Government & Politics (MSc)

The MSc in Government and Politics is an exciting interdisciplinary taught master’s programme that provides graduates with the expertise and work experience required for successful careers in public policy environments.

The focus of the MSc Government and Politics is on governance. Government affects our day-to-day lives. It affects the food we eat, the healthcare we receive and the taxes we pay. Modern-day governance occurs at many levels: local, regional, national, European and international.

To provide an understanding of contemporary governments we examine issues such as developments in democratic theory, regulatory reform and international relations. We also examines contemporary policy debates at a range of levels, looking at political reform in the Irish context, the changing dynamics of European governance as well as the challenges faced by democracy and the protection/advancement of human rights in the twenty-first century.

Our MSc programme is uniquely oriented toward vocational skills training, through coursework, and the option to undertake either a work-based dissertation (Work Placement) or a research-based dissertation. We have a dedicated placement officer who sources an internship tailored to each individual student's specific interests. In the majority of cases these internships are paid, although this cannot be guaranteed. The work placement offering builds on the success of this scheme at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in other programmes offered by the Department of Government and Politics, which has been a pioneer in offering internships for students of political science. These placements are located in a wide variety of policy organisations, such as the Irish parliament, the Scottish parliament, the Office of the President, the Central Bank and Ervia, in which students will be able to utilise the knowledge learned on the programme and learn invaluable vocational and practical skills.

The MSc will enable you to develop your research and analytical skills in the areas of government, political science and public policy. It will also give you a number of other skills, including data analysis; research, communication and writing skills; policy analysis, critical, systematic, and independent thinking; and presentation skills. The work placement will give you a unique opportunity to develop important professional skills and to immediately apply your learning to the professional world.

The MSc in Government is suitable for graduates of social science, arts, commerce, law or related disciplines.

You can take this program in one year full-time or in two years part-time, and it is divided into two parts. In Part I, students take a combination of compulsory and elective modules. In addition, students choose 20 credits from a list of elective modules provided by the Department of Government and Politics, School of History, and Department of Philosophy. See the College Calendar for the current list of elective modules on offer.