Skip to main content

European Politics & Policy

Postgraduate
W346 W347

This programmme aims to equip students with a deep and comprehensive knowledge of European politics and international relations, to critically appriase events and developments in European integration, and to establish a basis for students' professional development as European policy specialists.

Award Name Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ)
NFQ Classification Major
Awarding Body National University of Ireland
NFQ Level Level 9 NFQ
Award Name NFQ Classification Awarding Body NFQ Level
Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) Major National University of Ireland Level 9 NFQ
Course Provider:
Location:
Belfield
Attendance Options:
Full time, Part time, Daytime
Qualification Letters:
MA
Apply to:
Course provider
Number of credits:
90

Duration

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

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. 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.

Careers / Further progression

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.

Course Web Page

Further information

Next Intake: 2024/2025 September.

MA European Politics & Policy (W346) Full Time
EU fee per year - € 10100
nonEU fee per year - € 22600

MA European Politics & Policy (W347) Part Time
EU fee per year - € 6420
nonEU fee per year - € 11300

***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, which opens on May 1st. To access details, see SPIRe Graduate Scholarship Scheme. Please note that not all programmes are eligible for this Scholarship, please check the T&C's carefully when they become available.

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

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)

Programme Outcomes
Analyse topics in European politics with both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Prepare clear and concise written work and presentations across a range of political subject areas relating to European and EU politics.

The key learning outcome for the proposed masters will be that Students have demonstrated specialized, detailed or advanced theoretical and conceptual knowledge and understanding of European and EU politics.

Understand the structure and actors of European politics

develop students' research and writing skills

enhance students' understanding of European policy debates

Course Provider:
Location:
Belfield
Attendance Options:
Full time, Part time, Daytime
Qualification Letters:
MA
Apply to:
Course provider
Number of credits:
90