MA International Relations

Introduction:

Wars and division; poverty and pandemics; the climate and cost of living crises. Take a deeper dive behind the headlines to ask tougher questions about urgent issues. In an increasingly globalised and interconnected world, the challenges we face demand cooperation — and that’s where you come in.

On this QAA-accredited Masters course, you’ll be conducting a more dynamic, disruptive investigation of international relations; one that stretches far beyond the traditionally Euro-centric perspectives to embrace regional and minority voices. Supported by a teaching and research team drawn from four continents — plus a string of prestigious guest speakers — you’ll explore the key contemporary debates, growing as an analyst, critical thinker, and sustainability champion. You’ll interrogate your own biases as you examine concepts like ‘power’, ‘citizenship’, and ‘the state’, and you’ll consolidate your theoretical knowledge by developing into an elite-level communicator and negotiator.

This course is for problem-solvers, the socially and environmentally responsible, and the politically and culturally curious. Only by seeing the world through the eyes of others can we become truly global citizens — appreciating the key issues shaping our age, and understanding how ethical, empathetic decisions can help to create meaningful change. With those insights, and a great career awaits you in diplomacy, the media, political advising and advocacy, and much, much more.

Careers and employability

By nature, the International Relations subject aims to foster your global citizenship characteristics with the discipline’s focus on openness to the world, and its focus on sustainability issues. In addition, the knowledge and skills that you attain are generally those that employers in a variety of different sectors seek, which means that as a graduate of this course you should have a good opportunity to promote yourself to suitable employers.

As an International Relations graduate from this course, you'll have had the opportunity to reflect on the subject and transferable skills that you have learned while preparing coursework, and those include expertise in writing complex yet concise analytical pieces, developing and implementing projects, and the ability to present in-depth ideas with confidence. You will also have been helped and encouraged to articulate those skills in relation to particular occupations that you may be interested in pursuing. The course also focuses on developing the following skills: communication, time management, team-working, and IT / modern technologies. Each module in this course is designed to engage you in developing these skills which often form part of assessed assignments.

Alongside providing such transferable skills, we believe that the optional pathway through the Dissertation module will strongly enhance your employability skills and, more generally, the course's engagement with contemporary global issues will ensure that your knowledge and ‘openness' to the wider world is up-to-date and relevant.

Students will need an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK undergraduate honours degree (normally 2.2 or above). Applicants with non-standard entry qualifications and/or relevant experience will be considered on an individual basis. You will be required to demonstrate how your experiences and knowledge would enable you to study this course at Masters-level in your Personal Statement.