The International Politics MA programme is for students who want to explore international politics more widely. It is designed to help you drill down and follow your specific interests and specialise your knowledge. The course has been designed to give you the chance to pursue your own questions about the way the world works – and to shape arguments where you feel it doesn’t.
The knowledge and skills you develop during the course will enable you to explore a number of rewarding career options – from supporting NGOs to working with the civil service or media.
Is the USA a benevolent global leader or a neo-imperial power? How does the shift in power from the West to the Rest reshape international politics in the 21st century? Can states act effectively in a world increasingly shaped by international institutions and global economic actors?
The International Politics MA will challenge your point of view and help you:
You may have the opportunity to undertake a placement, but it is not a formal requirement of the course. We encourage you to create your own placement, by fostering connections offered by the Careers Service.
There is also the International Politics Careers Day, which helps you to explore career opportunities with international politics degrees. The day includes:
The course is taught by academics within the department with industry professionals offering insight in the form of talks for the Practitioner Series. This is a programme of talks from visiting speakers and alumni working within organisations such as The Refugee Council and Amnesty International.
Each taught module is assessed by an essay, either a 5,000-word essay for 30 credit modules or a 3,000-word essay for 15 credit modules. Your final MA marks are derived from a combination of your essay and dissertation grades.
You are required to submit a dissertation of 15,000 words in an area linked to the MA degree. Your dissertation topic will be agreed with your personal tutor/supervisor.
Your work will be assessed by coursework alone, there are no exams. Many students develop their key interest first when they choose their elective modules, then when they write their essays, and finally when they write their dissertation over the summer term.
The structure of this MA gives you the flexibility to design your own degree.
The taught modules are completed in Terms 1 and 2, normally over a single academic year for full-time students and over two academic years for part-time students. You are required to take a total of 120 credits in taught modules.
There is one core module – 'Theories of International Politics' (30 credits) taught in the first term (30 credits).
The remaining credits will be made up of elective modules that you must choose from the list of electives opened to students in the MA International Politics. Throughout the year you can choose elective modules that suit your interests. You can also opt to pursue your interests by studying across departments with optional modules from the Department of Sociology and The City Law School.
The number of elective modules you take will vary depending on the number of 15- and 30-credit modules you choose. All modules run for a minimum of eleven weeks (or one term).
Core modules
Elective modules
Choose 60 credits from:
Typical modules offered by the Department of International Politics:
Typical modules offered by the Sociology Department:
Typical modules offered by The City Law School:
Advance your understanding of the changing nature of international politics , the impact of globalisation, the rise of global governance, the politics of human rights and other significant topics in international politics.
Developments in global and international politics have significant consequences for how states interact with each other, how they maintain security and avoid conflict, and how they deal with complex issues such as migration and the emergence of new global powers. The MSc in International Politics degree from the University of Southampton enables you to expand your understanding of contemporary global and international politics, while also honing research skills which are highly valued by employers.
Graduates from this MSc are well placed to pursue careers in both national and international political institutions and organizations, think tanks, advocacy organizations, the civil service, and further research.
The programme is designed both to equip students to undertake independent research in international politics and to develop skills that are of relevance to a broad range of careers in the public or private sector.
The aims of the programme are to provide you with:
All of our MSc programmes endeavour to develop your subject-specific knowledge and understanding, and provide opportunities for you to shape your own degree trajectory through optional module selection. In addition, all our MSc programmes aim to help you gain:
In addition to the credit-bearing modules you will take as part of your chosen programme, all MSc students participate in our bespoke training workshops, led by the MSc Coordinator, and specifically designed to help you get the best grades you can on during your masters study with us:
MSc Coursework Workshop (Semester 1)
This workshop explains the expectations and demands of coursework in our masters programmes, delineates the critical thinking, research and writing skills required, outlines the processes associated with literature reviews and coursework planning, and the rules about academic integrity. The workshop is designed to give practical support to students as they approach their coursework tasks, help UK/EU students understand the specific expectations we have at masters level, and help overseas students unfamiliar with higher education in this country get a better sense of what is expected.
