International Relations and Politics
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer CCC (96 UCAS points from two or more A levels).
Access to HE Diploma
Total of 60 credits (45 credits at Level 3 and 15 credits at Level 2) from an Access to Higher Education Diploma with passes in Level 2 Communications units. QAA accredited course required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
A minimum of 15 points at the higher level and a minimum of 4 points in English.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
A minimum of 105 UCAS points to include four passes at Higher level in related subjects.
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Why study this course?**
Examine the relationship between historical events, politics and social issues such as poverty, power, gender and race on our International Relations and Politics BA (Hons).
You’ll have the freedom to explore the social movements that interest you. This could be anything from #MeToo, to the current #BlackLivesMatter drive or the Stonewall riots that started the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States.
**More about this course**
On this International Relations and Politics BA (Hons) degree, you’ll explore the relationship between social and political issues around the world today and study the historical events that led to current situations.
We want you to tailor your degree so it’s right for you. There will be some core modules where you’ll learn about important events, theories and structures, but you’ll also have lots of flexibility to explore the topics that are important to you.
You could choose to study political unrest in the Middle East, the origin of racism and its impact globally to date, how religion affects political unrest around the world, the role of social media in social movements, acts of terrorism, political spin in the UK in relation to Brexit or the global fight for equality.
Our lecturers are established thinkers and influencers in their specialist topics. From them, you’ll learn key theories around diplomacy, conflict, authority and ethics.
On top of this, you’ll also have the opportunity to gain practical experience via a work placement so that you’re prepared to hit the ground running when you graduate. Being based in London helps to secure work experience in a range of places, including the UK government, non-government organisations (NGOs) or international embassies.
We also hold various events that you can get involved with, such as our popular Congress to Campus talk where we’re joined by former members of the US congress to shed light on the workings of American politics. There are also field trips to parliament, embassies, NGOs, museums and art galleries to solidify your understanding of international social and political events.
**What our students say**
"I really like that we have a wide choice of modules and can combine studying other subjects. The teaching is very well structured.
"I like doing the reports as they’re very useful in real life and the seminars have given me confidence to speak in public.
"I joined the United Nations Model Society and helped run an event with the Bulgarian Ambassador that went really well."
– Plamena Solakova – International Relations and Politics BA graduate
Modules
Year 1 modules include:
Introduction to International Relations (core)
Global Politics, Economy and Society (core)
Peace, Conflict and Diplomacy since 1945 (core)
Politics and Government (core)
Open Language Programme Module (option)
Year 2 modules include:
Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy (core)
Governance and Public Policy (core)
Comparative Politics (core)
Political Theory (core)
Creating a Winning Business 1 (alt-core)
Politics and International Relations: Work- Based Learning (alt-core)
Immigrants and Nativists (option)
Shifting Global Power (option)
American Foreign Policy (option)
Media and Culture (option)
Politics of the Middle East (option)
Politics of the European Union (option)
Strategy in a Contemporary World (option)
Contemporary US Politics (option)
Open Language Programme Module (option)
Extension of Knowledge Module (option)
Year 3 modules include:
International Security in an Era of Globalisation (core)
The Politics of Modern States (core)
Creating a Winning Business 2 (alt-core)
Politics and International Relations: Work-Based Learning (alt-core)
Project 1 Semester (alt-core)
Project 1 Year (alt-core)
Placement Module - 1 Year (alt core)
Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (option)
Modern British Politics (option)
Human Rights and International Conflict (option)
African Politics (option)
Latin American Politics (option)
Action and Identity: Gender and Political Participation (option)
Extension of Knowledge Module (option)
Assessment methods
You will be assessed during and at the end of modules using a variety of methods including essays, reports, learning logs,
exams, seminar performance, individual and group seminar presentations, portfolios, blogs, policy documents, dissertations, and book reviews. The majority of these are assessed by your tutor, but a number will be peer-reviewed in seminars. This mixed assessment strategy will maximise your development through each level of the degree, improving your subject-specific knowledge and employability.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Holloway
School of Social Sciences and Professions
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Politics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Politics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£24k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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