MSc International Relations

These entry requirements are for the 2026/27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027/28 academic year will be published on 1 July 2026.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in politics, international relations, or the social sciences.

We may also consider your application if you have a different background but have taken courses relevant to the programme.

Entrance to this programme is strongly competitive. You can increase your chances of a successful application by exceeding the minimum programme requirements.

Please review the important points to note on the programme website:

See our website for destinations

You will take two compulsory courses:

International Relations Theory
Dissertation
Option courses
You will also take four option courses from the range available. While available options can change every year, in recent years the programme has included courses on:

foreign policy analysis
the regional affairs of the Asia Pacific
political contestation in the Middle East
European foreign and security policy
the global environment and climate change
the importance of gender to the study of global affairs
international development