Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies

Politics, international studies, and Hispanic studies is a combination that brings together three interlocking ways of understanding how power operates in the world: through the analysis of political systems and processes, through the examination of the international order and the interactions of states and global actors, and through the deep linguistic and cultural engagement with the Spanish-speaking world that Hispanic studies makes possible. The combination is particularly coherent because Latin America and Spain are deeply embedded in global politics and international relations, making Spanish-language cultural and political knowledge directly relevant to the analytical work of political and international study.

At the University of Warwick, this four-year full-time degree with a sandwich year and work placement develops all three strands with genuine depth. You will study political institutions and processes at both national and international levels, examine the major theoretical frameworks of political science and international relations, and develop your Spanish language skills to a level that allows you to engage with political and cultural texts in their original language. The cultural sensitivity that comes from serious engagement with Hispanic societies, including their historical, literary, and political dimensions, enriches your political analysis in ways that a purely anglophone education cannot.

The sandwich year and placement give you direct professional experience connected to politics, international affairs, or Hispanic studies, building the applied competence that competitive careers in these fields demand.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in the diplomatic and foreign services, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, political consultancy, journalism, the civil service, and international business, particularly in roles with a Latin American or Spanish dimension. The combination of political analysis, international relations knowledge, and Spanish proficiency is rare and specifically valued by employers who need people who can work across cultural and political contexts in the Spanish-speaking world. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in politics, international relations, Hispanic studies, or Latin American studies, building specialist depth for academic or senior professional careers.