Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

International Relations (with a modern language)

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C-B,B,C

Pass Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff Points

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

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

DMM

104-112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four SQA Highers or Advanced Highers

T Level

M

We welcome applications from students undertaking T Level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer.

UCAS Tariff

104-112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Modern languages

International relations

These courses give you the opportunity to study international relations in combination with another language.

An international relations degree will help you to gain appreciation of how states, international organisations, and non-state actors interact on the global stage. This course is about using theories and models to best explain and understand power in the world, why the world is the way it is, and how we can change it. This takes place at all levels, from individuals to whole global systems, and understanding this allows us to question what we think we know, what we think matters, and how we can develop a better world. Supported by knowledgeable and passionate staff, you’ll start by looking at the core critical and emancipatory theories of international relations and their underlying methods.

This course gives you the opportunity to study international relations in combination with another language. Adding a modern language to your degree means you can develop as a more effective communicator, acquire linguistic skills and develop a wider cultural awareness. You can choose from French, Spanish, Modern Standard Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese.

After your second year you can choose to progress to your final year or take an optional year out going on placement or studying abroad. Both are great options to get more experience. We’ll help you arrange everything and give you all the support you’ll need.*

This course has a foundation year available.

*Placement and/or study abroad options may be available, potentially extending the duration of study up to 4 years. Study abroad will be subject to any international travel restrictions and/or availability.

**Features and Benefits**
- Enhance your employability through activities including internships and volunteering - our award-winning ‘Rise at Manchester Met’ programme encourages you to learn career-ready skills beyond the focus of your course and potentially gain extra academic credits towards your degree.

- We coach practical skills for work including communication skills, presentation skills, essay and report writing, summary skills, interview and questionnaire techniques, and building digital literacy skills for your future employment opportunities.

- Language expertise – the majority of our 30+ academic, research and support staff are native speakers of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. We also have multiple connections with language groups across Manchester to ensure you can converse in your chosen language.

- Located in the University’s state of the art Grosvenor East building, you will have access to the Language Resource Centre, providing a range of language learning software and study spaces to practise and interact with languages students from across the programme. We also have a social space for language learners to set up informal language conversation clubs and exchanges.

- Experience the world - you will have the opportunity to spend your third year studying overseas or on placement.

- Research expertise - academic staff with research into languages specialisms such as the Film, Languages and Media in Education (FLAME): a pioneering research group dedicated to the development of research and knowledge exchange activity in the areas of languages, film and media.

- Flexibility and choice is central to international relations with a variety of option units available, from human rights protection and global terrorism, to Brexit and climate change, giving you the opportunity to pursue the topics that interest you most.

- International relations staff are research-active staff and have expertise in areas including critical international relations, digital politics and US foreign policy. The course content is directly informed by these research specialisms of the teaching team.

The Uni


Course location:

Manchester Metropolitan University

Department:

Languages, Information and Communications

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

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.

Others in language and area studies

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students
68%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
A

Politics

Teaching and learning

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
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

79%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
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.

Others in language and area 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.

£17,000
low
Average annual salary
93%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Teaching and educational professionals
12%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Customer service occupations

This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

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.

£16,500
low
Average annual salary
93%
low
Employed or in further education
30%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Welfare and housing associate professionals

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.

Others in language and area 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.

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

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.

£20k

£20k

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

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.

Share this page

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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