International Relations

Entry requirements

For admission to the MA in International Relations, successful applicants will have:

• A degree at the level of an Irish or UK Honours undergraduate degree (H2.2 or above) or equivalent

• If the applicant has not yet completed their degree, then conditional offer may be made on basis of most recent grades and pending the achievement of no less than a H2.2 degree,

• Applicants with appropriate combinations of professional qualifications and experience may also be considered. This includes discipline-specific knowledge and know-how; transferable skills; basic research competency; personal effectiveness.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MA in International Relations equips students with the tools to understand a rapidly changing global environment and the challenges and opportunities shaping contemporary international affairs.

DCU’s MA in International Relations, the oldest of its kind in Ireland, is supported by dedicated staff with a broad range of expertise and a strong international and interdisciplinary focus. We welcome students from around the world, with diverse career backgrounds and undergraduate degrees. Our approach is inclusive, treating international relations as a field shaped by multiple theories, disciplines and global perspectives.

The programme offers opportunities to engage with regional perspectives from across different parts of the world, reflecting the diversity and complexity of contemporary international relations.

In the first semester, students take small-group classes introducing core subjects that provide the intellectual foundations for the programme and support cohort building.

In the second semester, students can choose from a range of elective courses tailored to the MA in International Relations, as well as selected modules from related programmes such as international security studies, public policy and law.

Optional modules cover topics including international politics, human rights, the global economy, communication, trade, regional studies and environmental protection. Students also complete a dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a topic of their choice, with structured support from the beginning of the programme, including one-to-one supervision.

Students can complete the MA full-time over 12 months or part-time over two years.