French / International Relations
Entry requirements
A level
To include B in A-level French (unless to be studied as a beginner).
The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
To include 5 in Higher Level French (unless to be studied as a beginner).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
To include B in A-level French (unless to be studied as a beginner).
UCAS Tariff
To include B in A-level French (unless to be studied as a beginner).
Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
About this course
International Relations today is about understanding and tackling global challenges. As a student on this degree scheme at Aberystwyth University, you will be perfectly placed to gain a deeper understanding of what those challenges are and what opportunities and obstacles shape how we manage them. The French component of this course will enable you to discover language, culture, literature and art whilst at the same time developing your linguistic competencies in the French language. This degree scheme provides an ideal combination of intensive language training whilst at the same time exploring the big questions and concepts of our time- such as power, conflict, security democracy, inequality, ethics, rights, justice, gender, development and political participation.
There is a wide range of expertise available within the Department of Modern Languages and this is reflected in the module choices we offer. Students could choose modules on linguistics (both modern and historical); dialectical (the study of different forms of French, past and present); literature; the history of ideas and artistic movements; literary representations of Paris, travel literature and current affairs.
All students on this course will spend their third year living independently in a French-speaking country. You could choose to study at University, work as a language assistant or other forms of work placements.
The Department of International Politics offers you the opportunity to explore modules which include Global challenges, Politics in the 21st Century, War, Strategy and Intelligence, Capitalism, Intelligence and International Security to name a few.
As a student in the Department of International Politics, you will study in the world's first department of international politics that was founded after the First World War to help the world understand the world.
During the first year, you will receive a comprehensive introduction to French studies and related research skills, in tutorial form.
The Department of International Politics provides many opportunities of extra curricular activities during the duration of the course. A highlight of the course for many students is the renowned Crisis Games which is a three day role playing exercise in political, economics and diplomatic manoeuvre, developing negotiation and communication, critical thinking team work and problem solving skills. Crisis games have been based on humanitarian crises, the Northern Ireland peace process, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the US presidential election, environmental disaster in the Arctic, war between Russia and Georgia. The Crisis Games will allow you to learn about aspects of international politics which cannot be taught in lectures and seminars, especially the constraints which political leaders face in responding to various crises. This is no doubt, the highlight of the year.
This degree is available to beginners and advanced students. Beginners will follow an intensive course in the first year.
We deliver this degree through the medium of lectures and seminars. We will assign you a personal tutor who will be with you throughout your degree, this person will help you any problems whether these are academic-related or personal issues. We assess our students through essays, reports, examinations, book reviews, learning logs and presentations.
Studying for a degree in French with International Politics will equip you with a range of transferable skills which are highly valued by employers. These include: the ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form; effective problem-solving and creative thinking skills; the ability to work independently; time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;
self-motivation and self-reliance; team-working, with the ability to discuss concepts in groups, accommodating different ideas and reaching agreement;
research skills.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Main Site (Aberystwyth)
Department of International Politics
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
French studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Politics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
French studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Politics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
French studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£25k
£27k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£22k
£27k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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