Politics and International Relations

Politics and international relations together form one of the most far-reaching combinations available in the social sciences. Politics is the study of power, how it is acquired, exercised, and contested, within states and between them. International relations asks how states and other actors interact across borders, how order and conflict arise in the international system, and how global challenges from climate change to migration to security are understood and managed.

Studied together at degree level, the two disciplines give you a sophisticated and empirically grounded understanding of the world and of the forces that shape it.

At the University of Manchester, this three-year, full-time programme draws on one of the largest and most internationally recognised politics departments in the UK. You will study political theory and comparative politics alongside the core frameworks of international relations, engaging with the history and philosophy of political thought as well as contemporary empirical debates. You will examine political institutions, electoral systems, foreign policy, global governance, diplomacy, and conflict, and you will be trained to analyse evidence, construct well-reasoned arguments, and engage critically with competing interpretations of political events and structures.

Manchester's international research environment and its connections to policy and public life add considerable depth to the academic programme.

Graduates in politics and international relations go on to a remarkably wide range of careers. Many enter government, the civil service, diplomacy, and international organisations. Others work in journalism, think-tanks, NGOs, international development, business, law, and finance.

The combination of analytical rigour, awareness of global affairs, and strong written and verbal communication that the programme cultivates is valued across virtually every sector that engages with the wider world. Further postgraduate study in international relations, public policy, development studies, or security studies is also well established as a pathway for graduates who want to deepen their expertise.