BA International Relations (Placement Year)
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects
About this course
BA Hons in International Relations (Placement Year), a politics and international relations degree centred on the study of global governance, international institutions, and contemporary world politics. Core topics include Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The programme incorporates a dedicated work-based learning placement year, allowing students to gain professional experience in a sector of their choice. The first year introduces foundational themes through modules such as Origins and Foundations of International Relations, Global Challenges in World Politics, Global Governance and International Institutions, and Critical Perspectives on Global Politics. The second year advances core knowledge via Reshaping Global Order and Understanding Political Research, alongside optional choices addressing global capitalism and political movements. The third year consists entirely of a professional placement in industry or a relevant sector. The final year focuses on an independent Politics and International Relations Dissertation, supported by advanced optional modules covering subjects such as critical security studies, regional politics, and policymaking.
Modules
- Origins and Foundations of International Relations
- Global Challenges in World Politics
- Global Governance and International Institutions
- Critical Perspectives on Global Politics
- Political Theory for a Troubled World
- Parties, Populism and Protest
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Foundations of Microeconomics
- Thinking Sociologically
- Reshaping Global Order
- Understanding Political Research
- Authoritarianism, Repression and Resistance in the 21st century
- Global Capitalism and its Discontent
- Global Superpowers
- Politics of the Global South
- War, Peace and Modernity
- Employability, Purpose and Social Impact (Discovery module)
- Global Challenges and Collaborative Solutions (Discovery module)
- Taking an Idea and Making it Happen (Discovery module)
- Work Based Learning Year
- Politics and International Relations Dissertation
- Critical Studies of War and Security
- Critical Political Theory
- Democracy Under Pressure
- Environment and Development
- Europe and America
- Parliamentary Studies
- Policymaking in the Real World
- Politics of Latin America and Africa
- Politics of the Middle East and Asia Pacific
- Russia and China
- Security, Strategy and Technology
- The Politics of Borders and Migration
- The Politics of Crises and the Future of Governance
- Queer Futures (Discovery module)
- People Power and Collective Action (Discovery module)
- Confronting the Climate Crisis (Discovery module)
- Artistic Fusions (Discovery module)