Philosophy & Public Affairs

MA Philosophy & Public Affairs

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)



The MA in Philosophy and Public Affairs is especially designed for those people with an interest in public policy debates, e.g. in journalism, the civil service, public policy research institutes, etc.. At the same time, it will be useful for any job requiring a subtle understanding of debate and disagreement, or requiring close attention to texts.



- Unique combination of philosophy and social science

- Close attention from dissertation supervisor

- Vibrant academic and social community

Students have to take the 'flagship' module, 'The Good Society', taught by a philosopher and a social scientist. In addition, students must take two further modules from the following three: (i) 'Law, Liberty and the State', (ii) 'Critical Theory', (iii) 'Religion and Society'.



The other three modules are to be taken from a list of approved modules in other social science schools



While it is recommended that full-time students take three modules in each semester, it is up to the student. Students must then complete the dissertation by the end of August, and this will be worth 30 credits.



Stage 1 - Core

Dissertation PHIL40030



Stage 1 - Option

Human Rights Law and Equality EQUL40070

Masculinities, Gender and Equality EQUL40310

Critical Geographies: Spatialising Power and Inequalities GEOG40970

The Good Society PHIL40420

Autonomy as a Philosophical Problem PHIL40840

Feminist & Gender Theory PHIL41280

Topics in Continental Philos PHIL41320

Ethics in Public Life PHIL41510

Truth, History, Justice PHIL41560

Moral Agency PHIL41660

Thinking without Subject: Mind and Body before Descartes PHIL41670

Theories of International Relations POL40050

Politics of Development POL40100

International Political Theory POL40140

Comparative Public Policy POL40160

International Political Economy POL40370

Comparative European Politics POL40540

Theory of Human Rights POL41030

The Global Political Economy of Europe POL41650

Applicants need at least four philosophy courses as part of an undergraduate degree (to be confirmed by a transcript); an overall mark of B - (60%) in your undergraduate degree (to be confirmed by a transcript); two academic letters of reference and a sample of philosophical writing, such as an undergraduate essay.



- 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.



- These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes

How to apply?

The following entry routes are available:



MA Philosophy & Public Affairs FT (W182)

Duration

1 Years

Attend

Full Time

Deadline

Rolling*



MA Philosophy & Public Affairs PT (W183)

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

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time. Mode of Delivery: Face-to-Face.

MA Philosophy & Public Affairs (W182) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 7055

nonEU fee per year - € 19200


MA Philosophy & Public Affairs (W183) Part Time

EU fee per year - € 4590

nonEU fee per year - € 9600


***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.

NEXT INTAKE: 2024/2025 September.

Careers & Employability

It is very difficult to generalise about the career paths of our MA graduates. A small number continue into PhD programmes both at UCD and abroad. Others have gone into journalism, the civil service, secondary school teaching, NGOs, think tanks and the corporate world.