International Relations
International relations is the study of how states and other actors interact across national borders in the pursuit of their interests, the maintenance of order, and the negotiation of the profound disagreements and conflicts that characterise the global system. The discipline draws on political science, history, economics, law, and philosophy to understand phenomena as diverse as war and diplomacy, trade agreements and sanctions, human rights law and its enforcement, climate negotiations and development aid, and the changing nature of global power in an era when established institutions and assumptions are under pressure.
At the University of Liverpool, this three-year, full-time programme develops both the theoretical frameworks of international relations, including realism, liberalism, constructivism, and critical theories, and the empirical knowledge of specific regions, institutions, and issues that make those frameworks meaningful in practice. You will engage with contemporary international issues including great power competition, nuclear security, the governance of the global commons, refugee and migration crises, and the politics of international economic institutions. Liverpool's own history as a global port city gives the discipline a concrete local dimension even as the programme ranges across the world.
The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study international relations in a different national and academic context, which is particularly fitting for a subject that is itself concerned with the diversity of perspectives and interests that shape international life.
Graduates from international relations programmes work in government, the foreign and diplomatic service, international organisations, NGOs, journalism, business intelligence, consultancy, and finance. Many go on to postgraduate study in international relations, security studies, international law, development studies, or area studies, particularly those interested in specialist research or policy careers.