International Relations

International relations is the study of how states, international organisations, non-governmental actors, and transnational movements interact across borders. It asks why conflicts arise and how they are resolved, how global governance works (and fails to work), what drives the movements of people, goods, and ideas around the world, and how power is distributed and contested at an international level. The discipline draws on history, political theory, economics, law, and sociology, and it brings rigorous analytical frameworks to questions that are constantly in the news: from war and diplomacy to climate negotiations, human rights, and the politics of globalisation.

At the University of York, this three-year full-time programme is structured to take you to the boundaries of justice and human rights, exploring the effects of terrorism, war, and shifts in global power on everyday life. The programme includes a sandwich year, offering the opportunity to work in a relevant professional setting, as well as a year abroad at a partner institution, and a work placement. These structural features mean that by graduation you will have significant international and professional experience alongside your academic studies, making you a considerably stronger candidate in competitive graduate labour markets.

York's research strengths in international security, political theory, and global governance inform the teaching throughout.

You will engage with theories of international relations, the history of the international system, and the detailed study of contemporary issues in global politics. The programme develops the ability to handle complex information, construct arguments clearly, and write with precision.

Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, the civil service, international organisations, NGOs, journalism, think tanks, law, intelligence, finance, and a wide range of other fields where global awareness and analytical rigour are valued. Postgraduate study in international relations, international law, security studies, or development is a common next step.