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Postgraduate Taught
| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time 2 years part time |
| Entry year | September 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Security Studies |
| Contact |
| Typical offer | 2:2 Honours degree |
|---|---|
Employability focussed
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
11th in The Complete University Guide 2025
Top 100 in the world for Politics
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Flexibility to follow your interests with a world-leading cluster of researchers
Employability focussed
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
11th in The Complete University Guide 2025
Top 100 in the world for Politics
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Flexibility to follow your interests with a world-leading cluster of researchers
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in their first degree in a relevant subject area. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
We will equip you with the theoretical and empirical research tools needed to understand the forces that shape global politics.
Our teaching is research-led and delivered by world-leading researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields. Learning on the programme involves debating and collaborating with peers in both classroom and multi-media environments, engaging with external speakers, and putting your skills to the test in role-plays and simulations set in the exciting world of global politics.
Extra-curricular events, such as stand-alone talks given by policy makers,activists, and scholars provide alternative, real-world perspectives of world politics. Recent contributors have included:
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Students must take 3 compulsory modules: POLM502 (30 credits), POLM341 Omnishambles! Global Politics Simulation (30 credits) and POLM886 (60 credits). The remaining 60 credits come from optional modules listed below.
Up to 30 credits of modules may be taken from another discipline in the university, with approval from the programme director (or equivalent) of the relevant discipline.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLM502 | International Relations: Power and Institutions | 30 |
| POLM886 | Dissertation | 60 |
| POLM341 | Omnishambles - Global Politics Simulation | 30 |
Politics and International Relations modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=politics
Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLM082 | International Relations of the Middle East | 30 |
| POLM088 | State-building after Civil War | 30 |
| POLM144 | The West, Civilisations and World Order | 30 |
| POLM167 | Global Governance: Institutions and Challenges | 30 |
| POLM217 | Conflict, Security and Development in Eurasia | 30 |
| POLM239 | International Organisation | 30 |
| POLM503 | Foreign Policy Decision-Making | 30 |
| POLM651 | State and Society in the Middle East | 30 |
| POLM803 | Sources in Modernity and Post-Modernity | 30 |
| POLM084 | Conflict, Security and Development in World Politics | 30 |
| POLM173 | Theories of International Development | 30 |
| POLM174 | Tools, Policy, and Practice of International Development | 30 |
| POLM168 | From Oppression to Resistance: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class and Gender | 30 |
£12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
£25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Members of staff teaching on the MA International Relations have a wide range of research interests including world order, great power politics, humanitarianism, peace building, security, theory and ideas, climate politics, activism, and gender. Our permanent staff provide consultancy, comment, and expert advice to organisations such as the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Ministry of Defence, BBC, Chatham House, Open Democracy, Freedom House, and the Foreign Policy Centre. Visiting scholars include colleagues from Harvard and Brown Universities, and the Australian National University.
Exeter educators employ advanced pedagogies in and around the classroom, supporting learning with a vibrant multi-media electronic learning ecosystem. Students are presented with a variety of exercises and challenges, designed to foster the skills necessary for the global leaders of tomorrow. Activities include:
Seminar tutors direct and facilitate class debate and discussions. You will fine-tune your critical reading skills, learn to present in front of an audience, to ask and field incisive questions, and work with your peers to develop consensus views and challenge those of others. A range of media will be used in teaching, from video and audio, newspaper articles and academic journal articles. Fictional works and documentaries also provide insight on how societies interpret and portray international politics.
Assessment varies between modules, combining more traditional researched-based analysis with forward-looking tasks that prepare students for the twenty-first century world. Tasks may include essays, workshop contributions, presentations, policy briefs, blog posts, and post-simulation ‘after action reports’. Every student also completes a dissertation on a subject that has captured their imagination, working with an expert supervisor to produce a unique study. The University of Exeter provides dedicated research training to help you structure both the research and writing of your dissertation. Developing the ability to express complex ideas succinctly and in depth, is a core skill that will stand you in good stead, no matter what your chosen career may be.
Our main library is open 24/7 throughout the academic year. With a book stock in excess of 1.2 million, we have one of the highest UK academic library ratios of books to students. The main library offers self-service machines, state-of-the-art multimedia facilities, and an extended Wi-Fi network. The library provides world-class study facilities to all students. It has extensive holdings of works on political science, international relations and the various sub-disciplines.
I decided to come to Exeter after meeting the faculty here who genuinely care about their students and how we use our time here to prepare for what comes after we graduate.
Exeter also has a great employability program that focusses on preparing students for the job market. Whatever stage you are at in the process, the career consultants in the Career Zone are always sure to be able to help point you to the resources you need or provide career counseling if you are stuck.
Serafin
MA International Relations
Many of our students are working professionals in governments around in the world, NGOs and aid agencies and chose to take the MA International Relations to provide them with a broader perspective and develop their careers.
Our students go on to work in a wide range of employers and occupations, demonstrating the crucial importance of the knowledge and skill sets our students develop whilst studying with us. Employers include:
Some of our students decide to continue their studies via MPhil/PhD programmes, or Masters by Research, all of which set them up for research-based career paths in academia and beyond.
Apart from specialist knowledge and skills relating to a range of careers in government, diplomacy, journalism and the third sector, you will also develop transferrable skills that are highly desirable in a range of careers. These include:
Our careers advisory service provides expert guidance to all students to enable them to plan their futures through psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events, practice job interviews and CV preparation.
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