Overview
Make sense of the world and the forces shaping nations. Understand the factors behind war, conflict and collaboration between states. Explore what democracy, freedom and equality mean to people at home and abroad.
On this BA (Hons) International Relations and Politics degree, you’ll analyse the global and local issues influencing society, from global migration to the rise of populist politics – and learn the skills needed to help enact change, shape opinions, and tackle inequality.
You’ll explore politics theory in action through the latest developments in British and international politics. Set yourself up for careers in local and national government, international diplomacy, security, lobbying, academic research, the charity sector and the media.
Course Highlights
- Learn from staff at our Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), whose research impacts government policy
- Customise your international relations and politics degree with specialist subjects of your choice, such as climate change, social movements, digital technology and democracy, and human rights legislation
- Create policy briefing papers offering recommendations to practitioners on major recent international issues, such as the Ukraine Crisis, the 'MeToo' movement, the rise of terrorist organisations and the Arab Revolutions
- Attend events and talks led by people working in NGOs, local, national and international government, and journalism
- Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament
- Take part in a simulated ‘academic conference’, where you’ll present a paper that will be discussed with your peers
- Have the opportunity to do a work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates
- Take up an exchange opportunity at a university outside the UK, such as Nagoya University in Japan, Science Po or Caen-Normandy University in France, The Hague University of Applied Sciences or University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, University of Western Carolina in the USA, Prince Edward Island University or Carleton University in Canada, or Edith Cowan University in Australia
- Choose to learn a foreign language for free as part of your degree, from a selection of Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish
Careers and opportunities
The analytical skills you’ll develop on this international relations and politics degree are in demand – your ability to understand complex issues and find solutions to them means that roles across government agencies, NGOs, charities, think tanks and international organisations are all within your reach.
And with technology continuing to develop at a frantic pace, there’s an ever-increasing demand for graduates with the knowledge required to ensure new developments are ethical.
When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills and cultural experience to work.
Graduates from this degree have gone on to careers in the following sectors:
- local and central government
- embassies
- non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
- security services
- international organisations, like the United Nations (UN)
- international charities like War Child, Amnesty International or the Red Cross
- policy research and think tanks
- media and international business consultancy
- political risk analysis
- public relations
- voluntary organisations
- management
- banking and financial services
- tourism
Placement year (optional)
After the second or third year of your international relations and politics degree, you can do an optional work placement year to get valuable longer-term work experience in the industry.
Taking an optional placement year will give you the experience you need to increase your chances of landing your perfect role. We'll give you all the support you need to find a placement that prepares you for your career, and we'll continue to mentor you throughout your placement.
Previous students have been on placements to organisations such as:
- The Ministry of Defence
- The House of Commons
- National Museum of the Royal Navy
- Otra Cosa (Peru)
- SEK International
- Freedom from Torture
- Victim Support London
- Tools for Self Reliance
You could also choose to set up your own business, or take a voluntary placement.
Recent graduates have gone on to roles including:
- political researcher, Houses of Parliament
- assistant to Member of Parliament
- civil servant, Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- communications officer, House of Commons
- local government administrator, Government of Jersey
- director of Language Studies for an international school
- public affairs consultant
- bilingual consultant
- multilingual project coordinator
- translator
- social researcher
- information officer
- conference producer
