International Relations with a Foundation Year
Entry requirements
A level
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
We require a minimum of 5 passes at Grade A*-C, including Welsh/English Language
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University recognises the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as equivalent to one full A-Level.
About this course
"The International Relations Foundation Year will offer an exciting introduction to higher education and is part of a 4-year undergraduate integrated degree. This foundation year will ideally suit those that need a little more support after further education before undertaking an undergraduate degree, or those returning to education after a gap.
International Relations at Swansea is ranked
• Top 15 in the UK for Course Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2023)
• Top 25 in the UK for Overall Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2023)
• Top 25 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2023)
The inclusive learning environment, delivered by an expert programme team, will meet your needs to feel comfortable at Swansea University. We are interested in your future and committed to supporting you to get where you want to be, and this foundation year will be a great place to start your journey in higher education. .
After progression from the foundation year, you will cover topics including globalisation and human rights, international and regional politics, and peace and conflict. Your early studies will concentrate on war and peace in the nuclear age, and how politics and international relations are defined. But whether your true passion lies in American politics and society, modern warfare, ethics and justice or strategic communications, our range of first year modules has it covered. This range enables you to discover, learn and narrow your individual interests for later study.
Swansea University is one of a limited number of institutions selected to partner with the UK Parliament to deliver an innovative Parliamentary Studies module. The module is taught by specialist academic staff and includes a series of sessions with experts and members of staff currently working in the UK Parliament. The module features a day long visit to Westminster including talks with Senior Members of Parliament.
You will have the competitive option of undertaking a work placement module with the Senedd Cymru/ Welsh Parliament, working closely with Ministers for one day a week for one Semester in your Final Year.
Graduates of International Relations have truly international potential and gain employment around the world. They have careers in sectors including education, government and politics, humanitarian organizations, media and public relations, and law and public services."
Modules
"In your foundation year, you will explore what it means to be human – studying a range of humanities and social science topics to prepare you for the degree itself and you will complete a project supervised by an expert in the field of education.
Examples of modules include:
• Critical reflection and Problem Solving
• Introduction to Being Human
• Academic Writing and Skills Development
Your first and second year of degree studies will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules covering a broad range of themes. Examples of compulsory modules covered in recent years include:
- Introduction to International Relations
- War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
- Introduction to Politics
- Globalisation
- International Security
In your final year you wil complete an independent dissertation project or you have the competitive option of undertaking a work placement module with the Sennedd Cymru/ Welsh Parliament.
You will also complete a compulsory group work project plus optional modules chosen from a wide variety of subject areas.
Examples of optional modules offered throughout the International Relations BA (Hons) include:
- Contemporary Wars and Conflicts
- Politics and International Development
- Global Ethics
- America and Terrorism
For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/politics-philosophy-international-relations/ba-international-relations-foundation-year/ or get in touch with us at [email protected]"
Assessment methods
"Throughout your undergraduate International Relations with a Foundation Year BA (Hons) degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:
• Reading diary
• Literature/ article review
• Case study
• Critical review
For a full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/politics-philosophy-international-relations/ba-international-relations-foundation-year/ or get in touch with us at [email protected] "
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
College of Arts and Humanities
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.
£19k
£24k
£25k
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 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).
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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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