International Relations, Politics and Security Studies

International relations, politics, and security studies combine to address some of the most significant questions facing the contemporary world. How do states pursue their interests in an anarchic international system? What drives armed conflict, and under what conditions can it be prevented or resolved?

How do international institutions, norms, and law shape state behaviour? These are disciplines where rigorous analysis is not merely academic but has direct relevance to the policies and decisions that affect millions of people.

At the University of Bradford, which has a long-standing reputation for peace studies and conflict research, you will explore these questions with particular attention to the causes of conflict, the politics of security, and the possibilities of international cooperation. You will study political theory, comparative politics, foreign policy analysis, and the major theoretical frameworks in international relations, alongside substantive topics such as terrorism, humanitarian intervention, arms control, and regional security dynamics. Critical approaches are central to the programme, encouraging you to question whose interests are served by dominant security frameworks and whose voices are marginalised.

This three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year at the start, which builds the academic skills and contextual knowledge needed to engage fully with the main degree. This makes the programme accessible to students who have the interest and ability but have not followed a conventional pre-university route, or who would benefit from a bridging period before degree-level study.

Graduates go on to careers in the civil service, international organisations, diplomatic services, journalism, think tanks, defence and security agencies, development work, and the non-profit sector. Many also continue to postgraduate study in international relations, security studies, peace studies, or law.