MA in International Relations

DCU is currently finalising plans for a phased and incremental return to campus, with a view to welcoming all students to the DCU campuses in September. Students should plan to attend face-to face classes in Semester 1 2021-2022. Please see https://www.dcu.ie/attendingdcu-students-studying-at-dcu for more information.

Introduction

The pace of change in our world continues to grow. Countries and peoples are connected in increasingly complex ways. The list of challenges – and opportunities – is long, including populism, inequality, climate change, conflict, and governance. A better understanding of the world and the processes at work are essential. This MA programme aims to equip you with tools to analyse our world the choices we face.

The DCU MA in International Relations is the oldest in Dublin and is known for its dedicated staff and diverse student body.  We welcome students from all over the world, as well as those with different career experiences, and those who have studied very different subjects at the undergraduate level.  Our intellectual approach is also diverse. We see international relations as the meeting point of diverse theoretical, disciplinary, and geographical perspectives.  

In the first semester, the core introductory subjects are offered in small classes that offer students an intellectual toolkit to use throughout the course, and also help the students to get to know each other.  In the second semester, students can choose from the many optional modules developed specially for the MA in International Relations, as well as modules from a host of other programmes in international relations, security studies, public policy, and law.  These normally include issues such as international politics, human rights, the economy, communications, trade, area studies, and environmental protection. Students also write a dissertation of up to 15,000 words, and receive support in doing so from the beginning of the course, including one-to-one supervision.

Full-time and part-time options

The MA can be completed on a full-time basis over 12 months, or part-time over two years. The year starts in the second half of September. For the part-time course, the compulsory modules, and a selection of the most important optional ones, are normally taught on a single afternoon/evening per week between 2pm and 8pm. Depending on which optional modules are chosen, part time students would not normally have activities scheduled outside of this time.