Course summary

Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020). We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses. Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford. Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors. As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money. The BA in International Relations provides a rigorous, wide-ranging education into the political structure of the world, and of a range of key countries and regions. Our degree focuses on how global order can be achieved even in the absence of world government. You will be taught about security, the world economy, globalisation, and the conflictual and cooperative engagement between states. Year one will follow the Foundation Pathway programme, and introduce students to key concepts and study skills. In years two and three students will build on these skills and enhance their knowledge, understanding and practice in core subjects. Throughout the three years a student will be equipped with the skills to reach their potential in academic studies. Graduates in International Relations are valued for their breadth of knowledge, critical thinking skills, writing and presentation abilities, and their capacity to work with others in groups. Our degree will equip you for high quality, graduate-level employment, as well as postgraduate study at Buckingham and other highly ranked universities. Buckingham itself is home to three important research centres, the Centre for United Nations Studies, the International Institute for the Study of Cuba, and the Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS). Central to the Buckingham experience is small group teaching and a problem-centred approach. Lectures themselves are interactive, with classes normally no larger than 50 students and tutorials – which the forum for group discussion – typically having eight students. Lectures and tutorials are taken by regular staff, who are experts in their field, and not by graduate teaching assistants. And academics have an open-door policy, so if you have problems or simply want to discuss further what has been presented in class you are welcome to do so. Politics (which includes International Relations) was ranked Second in the UK in the 2022 National Student Survey. Buckingham is also strongly committed to free speech, as evidenced by its consistent awarding by Spiked magazine of “green” (“has not restricted or regulated speech”).