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International Relations (including foundation year)

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language and Mathematics at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent, eg Functional Skills at Level 2)

UCAS Tariff

32

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

International relations

**Why study this course?**

If you’re passionate about international relations but don’t have the necessary requirements to enter the three-year undergraduate degree, this four-year course is perfect for you. On our International Relations (including foundation year) BA degree, you’ll gain all the academic skills necessary to succeed in undergraduate study, while being introduced to a wide range of current affairs and social sciences topics.

After completion of Year 0, you’ll study the same content and have the same choice of modules as students on the International Relations BA course. You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the traditional three-year course.

**More about this course**

Our International Relations (including foundation year) BA course is excellent preparation for academic study and a career within diplomacy, politics or non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Your foundation year will be shared with students from other disciplines, so you’ll get to learn alongside individuals with different academic interests and strengths. You’ll find that the foundation year is a unique opportunity to improve your academic skills including critical thinking, essay writing and research in the context of social sciences.

The foundation year will also provide a broad base for the study of international relations. You’ll explore topics such as media, crime, race, society and identity, all of which affect the realm of national and international politics. These modules are also great in helping you develop vital academic skills, critically analyse material, and improve your writing and research abilities. During this year, you’ll also study a module more related to international relations, which will allow you to get a better understanding of the subjects and themes you’ll study in the subsequent three years.

We pride ourselves on providing excellent academic and pastoral support to our students. Your academic tutor and mentor will ensure that you have all the tools necessary to progress within your degree and settle well into life at university. There will also be opportunities to attend academic skills and career-oriented workshops, if you want to make the most of your study at London Met.

At the end of your foundation year you’ll continue on to undergraduate study, where you’ll find the course will focus on the in-depth study of the field of international relations. During your final years you’ll experience greater flexibility in choosing your modules and specialising in topics that interest you.

After completion of Year 0, you’ll study the same course content as students who have started on the three-year International Relations BA course. Learn more about the final three years of your degree on our International Relations BA course page on our website or UCAS.

Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical Thinking (core)
Interventions for Change (core)
Media, Crime and 'Race' (core)
Reflecting on Self and Society (core)
Researching Discrimination (core)
Researching Inequality (core)
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay (core)

Example Year 1 modules include:

Global Politics, Economy and Society (core)
Introduction to International Relations (core)
Peace, Conflict and Diplomacy since 1945 (core)
Politics and Government (core)

Example Year 2 modules include:

Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy (core)
Shifting Global Power in the 21st Century (core)
Strategy in the Contemporary World (core)
Creating a Winning Business 1 (alternative core)
Politics and International Relations: Work-based Learning (alternative core)
American Foreign Policy (option)
Contemporary US Politics (option)
Diplomacy Old and New (option)
Peace and Conflict in Theory and Practice (option)
Political Theory (option)
Politics of the Middle East (option)
Racism and Ethnicity (option)
Politics of the European Union (option)

Example Year 3 modules include:

International Security in an Era of Globalisation (core)
Creating a Winning Business 2 (alternative core)
Placement 1 Semester (alternative core)
Politics and International Relations: Work-based Learning (alternative core)
Project 1 Semester (alternative core)
Project 1 Year (alternative core)
Action and Identity: Gender and Political Participation (option)
African Politics (option)
Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (option)
Human Rights and International Conflict (option)
Latin American Politics (option)
Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (option)
Politics of Modern States (option)

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through a wide variety of assessments. These may include portfolios of reflective writing, essays, reports, presentations and exams.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£17,600
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,600
per year
International
£17,600
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£17,600
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Holloway

Department:

School of Social Sciences and Professions

Read full university profile

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.

86%
International relations

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

92%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
69%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
80%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

77%
UK students
23%
International students
33%
Male students
67%
Female students
71%
2:1 or above
18%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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.

£19,200
med
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
47%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

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

£15k

£24k

£24k

£26k

£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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here