Course Overview

On this International Relations BA (Hons) degree, you’ll examine major social and political issues in the world today, learn from a diverse team of academic experts and gain practical hands-on experience through a work placement. All of this will put you in the best possible position for an exciting career in international relations.

Our experienced lecturers will work with you to explore the major concepts of international relations – peace, conflict and diplomacy. You’ll then use this theory to explore your own areas of interests, which can be anything from the role of religion, to Middle Eastern politics, to foreign policy analysis, nuclear proliferation or intelligence agencies.

We place a huge emphasis on your employability, which is why we’ll encourage you to undertake a work placement as part of this course. Here’s where studying in the heart of London pays off: you can secure work experience at thinktanks, non-governmental organisations (think Amnesty International) or embassies. This aims to prepare you for the next step in your career journey, whether that’s in graduate employment or further study.

To help develop and deepen your understanding of international relations, shape your views, opinions and critical thinking, we regularly invite guest practitioners to share their experiences with students. Some of our past guests include US Congresswomen Donna Edwards and Elizabeth Esty, the Deputy Ambassador of Sweden, comedian and documentary maker Rich Hall who spoke to our students about the Cold War, and the Editor of On-Screen Content at Sky News who talked about Brexit. We also have an annual visit from Holocaust survivors, including Steven Frank BEM who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to Holocaust education.

During this degree, you’ll also learn about international relations beyond the classroom by visiting parliament, embassies, NGOs, local museums and art galleries. These visits will help solidify your understanding and the history of key issues such as power, race and gender.

General Eligibility

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades CCC in three A levels (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg Advanced Diploma)

• English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)

Part Time Work Details

20 Hours of Work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 (including a minimum of 5.5 in each component) or equivalent is normally required.