Overview
A broad curriculum will familiarise students with the legislative and institutional structure of the European Union and the operation of EU law while equipping students with core skills of public policy design and analysis. Core modules include Law & Politics of Brexit, one of the first modules of its kind on the island of Ireland, as well as optional modules that focus on key policy areas such as the environment, EU banking and finance law and EU foreign policy. A special effort is made to integrate legal and public policy skills and to consider law in light of policy requirements and the role of law in shaping and implementing policy.
Speaking in relation to this programme, Denis McShane (UK Minister of European Affairs during the Blair Government), said:
"The DCU Master in European Law & Policy steered by the Brexit Institute is the ideal graduate program for anyone interested in understanding the law & politics of Brexit and future of Europe".
DCU is home to the Brexit Institute, Europe’s first and Ireland’s only centre designed to analyse the legal, political and economic impact of Brexit from both a research and a policy perspective. It is also home to the BRIDGE Project, a Jean Monnet Network and a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence REBUILD - ‘Recovery of Europe, Budget of the Union: Integration, Law & Democracy’. The latter will allow exploring the post-pandemic reconstruction of the EU economy, focusing on the “Next Generation EU” Recovery Fund, its governance, financing and values. They are both funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. Students on this programme will benefit from the very close links between our teaching faculty and these high level initiatives.
DCU People
Careers & Further Options
Careers
The Masters in European Law and Policy is designed to equip participants with a range of legal and policy related social science skills with specific reference to the European dimension of law and policy. Participants will graduate with a comprehensive knowledge of EU law and processes and public policy design, implementation and evaluation. Graduates will be equipped to engage in legal and policy advice and analysis across a wide range of fields impacted by European law and policy. Internships/work placements available on a competitive basis as part of an optional professional development module.
Possible careers
- Legal policy advisor
- Policy maker
- National or European public servant
- Lawyer and legal advisor *
* The Masters in European Law and Policy does not qualify an individual as a legal practitioner in Ireland or elsewhere. Further professional qualifications are required.
Entry Requirements
For admission to the MA in in European Law and Policy programme, successful applicants will have -
- A degree at the level of an Irish or UK Honours undergraduate degree (H2.1 or above) or equivalent.
- Applicants with the equivalent of a H2.2 in a related discipline with relevant work experience may also be considered.
- If the applicant has not yet completed their degree than a conditional offer may be made on the basis of most recent grades and pending the achievement of a H2.1 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.
- International candidates who are non-native speakers of English must satisfy the University of their competency in the English language. More information about DCU's English language requirements can be found here.
Programme Structure
The Masters in European Law and Policy is designed to integrate legal and policy analysis and to equip students with complementary knowledge and skills across both fields. It is designed to ensure students have a comprehensive grounding in both EU law and policy analysis while allowing for some specialisation in either law or policy through optional modules and the dissertation topic.
In the first semester you will study three core modules covering EU Institutional law and policy analysis alongside a research skills module specifically tailored to the needs of leading legal and policy analysis.
In the second semester you can deepen your knowledge of key fields while maintaining an interdisciplinary approach. You choose three optional modules dealing with specific areas of law and policy. You must choose at least one law and one policy based module while the third can be either a law or a policy module.
The MA in European Law and Policy is delivered online both full-time and part-time, which equips graduates with the knowledge and skills to navigate and address those 21st century challenges, from Brexit to climate change and to the post-pandemic economic and social recovery.
Finally, students will be expected to complete a dissertation in either law or public policy under the supervision of an expert member of faculty.
Core modules include:
- Law and Politics of Brexit - one of the first modules of its kind on the island of Ireland
- Public Policy Analysis and EU Institutional Law
Optional modules include:
- Climate Change Law
- EU Banking and Finance Law
- EU Trade Law and Policy
- Policy Challenges
- Public Policy Evaluation
- Health Policy
- Housing Policy
- Irish Foreign Policy
- European and International Human Rights Law
Fees and Funding
Fees
How To Apply
Application Deadlines
This programme will not be running during the next Academic Year.
Application Queries
For EU applicant queries, please visit https://www.dcu.ie/registry/eu-postgraduate-taught-admissions or email postgraduateadmissions@dcu.ie
For non EU applicant queries, please visit https://www.dcu.ie/registry/international-admissions-undergraduate-and-postgraduate or email internationaladmissions@dcu.ie
Commencement of Programme
This programme will not be running during the next Academic Year.
