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International Relations and Asian Studies

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B

Excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking.

Considered on a case by case basis.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,M1,M2

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Requirements: English grade 4/C required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

34

Considered on a case-by-case basis alongside one A Level.

Considered on a case-by-case basis alongside two A Levels.

Considered on a case-by-case basis.

Please contact the school for further information.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A

Scottish Highers at AABBB are also required

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B,B

Scottish Advanced Highers at AA are also required

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

A

A Levels at grade AB are also required

UCAS Tariff

112-147

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

International relations

Asian studies

How will the West adapt to the growth of Asia’s economic and political influence on global affairs? How might this shift in power affect the world order? How will relationships between Asia and the West evolve?

Our BA International Relations and Asian Studies will give you insights into the latest political and international relations developments within Asia and between Asia and the rest of the world. You will study key themes such as the evolution of the Asian continent and the complex challenges of global politics. Teaching is underpinned by the work of our Asia Research Institute, which addresses the major political, social and economic challenges of the region.

You’ll be fully immersed in the culture of the region when you spend your second year studying at either our China or Malaysia campus. Through a range of optional modules, you can tailor your degree to your interests and career goals in areas such as environmental governance, security, the media, and social and global justice.

You will graduate with specialist knowledge and the transferable skills and confidence you need to stand out to employers as you start your career.

Modules

In year one, you will cover topics like international relations, comparative politics, and Asian politics. Optional modules explore controversies in British politics and key political ideas and historical developments.

The intention is for you to spend your second year studying abroad at the University's campuses in China or Malaysia, where teaching will be in English.

Please note, in the event of government or University restrictions on study abroad are in place at the intended year of study, you will then study the modules on the UK pathway.

In China, you will explore the country's modern political history, economy and society, developing research techniques. You can also choose to study the Mandarin language.

In Malaysia, you will examine Asia Pacific relations and developing an understanding of the Malay world. You can choose to delve further into the country's culture, economy and security.

In your final year, you have the option to complete a dissertation on a topic of your choice in international relations and Asian studies. You'll be allocated a dedicated supervisor to support you.

You will also select from a wide range of optional modules that allow you to specialise in the areas that interest you.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£20,500
per year
International
£20,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University Park Campus

Department:

School of Politics and International Relations

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.

74%
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

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
65%
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

66%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
45%
Male students
55%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
A

Asian studies

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
34%
Male students
66%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

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.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
67%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
15%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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.

Asian studies

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.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
med
Employed or in further education
71%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

25%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
15%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Very few graduates take this subject and so we don't have much data to go on when looking at what graduates do with this type of degree. If you are interested in studying this subject, then it's a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course and what previous graduates did.

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.

£24k

£24k

£29k

£29k

£36k

£36k

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.

Asian studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£29k

£29k

£34k

£34k

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):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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