Masters degrees in Politics & Government investigate the principles and practices behind different forms of government and their effect on issues ranging from economic development to social justice and international relations.
Studying one of these wide-ranging programmes will develop your understanding of the assumptions and value systems underpinning political strategies and decision-making along with the theories developed to tackle social and political problems by states and societies across history.
You’ll also address some of the most important challenges facing twenty-first decision makers: from the achievement of international economic equality to the difficult question of intervention in global conflicts and crises.
Courses are delivered through a series of taught modules on specialist topics, or structured around longer independent research projects. Most will accept a relevant undergraduate degree in Politics or other relevant Humanities and Social Science subjects.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Politics at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
This MA in Politics gives students the skills they need to be prepared for the challenges we all face in a world that is rapidly changing and where politics matters more than ever.
The MA in Politics is designed to provide high level training in the core components of contemporary political study. It provides a solid grounding in research skills and theoretical approaches to politics.
The Politics programme then allows students to select options that focus on global, comparative and/or British politics as well as political theory and philosophy.
The Politics degree is enriched by opportunities (awarded on a competitive basis) for work-based placement learning either through the Wales for Africa programme or placements arranged with government organisations in Wales.
The full-time Politics course structure is split across the year with three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer. Politics students study four compulsory modules, the research process module and one optional module. The dissertation is written on a specialist research topic of the student's choosing in Politics.
Part-time study for the MA in Politics is available.
- To develop advanced knowledge and understanding of Politics.
- To develop critical, theoretical and analytical skills, improve written and oral communication skills.
- To acquire research skills in Politics.
Modules on the MA in Politics typically include:
• Governance, Globalization and Neoliberal Political Economy
• Comparative Politics in the New World Order
• The Policy Making Process
• Politics and Public Policy in the New Wales
• Violence, Conflict and Development
• Critical Security
• Civil Society and International Development
• War in Space
• War, Identity and Society
• New Media Technologies, Society and Politics
• Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention
• Women and Politics
• Politics in Contemporary Britain
Students interested in politics, international relations, development studies, law, humanities, social science, International business or related background. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to politics.
Career expectations are excellent for Politics graduates. MA in Politics degree holders may move on to doctoral study or enter employment sectors such as government and politics; the Foreign office; the diplomatic corps; the armed forces; intelligence and risk analysis; relief and humanitarian organisations; law and finance and international business.
The following research groups at Swansea provide a distinct international and multi-disciplinary forum for the advancement of the study of Politics including:
• Policy and Governance
• International Relations & Security
• Cultural Political Economy
• Development Studies
• International Communication
Regular research seminars and lectures including in the field of Politics are run through these groups and also through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) which Politics students are encouraged to attend.
The MA in Politics offers opportunities (awarded on a competitive basis) for work-based placement learning either through the Study in Gambia progamme or placements arranged with government organisations in Wales.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Politics at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
This MA in Politics gives students the skills they need to be prepared for the challenges we all face in a world that is rapidly changing and where politics matters more than ever.
The MA in Politics is designed to provide high level training in the core components of contemporary political study. It provides a solid grounding in research skills and theoretical approaches to politics.
The Politics programme then allows students to select options that focus on global, comparative and/or British politics as well as political theory and philosophy.
The Politics degree is enriched by opportunities (awarded on a competitive basis) for work-based placement learning either through the Wales for Africa programme or placements arranged with government organisations in Wales.
The full-time Politics course structure is split across the year with three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer. Politics students study four compulsory modules, the research process module and one optional module. The dissertation is written on a specialist research topic of the student's choosing.
Part-time study for the MA in Politics is available.
The Extended MA (EMA) in Politics is a 240-credit postgraduate qualification that is equivalent to 120 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) and is thus a recognised Masters qualification throughout the European Union. The EMA is a standard UK MA plus an additional 60 credits (30 ECTS) and this additional coursework is undertaken in one semester at a partner institution overseas. The EMA in Politics is therefore not only an EU recognised postgraduate qualification it also adds a study abroad experience thus enhancing the qualification’s employability credentials.
The partner institution for EMA Politics is the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD). The Department of Political Science was established in 1915 and is the only Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Center of Excellence in Political Science in the Philippines. The University of the Philippines is the country’s national university, with UPD its
biggest campus and the physical seat of its Administration. UPD occupies 493 hectares of prime land in Quezon City, it has in excess of 25,000 students and the library resources are the largest in the country.
- To develop advanced knowledge and understanding of Politics.
- To develop critical, theoretical and analytical skills, improve written and oral communication skills.
- To acquire research skills in Politics.
Modules on the MA in Politics typically include:
• Governance, Globalization and Neoliberal Political Economy
• Comparative Politics in the New World Order
• The Policy Making Process
• Politics and Public Policy in the New Wales
• Violence, Conflict and Development
• Critical Security
• Civil Society and International Development
• War in Space
• War, Identity and Society
• New Media Technologies, Society and Politics
• Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention
• Women and Politics
• Politics in Contemporary Britain
Students interested in politics, international relations, development studies, law, humanities, social science, International business or related background. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to politics.
Career expectations are excellent for Politics graduates. MA in Politics degree holders may move on to doctoral study or enter employment sectors such as government and politics; the Foreign office; the diplomatic corps; the armed forces; intelligence and risk analysis; relief and humanitarian organisations; law and finance and international business.
