The MSc (Government) programme is being discontinued with effect from 2018/19. Students who registered for the programme prior to 2018/19 will follow the curriculum outlined below. The programme is being replaced by the MSc (Government and Politics).

The MSc (Government) may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme. The taught element of the programme runs from early September to the end of March.

Normally applicants should have an Honours Bachelors Degree with at least Second Class Honours (or an equivalent academic or professional qualification) in one of the following areas: Social Science, Arts, Commerce, Law or a related discipline or equivalent professional experience as deemed appropriate by the Head of Department of Government and the School of Business. Applicants may be required to attend for interview or may be short-listed for interview.

Prospective applicants should contact the Department of Government for further information.

In Part I students take taught modules to the value of 60 credits and in Part II write a research dissertation of 15,000 words to the value of 30 credits.

Students take 90 credits as follows:

Part 1
GV6102 Political Science Research Methods (10 credits)
GV6103 Re-imagining Democratic Politics in a Changing World (10 credits) (not on offer in 2019/20)
GV6104 Political Participation and Mobilisation (10 credits)
GV6113 Governance and Policy Processes in the European Union (10 credits)
GV6114 Changing Dynamics of Governance (10 credits)
GV6115 European Security (10 credits)

Part 2
GV6106 Dissertation in Government (30 credits)

Note: Students studying for the degree full-time take all modules in one year.
Students studying for the degree part-time take modules GV6104, GV6113, GV6114 and GV6115 (10 credits each) in Year 1 and the remaining credits from GV6102, GV6103 (10 credits each), as well as GV6106 (30 credits) in Year 2.

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2020/2021.

Postgraduate Certificate in Government exit award (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
Students passing modules to the value of at least 30 credits and achieving an aggregate pass across modules to the value of 40 credits in Part 1 may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Government.

Postgraduate Diploma in Government exit award (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
Students passing only the taught modules in Part 1 (60 credits), or choosing not to complete the research dissertation may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Government.

Programme Learning Outcomes for the MSc Government (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Describe and critically analyse political systems at the national, local, European and global level;
• Identify and assess the political challenges facing governments, civil society and the international community;
• Discuss how democracy is changing in the twenty-first century;
• Explore the dominant theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of political science;
• Analyse information creatively and imaginatively in seeking solutions to political problems and challenges;
• Carry out independent political science research.