MSc Dissertation Workshop (Semester 2)
This workshop helps students begin the process of thinking about and planning for their MSc dissertation. It provides guidance on topic selection, generation of research questions, aims of the literature review, the role of primary research, dissertation structure, writing advice, and the role of the supervisor. The workshop also offers practical advice from academics about how to produce an original piece of work, the role of depth over breadth, and how to craft convincing arguments.
View the programme specification document for this course
The International Politics and Human Rights programme is for students who want to explore international politics and human rights more widely and then drill down to specialise their knowledge. The MA is designed to give you the chance to create your own questions about the way the world works – and to shape arguments where you feel it doesn’t. These are some of the questions the course poses:
This is a course where you will challenge your own point of view. We unpick the ideas that structure the way we understand the world, so we can identify how those understandings shape global events. We then focus on how the way we view things may, in itself, be ethically problematic.
International Politics and Human Rights is an evolving subject so you explore unique specialisms backed by real-world research. The department’s academics are actively shaping policy, sitting on the advisory board for the Corbyn shadow cabinet, hosting talks on the human right to housing in London, and engaging in study groups around the Obama presidency. This keeps the content of the course effective and current, giving you a contemporary lens from which to view rapid political change.
You have the opportunity to undertake a placement, but it is not a formal requirement of the course. We encourage you to create your own, by fostering connections offered by the Careers Service. There is also the International Politics Careers Day, which explores career opportunities with international politics degrees and includes:
As part of the University of London you can also become a member of Senate House Library for free with your student ID card.
The course is taught by academics within the department with industry professionals offering insight in the form of talks for the Practitioner Series. This is a programme of talks from visiting speakers and alumni working within organisations such as The Refugee Council and Amnesty International.
The staff within our Department of International Politics are research active, enthusiastic and passionate about their work. Often this research and influence leads to policy change and many media appearances. Find out more about International Politics staff.
You can follow our staff’s activity through their Twitter feed: @cityintpolitics
Each taught module is assessed by an essay, either a 5,000-word essay for 30 credit modules or a 3,000-word essay for 15 credit modules. Your final MA marks are derived from a combination of your essay and dissertation grades.
You are required to submit a dissertation of 15,000 words in an area linked to the MA degree. Your dissertation topic will be agreed with your personal tutor/supervisor.
Your work will be assessed by coursework alone, there are no exams. Many students develop their key interest first when they choose their elective modules, then when they write their essays, and finally when they write their dissertation over the summer term.
The structure of this MA means you can design your own degree. The first core module Human Rights and the Transformation of World Politics l is taught in the first term and Global Ethics: Principles, Power and Politics, is taught in the second term. Throughout the year you can choose elective modules that suit your interests. You can also opt to study across departments with optional modules from the Department of Sociology and The City Law School.
You take two 30-credit core modules, one in each term, totalling 60 credits. You will then take elective modules totalling 60 credits, which include 15 and 30 credit options, and complete your 60 credit dissertation in the third term as a student on the full-time programme (with submission in September of that year). You must also attend the dissertation workshops that are offered by the department, as it is a compulsory and important part of the MA programme.
The skills you will take away from this programme – those of research, analysis and presentation – are highly valued by employers. In 2016 70% of City's International Politics graduates were in employment or further study six months after graduation. Current graduates now work within the following organisations:
From human rights organisations to NGOs and government agencies, the course gives you the perfect foundation to prepare for a career in a wide range of fields. You will graduate with the ability to undertake in-depth research, challenge received explanations of topics in social and political life and to examine and critically evaluate the complex structure of relationships between governments, transnational actors, transnational networks and intergovernmental or governmental organisations.
