International Relations

International relations impact our everyday lives; through war and terrorism, climate change, migration and the clash of great powers, such as China and the United States. At Buckingham, we provide students with the methods for understanding international relations and the tools for resolving global challenges and conflicts. You will study key concepts and theories and then apply these to countries and regions of the world, such as Latin America, China, the Middle East and Europe.

Central to the Buckingham experience is small group teaching and a problem-centred approach. Lectures themselves are interactive, with classes normally no larger than 50 students and tutorials - which the forum for group discussion - typically having eight students. Lectures and tutorials are taken by regular staff, who are experts in their field, and not by graduate teaching assistants. And academics have an open-door policy, so if you have problems or simply want to discuss further what has been presented in class you are welcome to do so. This is why Buckingham ranks so high in student satisfaction.

Buckingham is also strongly committed to free speech, as evidenced by its consistent awarding by Spiked magazine of "œgreen" ("œhas not restricted or regulated speech").

Flexible Honours 

Make your degree as unique as you! If you choose International Relations (Flexible Honours) you'll have the freedom to tailor your International Relations degree to reflect your interests and passions by combining it with a wide range of other subjects taught here at the University. This means that when you graduate you will have a highly personalised degree that will suit you and your aspirations perfectly.

If you choose Flexible Honours you have the freedom to select up to a third of your modules from the whole range of what is taught at the University. This means you can mix and match lots of different subjects >with International Relations. At every stage, your Personal Tutor will be on hand to advise and guide your choices.

Quality teaching

We offer high quality, small group teaching, which leads to our degrees being recognised around the world. The standards of degrees and awards are safeguarded by distinguished external examiners - senior academic staff from other universities in the UK - who approve and moderate assessed work.

High calibre staff

Most of our academic staff teach for three terms out of four, with the remaining term used for research. Because of this, we have no difficulty in attracting high calibre, highly respected lecturers.

Teaching methods

Teaching is carried out through a combination of lectures supported by seminars and tutorials. A key feature of the Buckingham teaching method is the use of small tutorial groups which provide the most effective means of ensuring that the students benefit from the academic expertise at their disposal. It is also the philosophy of Buckingham's faculty to be available to students outside the scheduled tutorial times and to encourage good working relationships between staff and students.

A range of activities is pursued within the tutorial groups depending upon the module. Some modules emphasise problem solving as a means of reinforcing and cementing the important ideas. Occasionally we use game playing to encourage discussion and understanding. Other modules place greater emphasis on writing short and accurate technical pieces or longer more discursive papers.

Assessment methods

The assessment of individual modules within each course varies according to the subject. Assessment is usually by examination, assessed coursework, or a combination of the two. Please check module information for more details.

Preparation for work

All our degree courses combine academic challenge with the transferable and professional skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. Many of our more vocationally-focused degrees offer the opportunity of work placements and experience in industry.

Graduate employment

Our International Relations degree equips graduates with a range of skills: analysis; report-writing; group working; a deep understanding of power relations, both domestic and international. When combined with politics it is especially useful as a foundation for careers in policy analysis, civil service, diplomacy, country risk analysis, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the charity sector, public affairs consultant, journalism and teaching.

Because developments in artificial intelligence (AI) may threaten many careers, our emphasis is on equipping you with skills that are distinctively human and unlikely to be replaced by robots any time soon: empathy; problem-solving, where solutions cannot be learned in advance; working with others; creativity; fundamental strategic thinking; imagination.

It is also possible to build on your first degree by taking various Master's (MA) programmes: United Nations and Diplomatic Studies; Security and Intelligence Studies; Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. By taking our two-year undergraduate degree plus an MA, you can get two degrees in the time in takes students to take just one at other universities. Generous fee reductions are available for high performing undergraduates as well.

We welcome applications in two different ways - directly via our online application form or through UCAS.

If you're interested in transferring to Buckingham from another university then please get in touch to talk through your options.