Full-time: one yearPart-time: two years
Part time students may have additional 3 months to submit dissertation if required.
Full-time: £10,080
Part-time: £5,040 per year
Full-time: £15,920 per year
Part-time: £7,960 per year
Full-time: £15,920 per year
Part-time: £7,960 per year
Northampton Square
The International Politics MA programme is for students who want to explore international politics & international relations more widely. It is designed to help you drill down and follow your specific interests and specialise your knowledge. The course has been designed to give you the chance to pursue your own questions about the way the world works – and to shape arguments where you feel it doesn’t.
The knowledge and skills you develop during the course will enable you to explore a number of rewarding career options – from supporting NGOs to working with the civil service or media.
Is the USA a benevolent global leader or a neo-imperial power? How does the shift in power from the West to the Rest reshape international politics in the 21st century? Can states act effectively in a world increasingly shaped by international institutions and global economic actors?
The International Politics MA will challenge your point of view and help you:
You should have a first or upper second-class honours (or equivalent) degree in politics, the social sciences, humanities or law. However, we also welcome applications from those with substantial experience in human rights organisations, NGOs, social services, journalism and other related sectors.
Don’t meet the entry requirements? INTO City, University of London offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare you for study at City, University of London. You’ll learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre.
These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry. To prepare for this degree course, learn more about the Graduate Diploma in Social Sciences and the Arts programme.
City works in partnership with Kaplan International College (KIC) London to provide preparatory courses for international students. Pre Masters courses at KIC London offer comprehensive support to students wishing to complete their postgraduate study at City. Progression to this degree is guaranteed if you complete the KIC London Pre-Masters course at the required level.
If you are applying with an overseas degree, the following is an indication of international equivalents of an upper second class degree from a UK institution. Please note these figures are intended as a guide only and individual applications will be assessed on a case by case basis.
If English is not your first language you will need the following qualification:
Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.
International Students (EEA and Non EEA) coming to study in the UK, may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
MA International Politics (Full time) 2021/2
MA International Politics (Part time) 2021/2
When you apply online you will be expected to submit the following:
Please note: Academic references are not required when you submit your application. However, the admissions tutor may request them at a later date to help make a decision on your application.
Return the completed form to:
SASS-Enquiries
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(1)20 7040 0249/3721
Email: SASS-enquiries@city.ac.uk
Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
For further information and ideas about funding your course, visit Financing your study.
British Council: Chevening awards. Usually for non-UK/EU students. See the Chevening website for further information and guidance.
Find out more about Scholarships for the Arts and Social Sciences.
You may have the opportunity to undertake a placement, but it is not a formal requirement of the course. We encourage you to create your own placement, by fostering connections offered by the Careers Service.
There is also the International Politics Careers Day, which helps you to explore career opportunities with international politics degrees. The day includes:
As part of the University of London you can also become a member of Senate House Library for free with your student ID card.
We offer a variety of accommodation options and support services for postgraduate students.
Read more about our postgraduate halls.
Our Accommodation Service can also help you find private accommodation.
We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
We offer an extensive support network during your time here at City, University of London – from Learning Support (including disability support) and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving you free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.
Find out more about the different types of student support available.
Chat to our current students and read their blogs to gain an insight into studying at City and learn more about our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
To make sure that you can begin or continue your studies with us during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reviewed and adapted our courses to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and staff. We have modified the way some of our courses are delivered, with many programmes being made available online.
Contact us to find out more about how our programmes will be delivered.
The course is taught by academics within the department with industry professionals offering insight in the form of talks for the Practitioner Series. This is a programme of talks from visiting speakers and alumni working within organisations such as The Refugee Council and Amnesty International.
The course is taught by an energised department of practising academics. The staff within our Department of International Politics are research-active, enthusiastic and passionate about their work.
