BSocSc Politics and International Relations / Course details

The BSocSc (Hons) in Politics and International Relations is our single honours course for politics specialists.

Our teaching and top-level research is structured around three core themes:

• Comparative Politics; 
• International Politics; 
• Political Theory. 

In Year 1 and 2, you will take course units from across the three core areas, plus options from other disciplines, such as Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy or Languages.

By your final year, you will have an advanced understanding of politics, which reflect the research expertise of our staff.

Our significant size allows us to support internationally recognised research across a range of areas including several large and distinctive research clusters

This also contributes to the quality of our teaching; we offer you a variety of course units that builds directly on our research expertise.

We will help you to develop solid intellectual foundations within the discipline, while also giving you increasing choice and diversity of subjects and approaches as you progress through your second and third years.

You can also apply to spend Year 3 studying abroad at one of our partner universities as part of a four-year degree option.

• Provide the opportunity to study Politics in the breadth and depth that a single-honours specialisation makes possible.
• Help you develop solid intellectual foundations within the discipline while offering a choice of subject matter and approaches as you progress.
• Develop your intellectual independence and autonomy.
• Help you develop the skills to undertake independent research of a high standard.
• Develop your intellectual flexibility and adaptability - the ability to learn how to succeed.

Politics staff have:

• won the Manchester Student Union teaching awards;
• achieved recognition at the University teaching awards;
• achieved national recognition, three times winning the Political Studies Association Sir Bernard Crick Prize for Outstanding Teaching.

Course content informed by research

We offer a wide variety of course units that build directly on our research expertise.

We are also home to one of the longest running election studies in the world, the British Election Study while our research examines issues such as the critique and critical challenge of orthodoxies, security, migration, war, gender, ethics, resistance, and international institutions.

Manchester Leadership Programme

Take the MLP as part of your degree and learn directly from leading Manchester academics and high-profile leaders from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

You will discover the challenges facing society in the 21st century, and the leadership approaches needed to address them.

You will also undertake volunteer work, giving back to society and developing the kinds of skills and experiences that graduate employers seek.

Study abroad

If you would like to broaden your horizons and your degree, you can apply to study overseas for a year at one of our partner universities. You apply in Year 2 to spend a year abroad in Year 3. If successful, you will put together a programme of study at the host university in consultation with your Academic Exchange Advisor, to complement your studies at Manchester. You will then come back to Manchester to study for a fourth year and graduate with a degree title including 'with International Study'. See The University of Manchester Study Abroad pages for more information, including eligibility criteria, destinations, costs and funding.

Most course units feature formal lectures supported by smaller tutorials or seminars where you explore the contents of lectures and required reading in greater depth.

Tutorials and seminars are key to improving your written and oral communication skills through group discussions, essay-writing and presentations.

You are assigned an Academic Advisor who can advise you on selecting course units and career opportunities.

We foster a vibrant Politics learning community among our staff and students through several initiatives, including an annual undergraduate conference, a seminar series, peer-mentoring scheme and an undergraduate journal.

We offer a wide array of assessment types throughout your course, including:

• policy briefs;
• book or article reviews;
• presentations; 
• learning logs;
• field reports;
• blogs;
• podcasts.

Assessment is primarily by essays and/or examination (in January and May-June) in the first year.

Read profiles of our students to find out more about studying Politics at Manchester.