International Relations

International relations examines the behaviour of states and other actors in the international system: why wars begin and how they end, how international institutions shape and constrain state behaviour, what drives global economic integration and its discontents, how norms and laws develop at the international level, and what the rise of new powers means for established international orders. It is a field that combines theoretical rigour with close attention to the facts and events of world politics, asking both what is happening in the international arena and why.

At Aberystwyth, where the world's first Department of International Politics was established over a century ago, this three-year full-time programme places you within one of the discipline's founding traditions. You will engage with the full range of theoretical perspectives in international relations, from realism and liberalism through to constructivism and critical approaches, developing the conceptual vocabulary to analyse international events with sophistication and precision. Contemporary global challenges, including nuclear instability, climate change, global inequality, and the pressures facing international institutions, are taken seriously as objects of sustained scholarly inquiry rather than background context.

Aberystwyth's long tradition means the department brings historical depth as well as contemporary engagement to the curriculum, and you will develop a genuine sense of how international order has been built, contested, and reshaped across different periods.

Graduates pursue careers in diplomacy, the civil service, international organisations, NGOs, journalism, think tanks, consultancy, finance, and policy research. The analytical, research, and communication skills that international relations develops are highly transferable, and many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in international relations, global governance, law, or public policy.