International Relations and Philosophy

International Relations and Philosophy together address the most fundamental questions about how the world is ordered and how it ought to be. International Relations examines the structure and dynamics of global politics: the causes of war and peace, the making of foreign policy, the functioning of international organisations, trade regimes, human rights, terrorism, and the interaction of political and economic forces across borders. Philosophy provides the critical tools needed to evaluate the concepts and arguments that underpin these debates: what does sovereignty mean, what obligations do states have to non-citizens, can war ever be just, and what does a fair international order require?

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year MA (Hons) brings these two disciplines into sustained dialogue, developing your analytical and argumentative skills across both. You will study the major theoretical traditions in international relations, including realism, liberalism, constructivism, and critical approaches, alongside the central branches of philosophy: ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. The combination allows you to engage with international relations not simply as a description of how things are, but as a domain where deep normative questions about how things ought to be are genuinely at stake.

A year abroad is built into the programme.

Graduates of International Relations and Philosophy are among the most analytically rigorous in the social sciences and humanities, and this combination is valued in a wide range of careers. The civil service and diplomatic service, international organisations, policy think tanks, journalism, law, management consultancy, and NGOs all recruit graduates with this kind of intellectual formation. Many pursue postgraduate study in international relations, philosophy, law, or public policy, and some develop academic careers in both fields.