BA International Relations

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

The BA in International Relations in the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) is a successful and established degree programme that has been running for many years. The course is taught by a dedicated team of experts in the field of international relations who use their highly specialised and general knowledge of the international system to provide a thorough grounding in the one of the most important areas of political life.

The core elements of the programme are designed to introduce students to the workings and nature of the international system. In addition to these core parts of the programme, students are also invited and required to study a wider range of topics and courses. Thus the degree programme combines overall views with specific analyses of various issues, problems and topics.

You will explore the political dynamics that influence interstate cooperation, and assess the specific role that international organisations, such as the United Nations, play in promoting international peace and security. You also have the option to study terrorism and insurgency, security studies, foreign policy, international political economy and politics in the Middle East. Furthermore, BA International Relations students, as members of POLIS, are invited to undertake study in the wider set of courses offered in the School, including courses in Development Studies, European Politics, Political Theory and British Politics. In the third and final year students undertake a dissertation on an in-depth and specialised topic with advice from tutors.

Courses are taught using a mixture of lectures and seminars and there is also the opportunity to engage in web-based learning. All students are allocated personal tutors and staff are available during the week for more personalised consultation. POLIS is a friendly and supportive place to engage in the in-depth study of international relations today.

Year 1

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
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Compulsory Modules

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED1001	The Politics of Global Challenges: Becoming an Independent Researcher	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PIED1110	Comparative Politics	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED1212	Making of the Modern World	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED1511	International Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Discovery Modules

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits of discovery modules.

Year 2

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Candidates are required to study the following compulsory modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED2501	Theories of International Relations	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)	PFP
PIED2559	Global Security Challenges	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED2721	Approaches to Analysis	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from the following optional modules from Basket A:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED2255	Latin America in Global Historical Perspective	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED2301	Politics and Policy in the EU	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED2505	Planet Politics	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED2711	Analysing Data in Politics, Development and International Relations	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from the following optional modules from Basket B:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED2221	The Political Economy of North-South Relations	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED2448	Politics of Contemporary China	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED2455	State and Politics in Africa	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED2463	United States Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Discovery Modules

You may choose up to 20 credits of discovery modules. Please check to see that you have the necessary pre-requisites before you enrol.

Your total credits for the year should be 120.

Year 3

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Candidates are required to study the following compulsory dissertation module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED3775	POLIS Final Year Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from the following optional modules in Basket A:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED3158	British Foreign Policy	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED3343	Gender, Violence and Security	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED3402	American Foreign Policy	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED3565	Terrorism: Concepts, Debates, Cases	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from the following optional modules in Basket B:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED3325	Europe in the World	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED3408	Nuclear Weapons and Global Politics	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED3590	The Global Politics of Climate Change	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED3650	Global Political Economy	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from the following optional modules in Basket C:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
PIED3261	Violence and Reconciliation in Africa	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED3305	The Far Right in Europe and Beyond	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PIED3612	Rethinking Resistance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PIED3810	Video Games: Politics, Society and Culture	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Discovery Modules

Candidates must choose 20 credits of discovery modules. Please check to see that you have the necessary pre-requisites before you enrol.

Your total credits for the year should be 120.

Last updated: 13/05/2026 16:22:47

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