Politics and International Studies

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a first-class undergraduate degree from a UK university, or GPA of at least 3.85 or equivalent from a non-UK university.

A background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is normal for students taking this course, but it is not an absolute requirement in all cases.

Months of entry

October

Course content

This MPhil is designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to enhance their understanding of international relations and politics at a graduate level. It is appropriate for those who wish to embark upon an academic career, in the first instance through pursuing doctoral research, but also for those looking to embark on careers in the media, politics, law, public administration, the civil service, finance, teaching, and the charity sector.

The programme aims to offer advanced engagement with various aspects of the academic study of Politics and International Studies. It will provide you with a critical understanding of a range of issues involved in the study of these disciplines, primarily through a mixture of lectures and research-driven seminars.

Among graduate courses in international relations and politics at British universities, the Cambridge MPhil in Politics and International Studies is distinctive in its multidisciplinary approach and breadth. Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars in a range of advanced topics across a variety of subjects in politics and international studies. The taught part of the course aims to familiarise you with the range and variety of disciplines required for a thorough critical understanding of the field in all its complexity, and of the means and methods that have been devised to understand it better.

The programme is suitable both for students who have just completed their first degree and for mature students from, for example, industry, teaching, the civil service or the armed forces.

The department is looking to attract around 50 highly qualified candidates for the MPhil programme each academic year.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course participants will have:

• developed a critical view of the contributions made by the study of politics and international studies, and their related disciplines, to social science more broadly conceived and to practice;
• in-depth knowledge of specific subjects and themes in politics and international studies;
• have become familiar with some of the main themes of the contemporary analysis of politics and international studies.
• have tested their ability to produce a piece of advanced scholarship in conformity with the scientific methods, research techniques, standards of argument and accepted style of presentation of an academic discipline. They will thus be prepared to continue, if necessary, with research at the doctoral level.