International Relations
UCAS Code: L292
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Overall: BBB Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking. GCSE or Equivalent: GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).
Access to HE Diploma
Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 27 at Distinction and 18 at Merit. GCSE or Equivalent: GCSE English Language and Mathematics at Grade C(4) (or equivalent).
Extended Project
Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE or Equivalent: GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Overall: 32 GCSE or Equivalent: English HL4/SL4 and either Maths HL4/SL4 or Maths Studies HL4/SL4.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Overall: DDM GCSE or Equivalent: GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).
Scottish Advanced Higher
Overall: BBB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C
Scottish Higher
Overall: ABBBB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C
Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers. GCSE or Equivalent: GCSE English Language and Mathematics at Grade C(4) (or equivalent).
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Why choose this course**
International relations is about the distribution of power in the international political system. Our innovative BSc International Relations course focuses on the ways that the international political system is organised, introducing elements of conflict and peace building, and discussion processes of globalisation, international cooperation and foreign policymaking. This course has a truly international outlook, and will introduce you to a variety of social and political issues behind the biggest and most current debates in international affairs.
**What you will study**
On our BSc International Relations course, you’ll receive a full grounding in the discipline as a whole and explore national, regional and transnational trends through international relations theory and the analysis of a wide range of case studies.
You’ll be able to examine questions of great significance on the global political stage, such as international security, foreign policy, globalisation, environmental policy and international governance.
If you decide to undertake a final year dissertation, you will explore an aspect of international politics in significant depth, while also demonstrating your use of research and presentation skills.
Modules
To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details, to the right. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Surrey
Department of Politics (FASS)
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See your living costsWhat 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
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?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.
International 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.
£19k
£24k
£28k
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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We calculate a mean rating of all responses to indicate whether this is high, medium or low compared to the same subject area at other universities.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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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