Politics and International Relations with Study Abroad

Politics and international relations is a degree that asks how power works: who has it, how it is acquired and used, and what its consequences are for different societies and for the world. Politics examines power within states, looking at how political institutions are structured, how governments make decisions, how citizens engage, and how political change happens. International relations extends that analysis to the space between states and beyond, examining diplomacy, conflict, trade, international law, human rights, and the global institutions that attempt to manage the tensions between national interests and shared challenges.

At the University of Bristol, this four-year full-time programme with study abroad explores power, who exercises it, for whom, how it is distributed, and with what consequences, as the course describes. You will gain insight into the politics of different countries, regions, and systems, as well as global and local political issues and movements, developing both analytical rigour and broad knowledge of how the world is politically organised. The study abroad year gives you extended immersion in a different political and cultural context, giving your analytical framework a concrete comparative dimension that classroom study alone cannot provide.

Graduates in politics and international relations go on to work in government and the civil service, diplomacy and the foreign service, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, journalism, law, consulting, and public affairs. The combination of domestic political knowledge and international perspective is valued wherever organisations need to understand and navigate complex political environments. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in politics, international relations, public policy, security studies, or law, developing specialist expertise for academic or professional careers in these fields.