MSc European Politics & Policy

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)

The MSc 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.
  • MSc students will learn skills in research design, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and use these skills to analyse questions of substantive interest in a rigorous and systematic manner. 

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.

Curricular information is subject to change


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. 

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

  • allow students participate as commentators and/or practitioners in the arena of European public policy
  • develop methodological research expertise
  • develop oral presentation skills
  • develop students' research and writing skills
  • enhance group work skills
  • enhance students' understanding of European policy debates
  • generally enhance students' abilities for critical appraisal

View All Modules Here

The MSc 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.

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. 

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 MSc European Politics and Policy

These are the current modules for 2023/24 but are subject to change. Each of the following modules carries 10 credits unless otherwise specified. 

Core Modules

  • POL40950 Introduction to Statistics (Autumn)
  • POL40970 Politics of European Governance (Autumn)
  • POL40540 Comparative European Politics (Spring)
  • POL41640 Qualitative Research Methods for Political Science (Spring)

Option Modules

Autumn

Spring

  • POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy
  • 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

MSc European Politics & Policy (W344) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 10100
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MSc European Politics & Policy (W345) 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.

  • 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

"Completing a Master’s at UCD was one of the best decisions of my life. Interacting with high calibre students and professors from around the world, I quickly realised how little I knew about international politics and relations, and how my cultural paradigms, mostly based on limited knowledge, have influenced my decision-making in the past. Now, whether it is in my role as a Global Purchasing Director, President of a non-profit organisation, or simply a citizen of my country, my studies at UCD have enabled me to better understand the world I live in, and consider more profoundly such elements as human rights, global climate change, or international security in my decision making."   

Sandra Perron, Canada, President Imagine Inc.

The following entry routes are available:

MSc European Politics & Policy FT (W344)
Duration
1 Years
Attend
Full Time
Deadline
Rolling*
MSc European Politics & Policy PT (W345)
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

A comphrensive FAQ can be found here