Course summary
Overview Examine the major issues affecting the world. Discover why nation states rise and fall. Take a closer look at the factors behind international conflict, and learn the role state leaders, NGOs, civil society and activists play in solving these problems. On this BA (Hons) International Relations degree, you'll explore topics like global migration and the rise of populist politics around the world. You’ll learn the skills required to play your part in improving equality and enacting positive change. And after graduation, you’ll be ready for careers in local and national government, security, tech, intelligence, and with international charities and institutions like the UN. Course highlights
- Learn from staff at our Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), whose research directly 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)
- On this course, you can study history or international development alongside your international relations degree
- 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
- director of Language Studies for an international school
- political researcher, Houses of Parliament
- assistant to Member of Parliament
- civil servant, the Cabinet Office
- senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- communications officer, House of Commons
- local government administrator, Government of Jersey
- public affairs consultant
- bilingual consultant
- multilingual project coordinator
- translator
- social researcher
- information officer
- conference producer
Subject options
This course offers the following subject options:
- International Relations with Development Studies
- International Relations with History
Modules
Year 1 Core modules in this year include:
- Analysing Politics: Britain and Beyond
- Global Development
- Key Themes in International Relations
- Political Thought
- Politics and IR: Academic Enrichment Programme
- Professional Practice: Skills for Academic and Professional Success
- Analysing Foreign and Security Policy
- International Thought
- Bending the Truth a Little? Researching Politics and International Relations
- China and East Asian Economies
- Contemporary Populism: Friend or Foe of Democracy?
- Decoding Cultural Space
- Democracies Under Threat: Global Perspectives and Responses
- Development and Democracy in Latin America
- Digital Cultures: Exploring the Digital in the Humanities and Social Sciences
- East Asian States And Societies
- Empire and its Afterlives
- Introduction to Teaching
- Learning from Experience
- Modern Foreign Language
- People on the Move: Legacy, Integration and Development
- Politics and Policy in Action
- Russian & Eurasian Politics
- Soviet History and Politics
- Study Abroad
- The Rules that Structure the World: The Politics and Governance of Regulation
- US Foreign Policy: From the Great War to 9/11
- US Politics
- Dissertation / Major Project
- Global Capitalism: Past, Present and Future
- Security Challenges in the 21st Century
- Autocracy and Democracy
- Digital Media and Democracy
- France in the World: Global Actor or Global Maverick?
- Germany in the American Century
- Global Health
- Learning from Experience
- Looking for Utopia, Finding Dystopia? Ideas and Ideologies in the New Millennium
- NGOs and Social Movements
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates
- Strategic Management and Leadership
Assessment method
You’ll be assessed through: written exams coursework article reviews essays projects briefing papers individual and group presentations 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: 35% by written exams, 7% by practical exams and 58% by coursework Year 3 students: 3% by practical exams and 97% by coursework
How to apply
25Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- L253
- 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
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5. |
| PTE Academic | 54 | An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 79 | 79 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components |
Unistats information
Operated by the Office for Students
Student satisfaction
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The student satisfaction data is from students surveyed during the Covid-19 pandemic. 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 | £9250 | Year 1 |
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| International | £17200 | Year 1 |
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 fees: UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £925 | EU – £925 (including Transition Scholarship)| International (Non-EU) – £1900.
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/ug-tuition-fees
For optional placements or placements abroad, you may be required to pay for additional costs, such as travel costs. These costs will vary depending on the location and duration of the placement, ranging from £50 to £1000.
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP