Law and International Relations

Law and International Relations is a combination that equips you to engage with the legal frameworks that govern relations between states, international institutions, and individuals across borders. Law provides the formal rules, principles, and methods of legal reasoning, while International Relations offers the political, historical, and theoretical context within which those rules operate. Together they address some of the most pressing questions of our time, including the enforcement of human rights, the regulation of armed conflict, the governance of trade, and the legitimacy of international institutions.

At the University of Westminster, this three-year full-time degree places you on a pathway into international legal practice and global affairs. You will study the foundations of English law and legal method alongside core international relations theory, and as the programme develops you will explore areas such as public international law, diplomacy, international organisations, conflict resolution, and the politics of global governance. You will learn to think across disciplinary boundaries, applying legal analysis to political problems and situating legal argument in its broader international context.

The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the chance to study at a partner institution overseas and develop a genuinely international perspective before you graduate.

The combination of legal training and international awareness prepares graduates for a wide range of careers. Many go on to qualify as solicitors or barristers, with particular strengths in areas such as international commercial law, human rights law, and public international law. Others enter roles in diplomacy, international organisations, government departments, think tanks, NGOs, and policy analysis.

The degree also provides a strong foundation for postgraduate study in law, international relations, or governance.