BA Politics and 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 Politics and International Relations (Placement Year), a politics and international relations degree centred on the study of political systems, institutions, and global affairs. Core topics include Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, Communication & Writing, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The programme includes a dedicated work-based placement year in the third year and culminates in a final-year dissertation project. Throughout the four years, students examine political theory, governance, and policy-making through a structured progression of modules. The first year establishes foundations through compulsory study in Origins and Foundations of International Relations, Parties, Populism and Protest, Global Governance and International Institutions, and Policy Lab. Moving into the second year, core modules such as Reshaping Global Order, Theories of Power and the State, and Understanding Political Research deepen analytical capabilities. Following the third-year placement, the final year centres on advanced topics supported by a compulsory Politics and International Relations Dissertation. Optional modules across the degree allow specialisation in areas such as authoritarianism, security, regional politics in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, Russia, and China, alongside interdisciplinary discovery options.
Modules
- Origins and Foundations of International Relations
- Parties, Populism and Protest
- Global Governance and International Institutions
- Policy Lab
- British Politics: Political Ideas in Action
- Critical Perspectives on Global Politics
- Political Theory for a Troubled World
- Global Challenges in World Politics
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Foundations of Microeconomics
- Thinking Sociologically
- Reshaping Global Order
- Theories of Power and the State
- Understanding Political Research
- Authoritarianism, Repression and Resistance in the 21st century
- Democracy, Dictatorship and Everything in Between
- Global Capitalism and its Discontent
- Global Superpowers
- Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and Economics
- Politics of the Global South
- War, Peace and Modernity
- Who Governs Britain? Policy, Politics and Political Change
- 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 Political Theory
- Critical Studies of War and Security
- 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)