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International Relations and Politics at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

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

Course summary

This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview Make sense of the world and the forces shaping nations. Understand the factors behind war, conflict and collaboration between states. Explore what democracy, freedom and equality mean to people at home and abroad. On this BA (Hons) International Relations and Politics degree, you’ll analyse the global and local issues influencing society, from global migration to the rise of populist politics – and learn the skills needed to help enact change, shape opinions, and tackle inequality. You’ll explore the latest developments in British and international politics, and set yourself up for careers in local and national government, international diplomacy, security, lobbying, academic research, the charity sector and the media. Course highlights

  • Learn from staff at our Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), whose research impacts government policy
  • Create policy briefing papers offering recommendations to practitioners on major recent international issues, such as the Ukraine Crisis, the 'MeToo' movement, the rise of terrorist organisations and the Arab Revolutions
  • Attend events and talks led by people working in NGOs, local, national and international government, and journalism
  • Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament
  • Take part in a simulated ‘academic conference’, where you’ll present a paper that will be discussed with your peers
  • Have the chance to study abroad at one of our partner institutions – including Science Po Strasbourg (France), Maastricht University (Netherlands), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and University of Szeged (Hungary)
Worried about your grades? If you're not sure you meet the entry requirements, or need some help to get uni-ready, then we offer this course with a foundation year to bring you up to speed. When you successfully finish, you'll get a guaranteed place on this course. Careers and opportunities Graduates from this degree have gone on to careers in the following sectors:
  • local and central government
  • embassies
  • non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
  • security services
  • international organisations, like the United Nations (UN)
  • international charities like War Child, Amnesty International or the Red Cross
  • policy research and think tanks
  • media and international business consultancy
  • political risk analysis
  • public relations
  • voluntary organisations
  • management
  • banking and financial services
  • tourism
What jobs can you do with an International Relations and Politics degree? Recent graduates have gone on to roles including:
  • political researcher, Houses of Parliament
  • assistant to Member of Parliament
  • civil servant, Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • communications officer, House of Commons
  • local government administrator, Government of Jersey
  • director of Language Studies for an international school
  • public affairs consultant
  • bilingual consultant
  • multilingual project coordinator
  • translator
  • social researcher
  • information officer
  • conference producer
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Analysing Politics: Britain and Beyond (20 credits)
  • Critical Thinking and Professional Identity (40 credits)
  • Global Development (20 credits)
  • Key Themes in International Relations (20 credits)
  • Political Thought (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Bending the Truth a Little? Researching Politics and International Relations (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • A History of US Foreign Policy: From the Great War to 9/11 (20 credits)
  • Analysing Foreign Policy (20 credits)
  • Autocracy and Democracy (20 credits)
  • British Political Leadership (20 credits)
  • Climate Crises (20 credits)
  • Comparative European Politics (20 credits)
  • Democracies On Five Continents: Politics and Policy Challenges (20 credits)
  • Development and Democracy in Latin America (20 credits)
  • East Asian States and Societies (20 credits)
  • Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa (20 credits)
  • Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences (20 credits)
  • Global Security (20 credits)
  • Ideology and Politics (20 credits)
  • Intercultural Perspectives On Communication (20 credits)
  • International Thought (20 credits)
  • Marketing & Communication (20 credits)
  • Modernity and Globalisation (20 credits)
  • Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday (L5) (20 credits)
  • News, Discourse, and Media (20 credits)
  • Principles of Economic Crime Investigation (20 credits)
  • Professional Experience L5 (20 credits)
  • Puritans to Postmodernists: American Literature (20 credits)
  • Russia, Central Europe and the World (20 credits)
  • The Geopolitics and Geo-Economics of Africa (20 credits)
  • Transitional Justice & Human Rights (20 credits)
  • Us Politics (20 credits)
  • Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response (20 credits)
Placement year (optional) Have the opportunity to do an additional work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates. Year 3 Core modules:
  • Global Capitalism: Past, Present and Future (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year currently include:
  • Decolonial Politics and Theory in International Relations (20 credits)
  • Digital Media and Democracy (20 credits)
  • Dissertation (International Relations) (40 credits)
  • Dissertation (Politics) (40 credits)
  • France in the World: Global Actor Or Global Maverick? (20 credits)
  • Independent Project (International Relations) (20 credits)
  • Independent Project (Politics) (20 credits)
  • International Security in the Asia-Pacific (20 credits)
  • Looking for Utopia, Finding Dystopia? Ideas and Ideologies in the New Millennium (20 credits)
  • Major Project (40 credits)
  • NGOs and Social Movements (20 credits)
  • Post Brexit Politics (20 credits)
  • Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates (20 credits)
  • Professional Experience L6 (20 credits)
  • Race, Rights & Development: Global Perspectives On Inequality & Social Justice (20 credits)
  • Religion and Politics in Global Perspective (20 credits)
  • Security Challenges in the Twenty-First Century (20 credits)
  • The European Union: a Global Power in the Making? (20 credits)
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

You’ll be assessed through:

  • written exams
  • coursework: article reviews, essays, projects, briefing papers
  • individual and group presentations
  • simulations, podcasts and creative videos
  • 10,000 word dissertation
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows: Year 1 students: 25% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 67% by coursework Year 2 students: 25% by written exams, 7% by practical exams and 68% by coursework Year 3 students: 3% by practical exams and 97% by coursework


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
L250
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
PTE Academic62An overall score of 62 with a minimum of 59 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
65%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £9535 Year 1
England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
International £17200 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 who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad (at the time of publishing for 2024/25): UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,385 EU – £1,385 (including Transition Scholarship) International (Non-EU) – £2,875. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. All fees are subject to annual increase. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
International Relations and Politics at University of Portsmouth - UCAS