Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Duration
- 1 year
- Entry requirements
-
We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
- Learn from elite academics at one of the UK’s top 5 universities for Politics and International Studies (Times Higher Education 2024).
- Understand the norms, structures and actors shaping international affairs.
- Tailor your studies with an array of optional course units examining a range of pressing global issues.
Open days
On this day, you will find out more about the School of Social Sciences, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.
For more information, see open days and visits .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £16,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,000 -
MA (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £8,250
International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding applicants, such as the Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship .
The Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme offers a £3,000 fee reduction to Manchester alumni who achieved a first-class bachelor's degree within the last three years and are progressing to postgraduate study.
For more information, see our Fees and funding page.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Social Sciences
- Contact name
- School of Social Sciences Admissions Office
- Telephone
- +44 (0) 161 306 5500
- pgt-politics@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/politics/
- School/Faculty
-
See: School Subjects
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require a UK bachelor's degree with a First or Upper Second classification or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
English language
Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:
- IELTS Academic test score of 7 overall, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5
- TOEFL IBT 100 with 25 in writing and no further score below 22 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall, with 76 in writing and no further score below 70
Pre-Sessional English Courses
We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you will be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.
To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:
6 Week Pre-Sessional Course : IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no more than one sub-skill of 6.0.
10 Week Pre-sessional Course : IELTS 6.0 overall with 6.0 or above in each sub-skill
If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate to ensure that you are eligible for a separate visa for the English language course.
English language test validity
Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.
Applicants from Majority English-speaking countries
If you are a national of a majority English-speaking country (or have studied for a full bachelor's degree or higher from one of these countries) you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency.
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students, the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our country-specific information page for guidance on the academic and English language qualifications which may be accepted from your country.
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
As there is a high demand for our courses we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.
Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.
Applications for 2025 entry:
Stage 1: Application received by 7th December 2024 ; Application update by 21st February 2025
Stage 2: Application received by 2nd March 2025 ; Application update by 1st May 2025
Stage 3: Application received by 4th May 2025 ; Application update by 5th June 2025
Stage 4: Application received by 1st July 2025 ; Application update by 25th July 2025
Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.
Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.
Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.
Tuition fee deposits
If you are successful in receiving an offer, you will be required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,000 by the deadline stated in your offer letter to confirm your place. We ask for the deposit as competition for places is high and there is limited availability. The deposit amount is then deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.
Course details
Course description
The socio-political challenges facing us are increasingly international. That means there’s an ever-growing need for problem-solvers that can think globally.
Led by internationally recognised academics, our International Relations master’s course will give you the tools to interrogate global politics and better understand global issues like foreign policy, environmental politics and migration.
Through mandatory course units, you’ll be introduced to a range of orthodox and critical research approaches, while developing your skills as a researcher.
You’ll also be able to tailor the course to fit your interests, with optional units available covering key topics in international relations such as:
- Governing in an Unjust World: Justice and International Relations
- Global Ethics
- European Union Foreign Policy
- Critical Environmental Politics
- The Arab Uprisings and Revolutionary State Formation
Throughout the course you’ll develop skills in critical inquiry, research design, creative thinking and problem-solving. At the point of completion, you’ll be well placed to a career in research, policy, charity and a great number of other fields.
Special features
With over 13,000 students, The University of Manchester has one of the largest postgraduate communities in the UK.
As part of that community, students on the course are encouraged to participate in the Critical Global Politics research cluster, who organise a seminar series attracting high profile speakers, including:
- Cynthia Enloe
- Cynthia Weber
- Nick Vaughan-Williams
- Marysia Zalewski
- Laura Shepherd.
Teaching and learning
Part-time students complete the full-time course over two years. There are no evening or weekend course units available on the part-time route.
You must first check the schedule of the compulsory course units and then select your optional units to suit your requirements.
Updated timetable information will be available from mid-August and you will have the opportunity to discuss your unit choices during induction week with your course director.
Course unit details
Compulsory course units:
- POLI70401 Graduate seminar in International Relation Theory
- POLI70412 Critical Thinkers in International Politics
- POLI60312 Dissertation Research Design
Optional course units:
- POLI70451 Ethics in World Politics
- POLI70461 Security Studies
- POLI71061 Foreign Policy Analysis
- POLI70311 Critical Approaches to IPE
- POLI70851 EU as an International Actor
- POLI70981 The Arab Uprisings and Revolutionary State Formation
- POLI71111 The United Nations and International Security
- POLI60092 Power and Resistance in Postcolonial Societies
- POLI60262 Media, War and Conflict
- POLI70282 Critical Globalisation Studies
- POLI70612 Debating Justice
- POLI70722 Theories of Rights
- POLI70492 Human Rights in World Politics
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Design and Skills | POLI60312 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Graduate Seminar in International Relations Theory | POLI70401 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Critical Approaches in International Politics | POLI70412 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | POLI72000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Migration, Mobility and Displacement in the Contemporary World | MGDI60731 | 15 | Optional |
| Governing in an Unjust World: Justice and International Relations | POLI60182 | 15 | Optional |
| Global Governance | POLI70422 | 15 | Optional |
| Security Studies | POLI70461 | 15 | Optional |
| Human Rights in World Politics | POLI70492 | 15 | Optional |
| European Union Foreign Policy | POLI70851 | 15 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 20 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Scholarships and bursaries
The School offers a number of awards for students applying for master's study.
To find our more, please visit our master's funding opportunity search page.
Facilities
As a School of Social Sciences student, you will be supported by first-class resources.
As well as access to networked study areas and one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the country, The University of Manchester Library .
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
The University of Manchester is the most targeted by the UK’s largest graduate employers (High Fliers, 2023)
As a graduate of this course, you'll be able to apply your research and critical thinking skills in fields such as:
- academia
- The Civil Service and foreign office
- the charity sector
- international institutions, like the UN and NATO
- research institutes and think tanks.
The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .