International Relations with integrated Foundation
International Relations is the study of how states, international organisations, and other actors interact in a world without a single governing authority. It asks how order is possible in an anarchic international system, how conflicts begin and end, how global institutions are created and sustained, and how shared challenges such as climate change, trade, and human rights can be managed across national borders. The discipline draws on political theory, history, economics, and sociology to build rigorous accounts of the global order and the forces that shape it.
At the University of Buckingham, this three-year, full-time programme includes an integrated foundation year for students who need additional preparation before beginning undergraduate study. The programme provides a rigorous and wide-ranging education in the political structure of the world, examining key countries and regions alongside the theoretical frameworks used to explain how global order is achieved, maintained, and disrupted. You will study security, the world economy, globalisation, and the cooperative and conflictual engagement between states, developing both the conceptual vocabulary and the empirical knowledge that serious engagement with international affairs requires.
Buckingham's small and research-active teaching environment provides close contact between students and faculty.
Graduates of International Relations work in government, diplomacy, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, journalism, international business, and the civil service. The analytical and communicative skills the degree develops are valued in any profession that requires understanding the forces shaping global events. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in international relations, security studies, development, or public policy, building specialist expertise for research or senior professional roles.
The integrated foundation year ensures the programme is accessible to students whose earlier qualifications may not meet standard entry requirements.