MSC in Economic Policy

The MSc 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 Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Department of Economics at Trinity College Dublin.

It is the only masters programme in Ireland which has been specifically designed for those working in the public sector and/or policy design and evaluation who do not have a strong background in Economics to allow them to better engage with international and national economic research with relevance for Irish policy formation.  The combination of expertise from TCD’s Economics Department and the policy focused research at the 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, preparatory classes and research seminars. Throughout the programme, we assist you in developing your own research idea into a high-quality academic paper. We keep our class sizes small to make sure that you get the attention and pastoral care you need.

Minister for Finance and President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohue said:  

“I’m delighted that the Economics Department at Trinity and the ESRI have come together to deliver a new MSc in Economic Policy. It will be a great programme and a fantastic opportunity for both students and professionals to study how economic policy is developed, to understand the constraints around it, and also to understand all that it can deliver.”

ESRI Director Prof. Alan Barrett said:  

“For many years, Trinity and the ESRI have had close connections so we are delighted to be jointly offering this masters programme.  Given the strong research profile of both institutions, this will be a very interesting and worthwhile collaboration and we look forward to welcoming students in January 2022.”

TCD Prof. Eleanor Denny said: 

“We are delighted to launch this programme which brings together the significant policy expertise of the Economics Dept at Trinity and the ESRI.  Over the last decade the public sector in Ireland has embarked on a process of modernisation and reform and this programme is designed to meet the skills requirements of the modern Irish public service, facilitating students to engage with national and international economics research with relevance for Irish policy formation.”

Further information

For general queries about the course please contact the Course Administrator Anne Kenny.

E-mail: economics@tcd.ie

For academic queries please contact the MSc Programme Director Prof. Michael King or ESRI Programme Coordination Prof. Conor O’Toole

E-mail: kingm4@tcd.ie

            Conor.otoole@esri.ie

Further information can be found on the TCD course website at:

https://www.tcd.ie/Economics/postgraduate/msc-econ-policy/index.php