International Relations

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course will normally have achieved a good UK 2.1 honours degree, GPA of 3.7 or above or overseas equivalent.

There is provision to accept non-standard applicants who do not satisfy the standard academic criterion. Such applicants must produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience and their suitability for the course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The course is distinctive in its multidisciplinary approach and breadth. Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars in theory, politics, history, economics, law, security and various regional and area studies, as well as individual thesis supervision. 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.

Who is the course designed for?

The programme is designed for mature students from (for example) industry, teaching, the civil service, NGOs or the armed forces, but it is also suitable for students who have just completed their first degree. A background in international relations, law, economics, history or politics is a definite asset, but we welcome applications from all disciplines. The course is taught in intensive residential blocks which enables students to continue with their professional careers while studying and also enables international students to attend.

Aims of the programme

By the end of the course students should have:

• Developed the ability to apply critically the main theories, models, and concepts used in the study of international politics
• Developed an understanding and substantive knowledge of international politics, history, economics, and security
• Extended and developed their analytical, evaluative and critical capacities
• Developed transferable skills, including the ability to take responsibility for their own learning, making oral and written presentations, planning and producing written assignments, working independently, and, where they have chosen to do so, using information technology
• Developed the ability to undertake independent research and writing