The following research groups at Swansea provide a distinct international and multi-disciplinary forum for the advancement of the study of Politics including:
• Policy and Governance
• International Relations & Security
• Cultural Political Economy
• Development Studies
• International Communication
Regular research seminars and lectures are run through these groups and also through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) which Politics students are encouraged to attend.
The MA in Politics offers opportunities (awarded on a competitive basis) for work-based placement learning either through the Study in Gambia progamme or placements arranged with government organisations in Wales.
This course allows you to study United States politics at an advanced level in a department ranked top in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014) and with an extraordinary number of staff trained in the US. One of the few United States-focused courses in the UK, the course allows you gain in-depth knowledge of the workings of the US political system—what makes it unique, how it has evolved, and how it is changing. You receive a thorough training in the theories and methods needed to conduct your own research into United States politics – culminating in your dissertation on a topic that fascinates you and enhances your career. Your research skills will be in demand by a wide range of employers, including government, international organisations, policy analysis and market research. The course also prepares students for doctoral study.
The core module covers topics relating to the political institutions and policy-making in the United States including:
· The US Constitutional Design
· American Political Parties
· The American Electorate
· Congress and the Presidency
· Economic and Political Inequality
· Interest Groups
· Representation, Race and Gender
· Federalism and the Judiciary
In addition, the course includes modules covering theory and explanation in political science and advanced research methods. Optional modules include such topics as international relations, foreign policy and the politics of Western democracies.
Our Department of Government is one of the most prestigious research and graduate training departments in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began. Some of the biggest names in the field work at Essex, giving you unparalleled access to some of the best minds in politics and our academic staff work on topics ranging from political institutions, elections and international conflict and violence, to British and European elections. Our staff routinely advise governments, assist in training politicians and civil servants, and provide commentary on political events in national and international media.
Key academic staff for this course include:
Over half of our academic staff completed doctoral training in the United States and many of these staff have published, taught and/or provided expert commentary on topics relating to US politics, including Natasha Ezrow (PhD University of California Santa Barbara) and Gina YannitellReinhardt (PhD Washington University in St. Louis).
We live in an age where there is an urgent need for cooperative responses to address major global security challenges, as well as to transform intractable inter-state and intrastate conflicts. This programme responds to that need by providing students with an advanced interdisciplinary training in the theory and practice of global cooperation and conflict resolution. We offer research-led teaching at the intersection of International Relations, Political Psychology and Security Studies, combined with a 5-day training programme in 'Trust, Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation'.
Our students can follow a flexible programme with a wide choice of modules (part-time students are also welcome). In addition to our three core modules, we encourage students to take our new optional module in the Political Psychology of Conflict and Cooperation. Overall, our programme offers interdisciplinary training focused on the role of values, emotions, and beliefs in shaping the possibilities of conflict, cooperation and security at the international level.
In the School of Government and Society we offer much more than a degree. As a student here, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, you have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of events, with some or all of the costs paid for by the School.
Our MSc degree explores the theory and practice of how individuals, states, and political institutions manage conflict, and develop cooperation in international relations. The programme considers how political communities with different values, cultures, histories, and security conceptions can build trust in a global system.
You will gain a multidisciplinary understanding of key global security challenges (e.g. climate change, nuclear proliferation, transnational terrorism, and intractable conflicts inside and across state borders) and cover debates in International Relations, Political Psychology and Security Studies.
Topics and issues examined include:
Our students explore cutting edge scholarship through three core modules: Fear, Cooperation and Trust in World Politics, Global Cooperation in Practice, and our exclusive training programme on Trust, Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation. In addition, our Political Psychology of Conflict and Cooperation examines the psychological determinants of political choices and behaviours. Our programme allows for a truly interdisciplinary training in understanding and tackling the challenges of complex international tensions.
Our MSc degree has one more distinctive feature: it is offered by the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS), a world-leading interdisciplinary research centre, in partnership with the Department of Political Science and International Studies. The ICCS has strong connections to high level practitioner networks, which offer summer internship opportunities. Our MSc students can also become members of the four ICCS Research Working Groups: Trust; Political Settlements; International Political Psychology; Unmanned and Remote-Piloted Systems.
Who is the programme for?
Our MSc degree is designed for students interested in international relations, political psychology and security studies. Our students share a common goal: to advance their academic training, establish a policy-related career, work in government, international organizations and NGOs, or serve as mediators, negotiators and diplomats to address intractable conflicts at all levels of world politics.
You might also be interested in one of our other MSc programmes: Political Psychology of International Relations
We advocate an enquiry-based approach to learning, which means that we encourage you to become an independent and self-motivated learner. Through the programme of study we offer, we will develop the qualities that employers value in today's university graduates - qualities that will set you apart in your future career.
To help you develop these skills, we adopt a range of teaching methods. They may include:
More about teaching and learning at the University of Birmingham.
Our MSc students can pursue exciting and stimulating career opportunities with a range of organisations including government agencies, international organisations, the armed forces, NGOs, think-tanks, the media, the political world, and multinational corporations. Our excellent academic training is complemented by networking opportunities and voluntary work placements either at the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS)itself, or at one of our partner organisations. All our placements are offered on a competitive basis, over the summer term for a maximum of 20 days in order to allow sufficient time for the completion of your dissertation. These include:
Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS)
Our four research-focused working groups invite applications for summer placements in the following areas:
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