The global challenges of the twenty first century place important demands on students of international politics. Not only do we need to understand the ongoing changes in the nature of war and conflict, but we are also today faced with important transformations in global power relations, international flows of goods, people and diseases and, indeed, shifts in the nature of political communities on the globe. Whatever your background, whether in international politics or another discipline, this flagship MA programme provides you with the necessary tools to tackle these shifting landscapes. With a wide range of modules and departmental expertise at your disposal, the scheme will expose you to envisioning new, different, better ways forward in our efforts to cope with the challenging political, military, social, economic and environmental contexts we live in today.
• Opportunity to study at the world’s first university department of International Politics
• Our Department is ranked in the top 40 in the world for academic reputation (QS, 2017)
• Opportunity to choose from optional modules ranging from the study of war, conflict, strategy and security to the study of global order, international theory and ethics.
• Opportunity to integrate into the research culture of a department at the forefront of understanding and tackling the challenges of ‘how we might live’ in the 21st century.
• Opportunity to study in a challenging and highly stimulating intellectual environment and to engage with the most pressing and thought-provoking issues and topics in international politics.
• 76% of the Department’s publications were deemed either world leading or internationally excellent, making the Department the best in Wales and 7th in the UK - REF 2014
• The Department has over thirty academic and research staff, all of whom are research-active.
• The Department hosts a wide variety of academic events which postgraduate students are encouraged to attend, including guest lectures by leading experts and academics, round table discussions about past, present, and future international issues, and the weekly Departmental research seminars.
Core modules:
International Politics
Dissertation
Optional modules:
Cyber Security
International Communications In Asia-Pacific: Power, Peoples And Propaganda
Islam And Modernity
Politics, Media, Performance: Transdisciplinary Critical Frameworks
Power And Postwar Reconstruction: A Critical Approach
Understanding Wales In An Age Of Global Transformation
The State Through The Ages
Thoughts Of War: Strategic Theory & Thinkers
Critical Security Studies: Contemporary Theories
Intelligence, Security And International Politics Since 1945
Political Responsibility In A Globalized World
Postcolonial Politics
Research in Politics and International Studies
During the first two semesters you will normally take one two-hour seminar per module per week. You will also have contact with academic staff through participation in research groups, attendance in departmental research seminars and masters workshops and through staff office hours (two one hour sessions per week). There will also be additional sessions working towards developing your master’s dissertation. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment will be through a combination of essays, project work, short reports, book reviews and dissertation. It may, depending on the modules chosen, include seminar presentations, review essays and literature searches.
This Masters programme emphasises the development of strong research, writing and analytical skills as well as the capacity to work independently - qualities highly valued by employers. A Masters is also ideal for students who want to pursue PhD research. This MA Programme will empower you to:
• Develop your abilities in structuring and communicating complex ideas efficiently
• Write for and speak to a range of audiences
• Evaluate and organise information
• Work effectively with others
• Work within time frames and to specific deadlines
Our graduates have expansive career opportunities.
Previous graduates from our Department have gone on to work:
• in the development sector
• in local and national politics
• for the Diplomatic Service
• for the Civil Service
• for NGOs
• with international organisations
• as journalists
• within academia
• as governmental and social researchers
• for Foreign Offices
• for the military
• in leadership roles in business/industry (CEOs/Chairmans)
• as political assistants
• as teachers, lawyers and accountants
Designed for students who would like to advance their understanding of the changing nature of international politics, and involving discussion of the impact of globalisation, the rise of global governance, the politics of human rights, and other significant topics in international politics. The increasingly global nature of political relations is typically underscored by equally global economic relations in trade, finance, migration, concern over which is reflected in questions about shifting loci of global authority from 'west' (e.g. Europe and the USA) to 'east' (e.g. China and India) and on-going relationships between the global rich and the global poor.
A Research Masters in International Politics research allows students to start a fulfilling and high flying career working in international security, government departments, as a political consultant, and MPs Researcher, a Public Affairs Consultant or a Global affairs journalist.
Enhance your understanding of global and international politics while also developing highly valued skills across a range of research methods. The MSc International politics (research) degree at the University of Southampton enables you to develop your international politics interests as well as cultivating your abilities in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, research design, and independent thinking skills.
