One of the top 2 institutions in Ireland. Most visited campus by potential employers. The highest number of internships, and placements offered. Higher Avg. salary after completion than all other Irish institutions. Huge alumni community. Best in Ireland for STEM courses. School of Economics is one of the best departments in Europe.
Course Curriculum
One year Master's course. Divided into three trimesters. The first trimester covers your fundamental subjects: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, etc. The second trimester is Elective subject based. 4 electives are to be chosen. Special mention: Aviation economics, energy economics, behavioral economics, bayesian econometrics, EU competition, and Industrial Policy are electives worth mentioning. All second-trimester module learnings are very closely related to industry requirements. Assessments, projects, and exams cover a large part of situation-based or case-based analysis. The third trimester is optional to choose between a dissertation thesis or an internship. Internships often are converted to full-time roles.
Exams
My scores: GRE 151 Verbal 156 Quants. No university requirement for GRE IELTS 7.5. University requirement: IELTS 7 and above in all segments.
Placement
Multiple opportunities are floated through the college professors. The college organizes multiple job fairs as well. Since UCD is one of the top colleges in the country, placements rates and average salaries are higher than other colleges. An extremely expanded network attracts a wide range of internships, graduate program roles as well as government roles while your time at UCD. Over 45 companies visited each of the 2 job fairs organized. Over 80-90 profiles were up for grabs. An average of 2-3 interviews were seen to be received for a lot of applicants. Since placement since is ongoing, details about the no. of students placed and the average salary is not yet out in the open.
Internship
Placement season is ongoing. I have a couple of interviews lined up with the government services. If there is a chance to update this section in a month's time, I will post the update here. The typical stipend amount hovers at 1800-2000 euros per month.
Events
Campus life is filled with societies, events, and programs. A brief update about the happenings of the week is circulated by the student's union every week. Students can then choose what interests them and opt to join. UCD has the biggest sports infrastructure in the country and promotes sports equally vigorously.
Fees
Fees are separate for EU and Non-EU applicants. Non-EU applicants almost pay twice the amount as that EU applicants. Fees for M.Sc. Applied Economics for Non-EU applicants: Euro 19,900.
Scholarship
Yes. UCD Global Scholarship. Euro 2,000. (As Merited by the university itself. No separate application necessary) Many other scholarship opportunities are also available. They may have to be separately applied for, through the college website.
Faculty
20 odd professors for a batch of 80 odd students. Very healthy faculty-to-student ratio. Faculty are easily approachable, in person or even by mail. Very understanding and cooperative. Prof. Oana Peia, Prof. Frank Walsh, Prof. Stephanie Haller, Prof. Davies, and Prof.Madden, and Prof. Deli left a lasting impact on their teaching. They were able to inspire students with their teaching and passion.
Hostel
Student accommodations are available but need to be applied for well in time. Student accommodations cost about 50% more than staying in a shared+rented apartment in Dublin. Student accommodation monthly costs over about Euro 800 while a shared 2 bedroom apartment between 4 individuals costs 500/person. University accommodation cost includes an amount for utilities such as gas, electricity, heating, WIFI, etc. which would cost approx. 40-50 euros per month if staying in a rented shared apartment. The only upside of university accommodation is a private ensuite room. Ensuite rooms are available throughout Dublin for 600-700 euros. The Rental Housing market in Dublin is extremely expensive to stay alone. But is still cheaper than university accommodation