European Public Affairs & Law

MEconSc European Public Affairs & Law

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)



An intensive, multi-disciplinary and tightly-focused programme of study on the European Union; its development, structures, decision-making and law as well as a major focus on the Union’s growing international role and capacity.



- designed to equip graduates with strong expertise in contemporary European affairs, based on a genuinely inter-disciplinary approach to the comparative study of Europe and the European Union.



- core modules in the internal and external affairs of the European Union, paying particular attention to contemporary changes in political and economic governance of the Euro area.





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 applicants should have earned an undergraduate degree 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/international law 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.

The MEconSc European Public Affairs and Law is a 90-credit programme. Full time students must take three 10-credit modules in the autumn trimester, and three 10-credit modules in the spring trimester. Students must also submit a thesis worth 30-credits or pursue an Internship instead.



Core and Option Modules for MEconSc & Law



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



LAW41040 Law and Governance of the EU Autumn

POL40970 Politics European Governance Autumn

POL41650 Global Political Econ of Europe Autumn

Option Modules



Autumn



LAW40120 Foundations of Environmental Law

​LAW40150 International Competition Law

LAW40780 Law of the ECHR

POL40050 Theories of International Relations

POL40140 Theories of Global Justice

POL40160 Comparative Public Policy

POL40540 Comparative European Politics

POL40950 Introduction to Statistics

POL41020 Politics of Human Rights

POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa

POL41870 Political Economy of Institutions and Comparative Development

POL41980 Peace & Conflict Studies

POL42040 Gender & the Political System

POL42070 Politics of (mis-)information

POL42330 Research Design

POL42470 Gender, Identity, & Difference

POL42490 Politics of Ireland North & South

Spring



LAW41090 Climate Change Law and Policy

​LAW42170 Behavioural Law & Economics

POL40100 Politics of Development

POL40370 International Political Economy

POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy

POL41030 Theory of Human Rights

POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security

POL41780 The Politics of Inequality

POL41860 Governance, Politics and Development

POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis

POL42060 International Security

POL42090 Engaging Brussels

POL42340 Programming for Social Scientists

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)

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.

The following entry routes are available:



MEconSc European Public Affairs & Law FT (W216)

Duration 1 Years

Attend Full Time

Deadline Rolling*



MEconSc European Public Affairs & Law PT (W264)

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

90 credits

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

MEconSc European Public Affairs & Law (W216) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 8525

nonEU fee per year - € 19900


MEconSc European Public Affairs & Law (W264) Part Time

EU fee per year - € 5600

nonEU fee per year - € 9950


***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. To access details, see SPIRe Graduate Scholarship Scheme.

Next Intake: 2024/2025 September.

Careers & Employability

Whether working in the private, public or voluntary sectors, the ability to explain Europe’s past, to analyze it’s present and to advise on its future is of crucial importance. The MEconSc qualifies students to work in variety of spheres, including the institutions of the EU and other international organizations; national government structures; think tanks and other policy-oriented research groups.