Life On Campus
At DCU, our students can expect a unique campus experience. We are known for our excellent teaching and learning facilities, our active clubs and societies, and our great social and sporting facilities. All this makes DCU an exciting place to be.
DCU has three academic campuses; Glasnevin, St. Patrick’s and All Hallows (both in Drumcondra), all close to Dublin City centre.
They can be reached by public transport, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, with our Drumcondra campuses a ten minute walk from Drumcondra Train Station. Glasnevin is a 20 minute walk from St Patrick’s and All Hallows. They are also linked by Dublin Bus.
Each campus has a library (O’Reilly, Cregan and Woodlock Hall), study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies. There are sports facilities on Glasnevin and St. Patrick’s, and there is a dedicated sports campus, St Claire’s, located near Glasnevin on the Ballymun Road.
DCU’s 19,000 students have access to exceptional teaching and learning facilities across our three academic campuses.
These include modern learning theatres, research centres, a new media and TV studio, radio/podcast studios, computer suites and advanced labs in the areas of Languages, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry and Biotechnology, as well as a Sports Performance centre and a training hospital ward. In 2021, we opened our first virtual reality ‘Leadership Lab’, which is located in our Business School.
We continue to improve and update our facilities. For example, construction of a new world-class STEM facility is underway on the Glasnevin campus. With capacity for an extra 3,000 STEM students, this facility will advance DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science and health, computing and engineering disciplines.
Studying in DCU isn’t just about course work. The university is rich in student life and activities.
There are more than 140 clubs and societies for students in DCU, with ‘Clubs & Socs’ days taking place on both the Glasnevin and Drumcondra campuses at the start of the academic year. They span everything from rugby to rock climbing, anime to jazz.
For many students, sport is an important part of the DCU experience. DCU’s Sports Complex boasts a 25 metre swimming pool, fitness centre gym, all-weather pitches and squash courts, as well as soccer, GAA and rugby pitches. DCU Dóchas Éireann, the university’s GAA club, is the largest third level Gaelic Games club in the country. Meanwhile, DCU Athletics has been Ireland’s highest achieving university club for many years. And DCU has dozens of other clubs to get involved in, from Archery to Weightlifting.
The Glasnevin campus is home to our purpose built, state-of-the-art student centre, The U, which serves the needs of a rapidly growing student body. Here, you will find the Student Leadership and Lifeskills Centre, performing arts and cultural spaces for students and the wider community, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub. Also located on our Glasnevin campus is The Helix, our renowned performing arts centre.
On our St Patrick’s campus, we have the Java Student Hub, a vibrant, warm and welcoming space where students can meet for coffee, play music, use the projector to watch events, or just relax. The walls of the Java Hub were designed based on the cultural history of St Patrick’s Campus, including the special references to the notable sporting history and history of the arts.
We have a number of academic, professional and social supports for students.
Student Advice Centre - Offers a wide range of supports and services to students and advice
The Writing Centre - drop-in writing workshops for students through the academic year
Maths Learning Centre - provides maths support for students of all ability levels with maths modules
Student Learning - facilitate the transition from passive to active learning for students at DCU, by teaching study skills, nurturing critical thinking and building student confidence.
Careers work with students to help them on their professional journey into graduate employment.
Our student support team offers a comprehensive support programme, helping students make that all important transition into university life and focusing on building confidence and skills which are key to success at third level.
DCU Glasnevin Campus
FAQs
Is DCU all one campus?
DCU is a multi campus university - the Glasnevin, St Patrick's and All Hallows campuses. The St Patrick's campus is where the Education courses are taught and some of the subjects from the BA Joint Honours degree. There is a 20-25 minute walk between the campuses but there are buses and bikes available to go between them also.
Click here to see maps of all of our campuses
If I'm studying on the St Patrick's campus, can I use the library and sports centre on the Glasnevin campus?
Yes, all facilities such as sports and accommodation are open for all DCU students to avail of.
Are there libraries in DCU and if they have wifi and work stations?
We have a brand new state of the art four floor library on our St. Patrick's Campus which complements the existing library on the Glasnevin campus. There is free wifi, work stations as well as desktop computers.
Does DCU provide accommodation?
DCU does have on-campus accommodation for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and you can find out more and apply via the Accommodation Office webpage.
