Spring Trimester:
Core Modules:
POL40540 Comparative European Politics (10)
POL42000 Political Theory and the EU (10)
Option Modules:
POL40160 Comparative Public Policy (10)
POL40370 International Political Econom (10)
POL40610 EU Foreign and Security Policy (10)
POL41030 Theory of Human Rights (10)
POL41640 Qual Research Methods for Pol (10)
POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security (10)
POL41780 The Politics of Inequality (10)
POL41870 Econ & Policy Analysis 1 10cr (10)
POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies (10)
POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis (10)
POL42060 International Security (10)
POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information (10)
SOC40620 Nationalism and Social Change (10)
Summer Trimester:
POL42300 SPIRe Internship (30)
or
POL42310 Thesis (30)
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