Keele University
UCAS Code: L254 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBC in three A levels
Access to HE Diploma
112 UCAS points in any Access to HE Diploma including Distinction in at least 15 Level 3 credits
GCSE/National 4/National 5
You will also need: an English language qualification
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
554 in three Higher Levels or 29 points
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DMM in any BTEC Extended Diploma / National Extended Diploma
T Level
Merit in any T level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
Are you intrigued by how politics shapes our everyday lives? The influence of power and global affairs? International Relations at Keele covers world politics and the challenges associated with global order. Our wide-reaching expertise and our broad approach to the discipline will teach you how to interpret global, social, political, and economic interactions. Develop your skills and expertise and become a change maker for future generations. A degree in International Relations from Keele prepares you for a career of your choice in politics, business and beyond.
**Why choose this course?**
- Top 10 for International Relations (Guardian University Guide, 2024)
- Opportunity to tailor your degree programme based on your interests and career aspirations
- Research active staff providing a worldwide perspective of key topics, challenges and issues
- Enhance your career prospects with an International Year at a partner university and gain awareness of new cultures
- No. 1 in the UK. Britain's best university, as ranked by students (Student Crowd University Awards, 2022)
Explore how global relationships impact everyday lives and how the international order is being challenged and redefined. Studying International Relations at Keele explores the complexities of world politics, examining personal, local, and global aspects of power, order, conflict, violence, and justice.
Our aim is to develop your expertise as a critical thinker, with insights into contemporary challenges, preparing you to become a future change maker. You'll study the politics and international relations of the West as well as the global majority world, investigating critical issues ranging from power and inequality, to race and decolonisation, environmental change, security and conflict, foreign policy, gender, activism, war and more.
Our curriculum is designed to be engaging and interactive, with opportunities to put theory into practice in real-world applications including crisis simulations, model United Nations, activist strategy development, funding proposals, and policy report writing. You will also have opportunities to network with practitioners in the field, discuss your ideas, and develop your analytical, research, and practical skills ready for various careers.
We support your academic and professional growth, with year-long and team-taught modules catering to diverse learning styles, and varied assessments to build and enhance your expertise. The course is built around three main themes: Understanding World Politics in Year 1, Making a Difference in World Politics in Year 2, and The Future of World Politics in Year 3. You can also opt to broaden your horizons by studying abroad, learning a language, or undertaking a work placement year, enriching your learning and career prospects.
By the end of your degree, you’ll have a deep understanding of global politics and how it shapes our future. You'll be equipped with the confidence, knowledge, and skills needed to make a significant impact in an ever-changing world.
**About Keele**
Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.
We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.
Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.
Modules
For a list of indicative modules please visit the course page on the Keele University website.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score 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.
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.
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.
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
£23k
£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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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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