Program Overview

Economic Policy (M.Sc.)

The MSc Programme in Economic Policy is a two-year part-time postgraduate programme designed to equip graduates, who do not necessarily have a background in Economics, with the skills to engage with evidenced-based policy making. This is a jointly delivered programme between the Department of Economics at Trinity College Dublin and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

Overview

The combination of expertise from Trinity’s Department of Economics and the policy-focused research at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) provides a unique programme which combines technical and evaluation expertise applied to Irish policy challenges. In this programme, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality instruction by a team of engaged lecturers who operate at the forefront of their fields. Furthermore, our students are guided in their learning through tutorials and research seminars. Lecturers will also provide supervision of an independent research project on a key issue of economic policy.

Career Opportunities

Many of those who have graduated from the course have gone on to senior positions in the civil and wider public service.

Course Structure

The MSc in Economic Policy (EP) consists of three taught twelve-week terms and a dissertation. The first of the teaching terms takes place from September to December and the second from January to May of Year 1. Lectures/classes take place on Friday mornings and afternoons during that period. From the 2025/26 academic year, postgraduate taught students must be in attendance physically within two weeks of teaching commencing. Any delay beyond this period will result in deferral of the student place to the next intake to the programme. The School retains its right to consider exceptional cases to this policy. Students are formally examined in these subjects at the end of each term. The subjects covered in these two teaching terms build logically on each other and provide the necessary background for the work undertaken in Year 2. The third teaching term takes place from September to December in Year 2 and covers elective specialist policy options including the economics of housing, climate change, and taxation. From January of Year 2, students work solely on their dissertations until the submission deadline in July of Year 2. The length of the dissertation should be 10,000 to 15,000 words. Students are assigned a dissertation supervisor to guide them in their research.

Course Content

There will be seven modules in Year One of which students complete six. These are as follows, with ECTS credits and lecture/class hours in brackets after each one:

• M1. Micro Economic Policy (5/14)
• M2. Macro Economic Policy (5/14)
• M3. Quantitative Methods for Economics I (10/25)
• M4. Applied policy evaluation (5/14)
• M5. Quantitative Methods for Economics II (10/25)
• M6. Regulation and Banking (5/14)
• M7. Behavioural Economics (5/14) Modules M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 are core, compulsory modules. Students can choose between M6 and M7. M1, M2, and M3 are taught in the first term, while M4 – M7 are taught in the second term. There are five taught modules in the third teaching term, held in Year 2 and students are expected to complete three of these. They are as follows:
• M8. Research Methods for Economics (10/24)
• M9. Urban and Housing Economics (5/14)
• M10. Health Economics (5/14)
• M11. Energy, Environment and Climate Change (5/14)
• M12. Taxation and welfare (5/14)
• M13. Political Economy (5/13) Module M8 is a core, compulsory module. Students also choose two modules from M9 to – M13.

Admission Requirements

Applicants will be expected to have a level 8 Bachelor’s degree at 2.1 or above in any discipline and five years policy experience. Specific Economics qualifications are not required. Applicants with less than five years experience or a level 7 qualification with eight years experience in a policy-relevant area will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

English Language Requirements

All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements.

Course Fees

For a full list of postgraduate fees, please refer to the relevant section of the university's website.

Awards

• NFQ Level 9

Number of Places

• 35 Places

Next Intake

• September 2025

Course Coordinator

• Niamh McCarthy

Course Director

• Barra Roantree

Closing Date

• 22nd August 2025

Programmes

Programmes will only run subject to reaching the minimum required number of participants.