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Politics and International Relations

Entry requirements


112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent

Access to HE Diploma

M:30

Pass QAA Access to Higher Education course with at least 30 level 3 credits at Merit. We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

International relations

Politics

Studying Politics and International Relations at DMU offers a dynamic experience, ranging from understanding theoretical ideas that underpin the way the world works to experiences beyond the classroom and engaging with real-world projects. This vibrant course will develop your understanding of political events and processes and the skills to use your knowledge in real-life settings.

After a common core of modules that challenge you to think about politics from the local to the global, you will have the opportunity to follow one of two pathways specialising in either Politics or International Relations. On the Politics pathway, you can explore British Politics beyond Westminster, the politics of the Americas, race, identity and class in the City and the politics of sustainable futures. On the International Relations pathway, you will focus on global inequalities and development, security and peace issues and international crisis management. You will undertake a final project on a subject of your own choice, developing your skills and knowledge towards your career aspirations.

**Key features:**
* You will have the opportunity to engage with real political actors, including local councils, MPs and community organisations, on current issues.

* Develop highly sought-after tranferable skills to prepare you for a wide range of careers related to Politics and International Relations and beyond.

* Benefit from research-informed teaching from passionate academics who are actively engaged in the subjects taught, creating an intellectually stimulating learning environment.

* Explore fascinating contemporary topics from environmental issues to poverty and inequality and sustainability. DMU is the only UK university to act as a global hub for UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 (to promote peace, justice and strong institutions).

* Experience a range of teaching activities and a variety of assessment methods, ensuring your learning remains dynamic and enabling you to develop a broader range of skills.

* Gain professional experience with placement opportunities that have seen students work in local government, not-for-proft organisations and with global companies.

* Tailor the course to your own passions with a final project on a subject of your own choosing. Previous topics have included air pollution in London, the Black Lives Matter campaign, the rise of right-wing politics in the UK and cyber security in the USA.

**Advanced entry**
For further information on the advanced entry options for this course please visit the DMU website - https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/pre-edu-2030/international-relations-joint-ba-degree/international-relations-joint-honours-ba-hons.aspx

Modules

**First year**
Block 1: Politics, People and Place
Block 2: Ideas and Change in Politics and International Relations
Block 3: Global Challenges: Politics and Social Policy
Block 4: Democracy in Times of Crisis

**Second year**
Block 1: Making Public Policy
Block 2: Political Research in Action
Block 3: Choose one pathway from the below:
Politics pathway: Political Theory: Why Big Ideas Matter
International Relations pathway: Contemporary International Relations Theory
Block four: Choose one pathway from the below:
Politics pathway: Not in Westminster: National and Local Politics
International Relations pathway: Global Political Economy: Gender, Race and Class

**Third year**
Block 1: Choose one pathway from the below:
Politics pathway: The Politics of the Americas
International Relations pathway: Global Inequalities
Block 2: Choose one pathway from the below:
Politics pathway: Contentious Politics in the City
International Relations pathway: Security, Peace and Conflict
Block 3: Choose one pathway from the below:
Politics pathway: Sustainable Futures
International Relations pathway: Tackling Global Crises
Block 4: Politics and International Relations Project

Assessment methods

We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and course mates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment, and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life.

**Structure**
The course is delivered through lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials, online activities, opportunities for field trips and self-directed study. Each module provides a two-hour surgery each week for individual consultation with the academic leading the course. You will also have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor and careers and/or subject meetings scheduled throughout the year.

We have developed a range of alternative and authentic assessments including podcasts, posters, policy papers, blog posts, reflective portfolios, projects and photo essays that provide different ways to demonstrate your skills.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
International
£15,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leicester Campus

Department:

Arts, Design and Humanities

Read full university profile

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.

75%
International relations
75%
Politics

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.

Politics

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
70%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
45%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

65%
UK students
35%
International students
45%
Male students
55%
Female students
69%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

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.

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

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.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£30k

£30k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here