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General Overview
The graduate programme in the UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) encompasses master’s degrees and graduate diplomas in a wide range of areas, including development studies, European affairs, human rights, international relations, Irish and European politics, nationalism and ethnic conflict, and political theory. In particular, we offer both MSc and MA programmes in four subject areas, three interdisciplinary master’s degrees, and two graduate diplomas. Basic information on all these programmes is available below, with further details available by clicking on the various programmes’ titles.
SPIRe currently has nearly 150 postgraduate students from over 30 countries. In addition to their studies, these students have access to visiting speakers and other activities of the School's three research centres: the Centre for Development Studies, the Dublin European Institute, and the Institute for British-Irish Studies.
Our graduates work at leading universities and in governments, EU institutions, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, the media, business and the voluntary sector. They are known for their ability to communicate clearly and effectively about complex issues, their ability to analyse and resolve difficult problems, and their contribution to cutting-edge scholarship.
Core Master’s Degrees
For our core MSc and MA programmes, you can select a subject area (Development Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict) and you choose between the MA strand or the MSc strand, depending on your interests and career aspirations.
The research training degree programmes (MSc) entail a core of 45 credit points, in which 20 credits come from research training classes (research design, methods) and 25 from the respective subject area. It also entails 20 credits as electives, that can be selected from the broad range of modules offered in the school, as well as a thesis module worth 25 credit points. The thesis will be written in the relevant subject area and will utilize the research training that student received.
The thematic degree programmes (MA) have a thematic core of 25 credit points, in which students focus exclusively on the selected subject area. In addition, they entail 40 credit points as electives that students can choose from the broad range of modules offered in SPIRe. The thesis is worth 25 credit points and will have a thematic focus on the subject area.
| Subject | Research Methods Specialism (MSc) | Subject Specialism (MA) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Politics | MSc Politics | MA Politics |
| Politics and International Relations | MA Politics and International Relations Part Time | |
| International Relations | MSc International Relations | MA International Relations |
| International Development | MSc International Development | MA International Development |
| International Political Economy | MSc International Political Economy | MA International Political Economy |
| Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict | MSc Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict | MA Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict |
Interdisciplinary Master’s Degrees
The school also offers three interdisciplinary degrees that encompass taught modules from SPIRe as well as other schools at UCD, including the UCD School of Law, the UCD School of Business, the UCD School of Philosophy, the UCD School of Social Justice, and the UCD School of Geography, Environment and Planning. In the MSc Human Rights and the MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law, SPIRe students share many of their core modules with students from the Law School’s parallel LLM programmes on European law and human rights law.
| MSc Human Rights | 40 credit subject core, 20 credit options, 30 credit minor thesis (25 thesis, 5 thesis design) |
| MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law | 60 credits core and options, 30 credit minor thesis (25 thesis, 5 thesis design) |
| MA Political Theory | 60 credits core and options, 30 credit minor thesis (25 thesis, 5 thesis design) |
Omnibus After-Hours Degree
The MA Politics and International Relations is designed to accommodate the scheduling needs of working professionals in government, journalism, the NGO sector and other areas who wish to deepen their education in politics and international relations whilst continuing their employment. As such, the programme offers a range of modules taught late in the day (3-5pm, 4-6 pm, or 5-7 pm) that students may complete on a part-time basis over two years. Depending upon the year and term, these modules could cover Irish politics, comparative politics, European politics, international relations, international development, international political economy, nationalism and ethnic conflict, human rights, political theory and other topics.
Graduate Diplomas
Finally, SPIRe offers two graduate diploma programmes for students with professional backgrounds who do not wish to write a thesis and for those whose prior degree does not qualify them for direct entry into a master’s programme. Students on these ‘GradDip’ programmes can choose modules from the broad list of SPIRe courses. Depending upon their module selection and early performance, GradDip students may apply for transfer onto some of the school’s master’s degrees.
| Graduate Diploma in Politics and International Relations | 60 credits by negotiation |
| Graduate Diploma in International Development | 60 credits by negotiation |
For more information:
- For further information about the individual programmes, please click on the programme titles above/on the right hand side.
- For basic information on applications click here.
- For graduate fees 2013-14, click here.
For additional information about a programme that is not available by clicking on its title above, please contact the relevant academic coordinator:
- MA/MSc International Development: Dr Andy Storey
- MA/MSc International Relations: Dr Tobias Theiler
- MA/MSc International Political Economy:Dr Samuel Brazys
- MA/MSc Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict: Professor Jennifer Todd
- MA Politics/MSc Political Science:Dr Derek Hutcheson
- MA Political Theory: Dr Iseult Honohan
- MSc Human Rights: Dr Graham Finlay
- MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law: Professor Brigid Laffan
- Graduate Diploma in Politics and International Relations: Dr Graham Finlay
- Graduate Diploma in International Development: Dr Andy Storey