This rigorous programme of study, and the specific research skills it seeks to develop, means that graduates are well placed for careers not just across a broad range of national and international political organizations, but also in areas where independent research skills are at a premium. It is also ideal for those aiming for PhD research in this field.
The programme is designed both to equip students to undertake independent research in global politics and to develop skills that are of relevance to a broad range of careers in the public or private sector. Particular stress is placed on the development of key social science research skills and, as such, the programme is accredited by the ESRC.
The aims of the programme are to provide you with:
All of our MSc programmes endeavour to develop your subject-specific knowledge and understanding, and provide opportunities for you to shape your own degree trajectory through optional module selection. In addition, all our MSc programmes aim to help you gain:
In addition to the credit-bearing modules you will take as part of your chosen programme, all MSc students participate in our bespoke training workshops, led by the MSc Coordinator, and specifically designed to help you get the best grades you can on during your masters study with us:
MSc Coursework Workshop (Semester 1)
This workshop explains the expectations and demands of coursework in our masters programmes, delineates the critical thinking, research and writing skills required, outlines the processes associated with literature reviews and coursework planning, and the rules about academic integrity. The workshop is designed to give practical support to students as they approach their coursework tasks, help UK/EU students understand the specific expectations we have at masters level, and help overseas students unfamiliar with higher education in this country get a better sense of what is expected.
MSc Dissertation Workshop (Semester 2)
This workshop helps students begin the process of thinking about and planning for their MSc dissertation. It provides guidance on topic selection, generation of research questions, aims of the literature review, the role of primary research, dissertation structure, writing advice, and the role of the supervisor. The workshop also offers practical advice from academics about how to produce an original piece of work, the role of depth over breadth, and how to craft convincing arguments.
View the programme specification document for this course
Globalisation and recent wars dramatise the enduring importance of world affairs to government, economics and people’s lives. If you are interested in a career focusing on global politics, this programme is for you. It is aimed at degree-holders with an interest in the theory and practice of world politics.
The degree aims to impart a broad and balanced knowledge of international relations theory at an advanced level. It provides core training in political analysis and methodology of the social sciences; examines contemporary global problems and rival approaches to their solution; and offers specialisation in particular areas such as foreign policy analysis, global society, regional integration, global environmental politics, and strategic and security studies.
This MA prepares graduates for careers in media, academia, non-governmental organisations, international business, research think-tanks and government foreign service.
Our International Politics programme is made up of core and optional modules and a 15,000-word dissertation.
You will learn up-to-date approaches to international relations studies – through interactive seminars guided by experts in the subject – along with more general skills in writing, research, public speaking and logical analysis.
Modules include
* All modules are subject to availability.
This MA provides students with the expert skills and knowledge for a career in political consultancy, the media, the Civil Service, public relations, political parties, parliament and charities.
Many of our Masters students choose to progress to further study at PhD level. Our staff are research-active with specialisms including: strategic studies; international relations theory; international law; foreign policy; political theory; European integration; and the critique of violence.
Our International Politics and Europe (IPEU) programme analyses European politics explicitly in the context of International Relations and International Political Economy. Our MA and Diploma in IPEU are leading programmes and the Department is an international centre for research on International Relations and European politics, with staff at the cutting edge of research in these areas. The programme is very useful to students keen to understand past and present international relations of Europe, and the European Union (EU) amidst times of crisis and in constantly changing world.
The combined study of International Relations and the EU make taught Masters in IPEU at the University of Warwick distinct from many other European Studies programmes. In addition, the economic crisis in Europe provides a timely opportunity to explore the global presence of the EU and how it is shaped by growing political and economic challenges at home and abroad. In this regard, the MA in IPEU examines the EU, its significance for the world system and the various ways in which it engages with the global political economy. Students are given a disciplinary grounding in either International Relations or International Political Economy and are required through the core module 'Europe and the World' to contemplate questions such as:
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