Social Policy Social Work & Social Justice - Public Policy

GradDip Public Policy
Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 60)
The Graduate Diploma is aimed primarily at students who have an undergraduate qualification in a non-cognate discipline. However, for those students who feel that they did not quite reach their full potential in their undergraduate degree, the programme also offers the opportunity to acquire an additional 'top-up' qualification.

They can choose modules from the broad list of Master of Public Policy Course. Depending on their performance, aspirations and selection of modules, students can transfer from the graduate diploma into the Master of Public Policy in the stream in which they specialised.

Vision & Values Statement
Public policy making has become more challenging in recent years in the context of the increasing complexity of clients' needs, growing expectations regarding appropriate service quality and diminishing public spending in many countries. The Master of Public Policy is specifically designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet these challenges.

We examine the socio-economic changes and political issues which influence policy making, the challenges associated with effective regulation and administration of public services and ensuring that policy decisions are evidence based. If you are interested in public policy research you can take a number of specialist modules on this issue. We also provide a number of optional streams which will enable you to examine different policy fields in depth.

The Graduate Diploma is aimed primarily at students who have an undergraduate qualification in a non-cognate discipline. However, for those students who feel that they did not quite reach their full potential in their undergraduate degree, the programme also offers the opportunity to get transferred to the Master of Public Policy after Semester one.

Programme Outcomes
• Understand the political, ethical, social and economic factors that influence policymaking, along with the challenges associated with effective policy implementation and regulation
• Take a critical view of policy analysis, recognizing the variety of considerations that shape policy outcomes and the variety of ideas, expectations, and norms that shape debates about appropriate policy solutions and the assessment of policy outcomes
• Demonstrate advanced theoretical and conceptual knowledge of public policy and governance
• Develop an understanding of current debates within public policy and governance
• Critically appraise and reflect on the role of the policy analyst within the democratic and policy-making process
• Apply advanced theory to problem-solving and public policy challenges, drawing on a range of disciplinary approaches and analytical tools
• Systematically analyse public policies comparatively in an international, national, and subnational context, to apply the latest in public policy research
• Critically appraise and reflect on the role of the policy analyst within the democratic and policy-making process
• Articulate concepts, knowledge, debates and research to peers, specialist and non-specialist audiences from an inter-disciplinary perspective, contributing to evidence-based policy-making
• Exercise effective group and team-based approaches to learning, research, and presentation
• Articulate concepts, knowledge, debates and research to peers, specialist and non-specialist audiences, from an interdisciplinary perspective
• Contribute to evidence-based policy-making
• Source and synthesize different kinds of data, textual and source material
• Engage in independent research and analysis
• Write to a good academic standard.

The Grad Dip of Public Policy is a 60-credit programme. Students take 4 core modules and choose option modules according to their choice of stream.

Stage 1 - Core
Evidence-Based Policy Making
SPOL40450

Data & Methods for Policy Analysis
SPOL41020

Public Administration & Policy
SPOL41060

Stage 1 - Option

Econometrics
ECON41820

Microeconomics
ECON41840

Health and Welfare Economics
ECON42190

Energy Economics and Policy
ECON42360

Behavioural Economics
ECON42660

Tools for Sust Development
ENVP40040

Environmental Economics & Climate Policy
ENVP40100

European Environmental Policy
ENVP40180

Critical Political Economy
EQUL40390

Critical Geopolitics of Europe
GEOG40450

Physical Geography of Cities
GEOG40780

Practical Environmental Assessment
GEOG40860

Gender, Inequality and Public Policy
GS40030

Work & Employment in the Global Economy
HRM40720

Data & Society
IS40840

Social Networks Online and Offline
IS40980

Environmental Law and Policy
LAW40120

Advanced Issues in European Competition Law
LAW40360

Punishment, Prisons & Public Policy
LAW40620

Advanced Criminological Theory
LAW40640

NGOs: Law, Governance and Social Change
LAW40760

Law of the ECHR
LAW40780

Law and Governance of the EU
LAW41040

Climate Change Law and Policy
LAW41090

Online Regulation
LAW41150

Asylum and Refugee: Law, Politics and Rights
LAW41310

Comparative Corporate Governance
LAW42010

Health Policy
NMHS43840

Public Health Practice and Policy
PHPS40040

Health Promotion
PHPS40300

Placemaking: Urban and Rural Design
PLAN40020

Planning, Society and Diversity
PLAN40030

Transport, Environment & Sustainability
PLAN40050

Urban and Regional Development
PLAN40060

Housing Policy and Planning
PLAN40070

Economic and Property Markets
PLAN40080

Geographical Information Systems for Policy and Planning
PLAN40220

Planning, Environ & Public Pol
PLAN40340

Sustainable Cities
PLAN40390

International Political Theory
POL40140

International Political Economy
POL40370

Comparative European Politics
POL40540

EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol.
POL40610

Introduction to Statistics
POL40950

Politics of European Governance
POL40970

Politics of Human Rights
POL41020

Theory of Human Rights
POL41030

Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science
POL41640

The Global Political Economy of Europe
POL41650

Political Theory and the EU
POL42000

Quantitative Text Analysis
POL42050

Politics of (mis-)information
POL42070

Policing & Social Conflict
SOC40080

Workshop in Qualitative Research
SOC40330

Social Simulation: Methods and Models
SOC40640

Housing and Social Cohesion
SPOL40440

Comparing Healthcare Systems
SPOL40470

Drug Use, Community & Society
SPOL40530

Multivariate Analysis
STAT40150

Each application is considered on its individual merits. The applicants should have earned a honours bachelors degree (NFQ Level 8) from a recognised university in a relevant social science subject such as Political Science, International Relations, Social Policy, Sociology, Geography, Economics, Global Studies, Public Policy, Public Administration, EU Studies, Law/International Law, Accounting & Finance, Business etc. with at least Upper Second Class Honours, or its equivalent (an overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher in the American system). Relevant professional experience will also be taken into account.

Note that meeting the requirements do not guarantee admission. Applicants in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted conditional on satisfactory completion of their undergraduate degree.

N.B. Click here for the admission requirements for the Economics Policy Stream.

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/

The following entry routes are available:
Grad Dip Public Policy FT (W315)
Deadline: Rolling*

Grad Dip Public Policy PT (W316)
Deadline: Rolling*

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

Grad Dip Public Policy FT (W315)
Duration: 1 Years
Attend: Full Time

Grad Dip Public Policy PT (W316)
Duration: 2 Years
Attend: Part Time

Related Programmes
Master of Public Policy