Find out more about studying International Relations and Democratic Politics MA at University of Westminster, London? We've gathered all the key details, entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
MA - Master of Arts
Regent Campus
Part Time
Sep 2026
2 Year
The International Relations and Democratic Politics MA provides an advanced critical and comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping democracy, inter-state relations, and global politics. Designed for future changemakers, this course bridges theory and practice to help students reimagine global politics and champion new pathways for democratic participation and civic engagement. In an era marked by profound challenges to democracy, its impact is evident in preparing graduates for influential careers in foreign service, policymaking, NGOs, international organisations, journalism, or advanced academic study, while fostering their ability to champion innovative pathways for democratic participation and civic engagement in an increasingly complex world. Drawing on key theoretical interpretations of democratic politics, the course examines various principles of democratic thinking (ranging from pluralism and civil society to egalitarianism and human rights) and explores the interplay between theory and practice in old and new democracies and in processes of global governance. You will study various aspects of international order and politics, including the dynamics of international social and political power relationships and conflicts, and state building. These topics are studied comparatively in relation to governmental, political and social processes, and in the contexts of various historical continuities, discontinuities and contrasts.
The module examines key issues and debates in democratic politics. It focuses on 20th-century democratic thought and discusses how key democratic ideas/ideals have been interpreted and re-interpreted to address dominant trends and changes in democratic societies. The module identifies some of the challenges confronting democratic theory and practice, and it examines differences between old and new democracies. Throughout the module special emphasis is given to the dynamics of democratic institution and democratic renewal.
You will receive supervised guidance and research methods training (through a series of research method workshops, the Dissertation induction and colloquium seminars, and individual Dissertation supervision sessions) to prepare you for your Masters Dissertation on an agreed research topic. You will begin identifying your Dissertation interests at the start of your studies, when you will be able to discuss your ideas with different tutors who may direct you towards taking appropriate option modules that support your future research studies. This module must be taken either following the completion of all other modules, or concurrently with modules in your second semester.
This module introduces you to the theoretical frameworks and practices of the politics of global complexity, the debates that have been triggered, and the way that complexity understandings have developed, especially in the 1990s and 2000s. Emphasis is placed upon the conceptual frameworks deployed in understanding system effects on political, economic and social life, and how these enable us to rethink democratic governance, power and agency. While focusing on conceptual frameworks, this module also engages with how complexity is reflected in new approaches to policy, and external stakeholders will provide input to the module (for example, the Social Market Foundation, Demos, the New Local Government Network and the Foreign Policy Centre).
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