They are actively involved in shaping policy, sitting on the advisory board for the Corbyn shadow cabinet, hosting talks on the human right to housing in London, and engaging in study groups around the Obama presidency. Their research and influence leads to policy change and many media appearances. This keeps the content of the course effective and current, giving you a contemporary lens from which to view rapid political change.
Industry professionals also offer insight in the form of talks for the Practitioner Series. This is a programme of talks from visiting speakers and alumni working within organisations such as The Refugee Council and Amnesty International.
You can follow our staff’s activity through their Twitter feed: @cityintpolitics
Each taught module is assessed by an essay, either a 5,000-word essay for 30 credit modules or a 3,000-word essay for 15 credit modules. Your final MA marks are derived from a combination of your essay and dissertation grades.
You are required to submit a dissertation of 15,000 words in an area linked to the MA degree. Your dissertation topic will be agreed with your personal tutor/supervisor.
Your work will be assessed by coursework alone, there are no exams. Many students develop their key interest first when they choose their elective modules, then when they write their essays, and finally when they write their dissertation over the summer term.
The structure of this MA gives you the flexibility to design your own degree.
The taught modules are completed in Terms 1 and 2, normally over a single academic year for full-time students and over two academic years for part-time students. You are required to take a total of 120 credits in taught modules.
There is one core module – 'Theories of International Politics' (30 credits) taught in the first term (30 credits).
The remaining credits will be made up of elective modules that you must choose from the list of electives opened to students in the MA International Politics. Throughout the year you can choose elective modules that suit your interests. You can also opt to pursue your interests by studying across departments with optional modules from the Department of Sociology and The City Law School.
The number of elective modules you take will vary depending on the number of 15- and 30-credit modules you choose. All modules run for a minimum of eleven weeks (or one term).
This module provides an advanced introduction to contemporary theories of international politics, which a focus on critical engagement with a diversity of theoretical perspectives. Specifically, you will learn about a number of different theoretical traditions, going beyond the conventional triumvirate of realism, liberalism and constructivism. This modules provides you with cutting-edge knowledge of contemporary international politics.
This module will help you to develop a research proposal for your international politics dissertation. You will examine issues related to the 'what' and 'how' of research: what kinds of questions can we ask and how should we pursue our research? You will also explore issues such as how to design a research project and examine the role of case studies, different methods of evidence collection (interviewing, archives, surveys), and the relationship between theory and the practice of research.
You are required to submit a dissertation of 15,000 words. The dissertation is worth 60 credits (one-third of your overall mark).
You will start work on the project in the second term, with a research workshop, which will help you develop the necessary skills for undertaking independent research. In the summer term, you will work full time on completing the final dissertation, which will be due by the end of September. The dissertation offers you the opportunity to reflect on and communicate knowledge gained through research and allows you to complement your module work by writing on a topic relevant to your specific interests.
Choose 60 credits from:
Typical modules offered by the Department of International Politics:
Typical modules offered by the Sociology Department:
Typical modules offered by The City Law School:
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
The skills you will take away from this programme – those of research, analysis and presentation – are highly valued by employers. In 2014-15, 87.5% of City's International Politics graduates were in employment or further study six months after graduation.
Current graduates now work within the following organisations:
From government agencies to NGOs and human rights organisations, the course gives you the perfect foundation to prepare for a career in a wide range of fields. You will graduate with the ability to undertake in-depth research, challenge received explanations of topics in social and political life and to examine and critically evaluate the complex structure of relationships between governments, transnational actors, transnational networks and intergovernmental or governmental organisations.
MA International Politics (Full time) 2021/2
MA International Politics (Part time) 2021/2
When you apply online you will be expected to submit the following:
Please note: Academic references are not required when you submit your application. However, the admissions tutor may request them at a later date to help make a decision on your application.
Return the completed form to:
SASS-Enquiries
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(1)20 7040 0249/3721
Email: SASS-enquiries@city.ac.uk
Find out more about City and all our postgraduate degree programmes.
