International Relations
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer CCC (96 UCAS points from two or more A levels).
Access to HE Diploma
Total of 60 credits (45 credits at Level 3 and 15 credits at Level 2) from an Access to Higher Education Diploma with passes in Level 2 Communications units. QAA accredited course required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
A minimum of 15 points at the higher level and a minimum of 4 points in English.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
A minimum of 105 UCAS points to include four passes at Higher level in related subjects.
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Why study this course?**
Taught by our team of expert academics, you’ll learn about the history and issues surrounding global inequalities relating to race, gender, sexuality and poverty. You’ll also be able to explore trending social movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter.
You can examine radicalisation and what leads someone to terrorism, the social issues affecting immigration and the intricacies of cyberwarfare.
Gain industry experience and build a rewarding career, where no two days are the same, with a degree in International Relations from London Met.
**More about this course**
On this International Relations BA (Hons) degree, you’ll examine major social and political issues in the world today, learn from a diverse team of academic experts and gain practical hands-on experience through a work placement. All of this will put you in the best possible position for an exciting career in international relations.
Our experienced lecturers will work with you to explore the major concepts of international relations – peace, conflict and diplomacy. You’ll then use this theory to explore your own areas of interests, which can be anything from the role of religion, to Middle Eastern politics, to foreign policy analysis, nuclear proliferation or intelligence agencies.
We place a huge emphasis on your employability, which is why we’ll encourage you to undertake a work placement as part of this course. Here’s where studying in the heart of London pays off: you can secure work experience at thinktanks, non-governmental organisations (think Amnesty International) or embassies. This aims to prepare you for the next step in your career journey, whether that’s in graduate employment or further study.
To help develop and deepen your understanding of international relations, shape your views, opinions and critical thinking, we regularly invite guest practitioners to share their experiences with students. Some of our past guests include US Congresswomen Donna Edwards and Elizabeth Esty, the Deputy Ambassador of Sweden, comedian and documentary maker Rich Hall who spoke to our students about the Cold War, and the Editor of On-Screen Content at Sky News who talked about Brexit. We also have an annual visit from Holocaust survivors, including Steven Frank BEM who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to Holocaust education.
During this degree, you’ll also learn about international relations beyond the classroom by visiting parliament, embassies, NGOs, local museums and art galleries. These visits will help solidify your understanding and the history of key issues such as power, race and gender.
**What our students say**
"Studying at London Metropolitan has without a doubt been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
"The academic quality has exceeded my expectations with great debates and continual support from my teachers, which has made me feel confident about and well-prepared for the future."
– Kimie Frengler
"I was very impressed by the high quality teaching London Met offered. Lecturers were very knowledgeable and were great communicators, presenting complex subjects in interesting ways.
"I also learnt a lot from fellow students from all over the world. I found it very helpful to study international issues with people from the countries we were discussing as they shed new light on situations."
– Jacquelyn McCarthy
Modules
Year 1 modules include:
Introduction to International Relations (core, 30 credits)
Global Politics, Economy and Society (core, 30 credits)
Peace, Conflict and Diplomacy since 1945 (core, 30 credits)
Politics and Government (core, 30 credits)
Open Language Programme Module (option, 15 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy (core, 30 credits)
Shifting Global Power (core, 15 credits)
Strategy in the Contemporary World (option, 15 credits)
Creating a Winning Business 1 (alt core, 15 credits)
Politics and International Relations: Work-Based Learning (alt core, 15 credits)
Diplomacy Old and New (option, 30 credits)
Peace and Conflict in Theory and Practice (option, 30 credits)
Political Theory (option, 30 credits)
Immigrants and Nativists (option, 15 credits)
American Foreign Policy (option, 15 credits)
The Politics of the Middle East (option, 15 credits)
The Politics of the European Union (option, 15 credits)
Contemporary US Politics (option, credits)
Race and Ethnicity (option, 15 credits)
Open Language Programme Module (option, 15 credits)
Extension of Knowledge Module (option, 15 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
International Security in an Era of Globalisation (core, 30 credits)
Placement 1 Semester (alt core, 15 credits)
Placement 1 Year (alt core, 30 credits)
Project 1 Semester (alt core, 15 credits)
Project 1 Year (alt core, 30 credits)
Politics and International Relations: Work-Based Learning (alt core, 15 credits)
Creating a Winning Business 2 (alt core, 15 credits)
Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (option, 30 credits)
Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (option, 30 credits)
The Politics of Modern States (option, 30 credits)
African Politics (option, 15 credits)
Latin American Politics (option, 15 credits)
Action and Identity : Gender and Political Participation (option, 15 credits)
Human Rights and International Conflict (option, 15 credits)
Extension of Knowledge Module (option, 15 credits)
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through individual and group presentations, case studies, exams, coursework (reports, research papers, essays, blogs, industry-based projects, simulations, websites) and the final year dissertation or work placement.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Holloway
School of Social Sciences and Professions
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.
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.
£15k
£24k
£26k
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 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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