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 | POLI70462 | 15 | Optional |
| Human Rights in World Politics | POLI70492 | 15 | Optional |
| European Union Foreign Policy | POLI70851 | 15 | Optional |
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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 .