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Politics at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Open days

3Sep
Birkbeck, University of London - September Open Evening
Undergraduate

Course summary

Equipping you with the skills to design and conduct independent research, this MRes Politics is ideal for helping you to develop a research career or prepare for PhD study in politics, public policy and international relations. Why choose this course?

  • It offers you training in research skills, including beginner to advanced social data analysis, qualitative methods and experimental design.
  • It is taught by leading researchers at the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research and the Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life.
  • It is recognised by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the award of 1+3 studentships which are designed to fund students for a course of postgraduate study combining a taught Master's degree and a PhD.
What you will learn This course’s core modules are designed to strengthen your fundamental approaches to social and political research: statistical analysis and qualitative methods. You will then be able to specialise in more advanced methods, including social science experiments and advanced data analysis. Option modules offer you further methods training and deeper understanding across a range of subjects within the broad field of political studies including politics, international relations and public policy. How you will learn All core methods training modules can be studied either on campus or online. You will also have access to pre-recorded lectures, and the course benefits from coursework and seminars that will help you focus on mastering the craft of social research. Your studies culminate in the completion of a research dissertation in which you will apply the skills you have learned to tackle a research question of your choice. This course follows an evening timetable with all classes taking place in the evening. Highlights
  • Birkbeck's MRes degrees are recognised by the UK Economic and Social Research Council for the award of 1+3 studentships. These fund students for a course of postgraduate study combining a Master's degree and a PhD.
  • Birkbeck is a world-renowned centre of original, influential research in politics. We organise a lively programme of seminars and conferences and are home to affiliated research centres, such as the Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life.
  • Our academic staff are international authorities in their respective fields, publishing and delivering stimulating teaching in a wide range of political topics including civil society and the state, public policy, development, gender, international security and terrorism, and social and political theory.
  • Our location puts you at the heart of the UK’s political life and at the centre of academic London. You can walk down to Parliament and Whitehall, while Bloomsbury contains world famous libraries and centres of research. Our building was once a key location for members of the Bloomsbury Group, so you could be studying in rooms that have hosted distinguished visitors such as T.S. Eliot, George Bernard Shaw and Maynard Keynes.
  • You can take advantage of the rich research collections nearby, including Senate House Library, the British Library, and the British Library of Political and Economic Science at the London School of Economics. Birkbeck Library has a large politics collection.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this course, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
  • data analysis
  • research design
  • project management
  • critical evaluation.
Graduates can pursue career paths in government or advisory bodies where research skills are required, as well as policy research, higher education, the voluntary sector and journalism. Possible professions include:
  • Civil Service fast-streamer
  • higher education lecturer
  • government social research officer
  • politician’s assistant
  • local government officer
  • newspaper journalist
  • public relations officer.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Compulsory modules assessed by written examinations; option modules by a combination of coursework and written examinations. There is a dissertation element.

How to apply

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Entry requirements

Our standard postgraduate entry requirement is a second-class honours degree (2:2 or above) from a UK university, or an equivalent international qualification. We will review every postgraduate application to Birkbeck on its individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £11700 Year 1
Northern Ireland £11700 Year 1
Scotland £11700 Year 1
Wales £11700 Year 1
International £20340 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Politics at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS