Public Policy

MPP Public Policy

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)



Public policy making has become more challenging in recent years in the context of the increasing complexity of clients’ needs, growing expectations regarding appropriate service quality and diminishing public spending in many countries. The Master of Public Policy is specifically designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet these challenges.



We examine the socio-economic changes and political issues which influence policy making, the challenges associated with effective regulation and administration of public services and ensuring that policy decisions are evidence based. If you are interested in public policy research you can take a number of specialist modules on this issue. We also provide a number of optional streams which will enable you to examine different policy fields in depth.



The Master of Public Policy is a 90-credit programme. The duration is one year full time or two years part time. A 60-credit version of the programme is available as a Graduate Diploma without thesis.

Each application is considered on its individual merits. The applicants should have earned a honours bachelors degree (NFQ Level 8) from a recognised university in a relevant social science subject such as Political Science, International Relations, Social Policy, Sociology, Geography, Economics, Global Studies, Public Policy, Public Administration, EU Studies, Law/International Law, Accounting & Finance, Business etc. 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.



Note that meeting the requirements do not guarantee admission. Applicants in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted conditional on satisfactory completion of their undergraduate degree.



N.B. Click here for the admission requirements for the Economics Policy Stream.



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

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

Commencing September 2025

MPP graduates work in the public sector, across a variety of businesses, and in voluntary sector bodies. The positions they have gone on to, in Ireland and internationally, include policy analysts, policy advisors, communications and public affairs managers, policy officers, among many others.

A number of MPP graduates have joined the Irish public service, some through the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) stream. Among the organisations in which MPP graduates have gone on to work with are the Health Services Executive (HSE), the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), Apple Ireland, Morgan McKinley, the Peter McVerry Trust, The Wheel.