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

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.

• 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

View All Modules Here

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. Please visit www.ucd.ie/publicpolicy for further details.

GradDip Public Policy (W315) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 6710
nonEU    fee per year - € 15070

GradDip Public Policy (W316) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4340
nonEU    fee per year - € 7540

***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.

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/ 

• Master of Public Policy

The following entry routes are available:

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