Geopolitics & the Global Economy

​The course includes fieldwork in an overseas location such as Berlin or Madrid. Students acquire a solid grounding in the key knowledge and skills required by a geographer specialising in political or economic geography. Students can choose whether to study the political geography of Europe or US foreign policy in detail and can select a number of optional courses to focus on subject areas that interest them. These optional courses introduce the opportunity for interdisciplinary study with courses offered in political science, history and American studies.

Module Trimester Credits



Stage 1 Core Modules

GEOG41140 Dissertation 2 Trimester duration (Spr-Sum) 35

GEOG40390 Research Design Autumn 5

GEOG40450 Critical Geopolitics and Diplomacy Autumn 10

GEOG40700 International Fieldwork Spring 10



Stage 1 Options - A) Min 1 of:

Students must choose at least 10 credits from the below list - you can choose up to 30 credits.

GEOG40760 Development and the Global South Autumn 10

GEOG40820 GIS Principles and Applications Autumn 10

GEOG40970 Critical Geographies: Spatialising Power and Inequalities Autumn 10



Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of:

Remaining credits can be chosen from the below list.

AMST40030 Media and US Foreign Policy Autumn 10

AMST40310 Challenges in US Foreign Policy Autumn 10

AMST40580 News Media Today Autumn 10

AMST40590 Trump's America Autumn 10

ECON42600 Development Economics Autumn 5

GEOG41050 Globalization, Empire and Race: Economic Geography Autumn 10

PLAN40060 Urban and Regional Development Autumn 5

POL41510 Politics and Change in the Middle East and North Africa Autumn 10

AMST40560 The Global Politics of Cyber Security Spring 10

ECON42730 Global Economic History Spring 5

GEOG40830 Global South Fieldwork: Vietnam Spring 10

GEOG41120 Geopolitical Risks and Crises Spring 10

POL40140 Theories of Global Justice Spring 10

POL40160 Comparative Public Policy Spring 10

POL40370 International Political Economy Spring 10

POL40540 Comparative European Politics Spring 10

POL40610 EU Foreign, Security, and Defence Pol. Spring 10

POL41030 Theory of Human Rights Spring 10

POL42060 International Security Spring 10

-This programme is intended for applicants with an honours bachelors degree (NFQ Level 8) or international equivalent in any discipline including geography, political science, history, anthropology, economics and sociology, or professionals working in related fields.

-Applicants should have a minimum of an upper second class honours (2:1) degree or international equivalent at bachelors level. Applicants with a 2.2. may be considered after interview in exceptional circumstances.

-Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.

-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



You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage. https://tinyurl.com/2ae2ffax

W262 - Full-Time: 1 Year

W420 - Part Time: 2 Years

Commencing September 2025

Careers & Employability

Graduates work in government agencies, international aid agencies, global multilateral agencies, human rights institutions, think-tanks, research bodies and private firms in roles such as researchers, lecturers, aids workers, GIS specialists, planners and local government officials.



Graduates now work in organisations such as:



UN

World Bank

UNICEF

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Deloitte & Touche