MA International Relations (Applied)

You must have an undergraduate 2:2 degree in a relevant field such as political science, social science, liberal arts, law, business, communications or other relevant degree.

Alternatively, equivalent professional experience working in an international relations context can be considered. This is assessed by a telephone interview with a member of the course team and judged on the roles you have undertaken rather than the length of service.

MA International Relations is a specialised postgraduate course for students coming from relevant disciplines rather than a conversion course.

For international students, IELTS 6.0 overall bands with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four categories is required. Alternative language testing certificates may be permitted.

For general information please see our overview of entry requirements

International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Graduates may enter an international organisation, NGO, not-for-profit charity organization, policy or advocacy group, research consortium, human rights campaigning, humanitarian agency, legal assistant, academic, war journalist or foreign office.

Applied Practice

For the applied route, this module will be undertaken over a semester. You gain real-world practical experience to enhance your employability and academic learning. You receive preparatory sessions to enable you to apply to external internship opportunities; take on a significant work-related project within the University; or work alongside practising researchers within international relations. You will be interviewed as part of the process and assigned an industrial mentor or supervisor in addition to an academic supervisor. This module does not count towards the overall classification of the degree and the assessment is based on a pass/fail component.

As an international relations postgraduate you will be equipped with a range of theoretical frameworks, analytical tools, professional and transferable skills to enable you to think and act within the working field of international relations.

Diplomacy and Peacekeeping in Practice

Gain an understanding of interventions and their interrelationship with political will and geopolitical interests. Analyse diplomatic efforts to deter warfare from the rule of sovereignty and its relationship with the United Nations (UN) Charter. It will commence with conceptions of negative and positive peace and its impact on overarching peacekeeping mandates, post-conflict reconstruction, security sector reform, statebuilding and peacebuilding strategies.

Efforts to endorse peace utilising UN and other third party mediation efforts including peacekeepers monitoring ceasefire agreements and rebuilding state institutions are extensively covered from the end of the Cold War period to contemporary interventions. This includes the negotiation of peace agreements to bring an end to conflicts, regimes responsible for mass atrocities and the repercussions of bargaining for short-term peace which induces warlords to enter cabinet and parliamentary posts whilst excluding spoilers of the peace process. Spoiler management strategy will thus be critically evaluated within a variety of contexts. Some of the cases covered include Serbia and Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Drivers of Armed Conflict