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International Relations

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-B,C,C

104-112 points, to include a minimum of 2 A levels.

106-112 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.

Cambridge Pre-U score of 44-46.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

25

25 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H4,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H4

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

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

DMM

104-112 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

104-112

104-112 points, to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.

104-112 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subject

International relations

**This is a Connected Degree**

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

**Overview**

Examine the major issues affecting the world. Discover why nation states rise and fall. Take a closer look at the factors behind international conflict, and learn the role state leaders, NGOs, civil society and activists play in solving these problems.

On this BA (Hons) International Relations degree, you'll explore topics like global migration and the rise of populist politics. You’ll learn the skills required to play your part in improving equality and enacting positive change.

And after graduation, you’ll be ready for careers in local and national government, security, tech, intelligence, and with international charities and institutions like the UN.

**Course highlights**

- Learn from staff at our Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), whose research directly impacts government policy

- Create policy briefing papers offering recommendations to practitioners on major recent international issues, such as the Ukraine Crisis, the 'MeToo' movement, the rise of terrorist organisations and the Arab Revolutions

- Attend events and talks led by people working in NGOs, local, national and international government, and journalism

- Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament

- Take part in a simulated ‘academic conference’, where you’ll present a paper that will be discussed with your peers

- Have the chance to study abroad at one of our partner institutions – including Science Po Strasbourg (France), Maastricht University (Netherlands), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and University of Szeged (Hungary)

**Optional pathways**

- On this course, you can study history or international development alongside your international relations degree

**Careers and opportunities**

The analytical skills you’ll develop on this course are in demand – your ability to understand complex issues and find solutions means that roles across government agencies, NGOs, charities, think tanks and international organisations are within your reach.

When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills and cultural experience to work.

Graduates from this degree have gone on to careers in the following sectors:

- local and central government

- embassies

- non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

- security services

- international organisations, like the United Nations (UN)

- international charities like War Child, Amnesty International or the Red Cross

- policy research and think tanks

- media and international business consultancy

- political risk analysis

- public relations

- voluntary organisations

- management

- banking and financial services

- tourism

What jobs can you do with an International Relations degree?

Recent graduates have gone on to roles including:

- director of Language Studies for an international school

- political researcher, Houses of Parliament

- assistant to Member of Parliament

- civil servant, the Cabinet Office

- senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

- communications officer, House of Commons

- local government administrator, Government of Jersey

- public affairs consultant

- bilingual consultant

- multilingual project coordinator

- translator

- social researcher

- information officer

- conference producer

After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

Modules

Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
- Global Development
- Key Themes in International Relations
- Political Thought
- Professional Practice: Skills for Academic and Professional Success
- The Making of the Global South

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
- Bending the Truth a Little? Researching Politics and International Relations
- International Thought

Optional modules in this year currently include:
- A History of US Foreign Policy: From the Great War to 9/11
- Analysing Foreign Policy
- Autocracy and Democracy
- Development and Democracy in Latin America
- Digital Cultures: Exploring the Digital in the Humanities and Social Sciences
- East Asian States And Societies
- Empire and its Afterlives in Britain, Europe and Africa
- Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences - 20 credits
- Global Security
- Intercultural Perspectives on Communication
- Introduction to Teaching
- Marketing and Communication
- Modern Foreign Language
- Modernity and Globalisation
- Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday
- News, Discourse and Media
- Principles of Economic Crime Investigation
- Professional Experience
- Space, Place and Being
- Transitional Justice and Human Rights
- US Politics
Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response

Placement year (optional)

On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

Year 3
Core modules in this year include:
- Dissertation / Major Project
- Security Challenges in the 21st Century

Optional modules in this year currently include:
- France in the World: Global Actor or Global Maverick?
- Global Capitalism: Past, Present and Future
- Global Health
- Independent Project
- International Security in the Asia-Pacific
- NGOs and Social Movements
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates
- Professional Experience
- Race, Rights and Development: Global Perspectives on Inequality and Social Justice
- Religion and Politics in Global Perspective
- The European Union: A Global Power in the Making?

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through:

written exams
coursework
article reviews
essays
projects
briefing papers
simulations, podcasts and creative videos
individual and group presentations
10,000 word dissertation

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

Year 1 students: 25% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 67% by coursework
Year 2 students: 35% by written exams, 7% by practical exams and 58% by coursework
Year 3 students: 3% by practical exams and 97% by coursework

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£9,250
per year
International
£17,200
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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.

Politics

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
64%
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

71%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
54%
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?

67%
UK students
33%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
75%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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
98%
med
Employed or in further education
53%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Business, research and administrative professionals
10%
Business, finance and related 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.

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

£23k

£23k

£27k

£27k

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here