MA International Relations
Queen's University Belfast
Key Information
Campus location
Belfast, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 3 Year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 19,100 / per year
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
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Introduction
This programme provides a foundation in the academic discipline of International Relations and the array of ‘real world’ practices and problems that produce world politics. Having introduced the theoretical and methodological components which facilitate our study of the field, the aim is to use these tools to examine, explain and understand the issues and processes that make up our world: looking, for example, at war; diplomacy; arms control and arms proliferation; global health policy; humanitarian intervention; international development policy; race and legacies of colonialism; human displacement; inequality and injustice. While attending closely and consistently to traditional issues such as armed conflict, it thus offers a significantly broader education in international politics.
Students are thus able to balance engagement with core content in the field of International Relations with active development of their own areas of specialism as they progress through choosing elective courses according to their own interests. Among the central aims of the programme is the provision of the high-quality methodological and research design training needed to conduct independent research projects to an academically accredited standard. This culminates in the final dissertation stage of the programme. Recent students' dissertation topics have included: Jihadi use of social media; Russian foreign and security policy after the Ukraine conflict; Extreme right-wing terrorism and the internet; Russian private military actors; EU defence policy after BREXIT; Baltic security and the future of NATO; Paramilitarism and the Northern Irish border; Indian defence and security in relation to rising China; The limits of ‘truth and reconciliation’ in conflict resolution.
International Relations Highlights
Taught by world-leading experts in areas such as migration and asylum, border security, visual culture and international ethics.
Industry Links
- You will be studying timely, relevant and pressing issues that will be ‘live’ throughout the programme (e.g. BREXIT & EU negotiations; migration and refugees; conflict and war; climate change developments). Many academics on the programme are engaged in QPOL (Queen’s Policy Engagement) – this is the ‘front door’ for public policy engagement at Queen’s University, supporting academics and policymakers in sharing evidence-based research and ideas on the major social, cultural and economic challenges facing society regionally, nationally and beyond.
Career Development
- Queen’s is ranked in the top 140 in the world for graduate prospects (QS Graduate Employability Rankings (2020). Queen's is ranked 26th in the UK for graduate prospects (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020).
World-Class Facilities
- We also often host guest lectures and are closely affiliated with the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s. This Institute aims to tackle major global problems by bringing world-leading academics and experts together. The Institute has welcomed a number of high profile speakers from the political arena to the University over the past year, including President Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Hilary Clinton (who was awarded an honorary degree by the University and who is now our Chancellor), and Speaker of the UK House of Commons, John Bercow MP.
- Politics was ranked joint 1st in the UK for Research Intensity (Complete University Guide 2021).
Internationally Renowned Experts
- Taught by world-leading experts in areas such as migration and asylum, border security, visual culture and international ethics. An opportunity to study international relations in a location where communal conflicts have a clear international aspect in both their perpetuation and resolution.
- Belfast is a location where communal conflict has had significant international aspects in both its perpetuation and resolution. Northern Ireland remains a model of conflict resolution and peacebuilding across the world and students benefit from the School and University’s wider expertise in terrorism and political violence, conflict resolution, security studies, border studies and Irish and Northern Irish politics.
Student Experience
- All of the modules on our programme are taught by research-active academics who are world leaders in their specific fields of International Relations. For example, members of staff are currently conducting research on war, trade, security, diplomacy, conflict, migration, intervention, terrorism, violence, climate change, human rights and international institutions.
- International Relations at Queen’s benefits from a vibrant interdisciplinary research culture within the School, including insights from History, Anthropology and Philosophy as well as engagement with academics across the wider University in fields such as law, sociology and social policy, management and computing (for example, in collaboration for the study of cybersecurity threats).
- Queen’s is ranked 14th in the UK for research quality (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020). Queen’s is ranked in the top 75 universities in Europe for Teaching Excellent (Times Higher Education, 2019). Queen’s is ranked 22nd in the world for international outlook (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020). Queen’s currently has over 3,000 international students from 85 different countries. 11% of the Queen’s student population are international students.
Career Opportunities
All of the MA programmes offered in the School provide our graduates with the skills to pursue a wide range of careers in the private, public and voluntary sectors.
International Relations graduates go on to an extraordinarily broad range of careers. Typical examples include:
- International Non-Governmental Organisation roles (humanitarian, conflict resolution, environmental, development etc.)
- Media and journalism
- Government, diplomacy and international civil service roles
- Military and intelligence careers
- Political risk analysis
- Political research, lobbying and consultancy roles with an international focus
- Think-tank research
- Academic careers in IR and cognate disciplines
- Business roles involving significant transnational trade or operations
- International Non-Governmental Organisations including humanitarian, conflict resolution, environmental, development, etc.
Employment after the Course
International Relations graduates go on to an extraordinarily broad range of careers. Typical examples include:
- International Non-Governmental Organisation roles (humanitarian, conflict resolution, environmental, development, etc)
- Media and journalism
- Government, diplomacy, and international civil service roles
- Military and intelligence careers
- Political risk analysis
- Political research, lobbying, and consultancy roles with an international focus
- Think-tank research
- Academic careers in IR and cognate disciplines
- Business roles involving significant transnational trade or operations
- International Non-Governmental Organisations including humanitarian, conflict resolution, environmental, development, etc.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports, and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognized by a world-leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
Gallery
Curriculum
The programme has three different components: core modules, elective modules and a research dissertation.
Core Modules
To acquire foundational knowledge and understanding in International Relations, students will take four core modules covering the evolution of International Relations as a discipline, issues of order, conflict and governance, and the trends toward globalisation, regionalisation and devolution.
Core Modules students currently must take:
- HAP7001 - Approaches to Research Design (Semester 1)
- PAI7026 - Theories and Issues in International Relations (Semester 1)
- PAI7030 - International Political Economy (Semester 2)
Elective Modules
The programme provides students with a number of elective modules that will enable them to specialise in areas of interest, build on foundational knowledge, and develop focused expertise.
Students must take one of:
- PAI7007 - Global Terrorism (Semester 2)
- PAI7051 – Contemporary Security (semester 1)
Students who do not take:
- PAI7051 – Contemporary Security should choose one course from the list below:
- PAI7021 – The Politics of Northern Ireland
- PAI7036 – The Politics and Political Economy of Energy and Low Carbon Transitions
- PHL7056 – Global Ethics
Students who take PAI7051 – Contemporary Security should choose one course from the list below:
- PAI7022 – The Politics of the Republic of Ireland
- PAI7027 - Conflict Intervention
- PAI7032 - Gender & Politics
- PAI7052 - Institutions and Politics of the EU
- PHL7038 - Philosophy of Conflict and War
*This list of elective modules may vary from year to year.
Research Dissertation
The research dissertation project is developed over the course of the programme through formal training in methodology and research design and individual supervision sessions with an academic subject expert. Students will spend the final stage of the course researching and writing, with the continued support of their supervisor.
To enable students to develop their particular area of specialism, facilitate independent learning and instil a variety of skills such as project management, detailed analysis and self-motivation, students on the MA pathway must also write a dissertation of no more than 15,000 words.
Learning and Teaching
Students will be taught through a combination of individual supervision, lectures and seminars involving small group discussions and analytical exercises of various sorts. These can involve simulations, looking at original policy documents, pieces of media coverage or film, as well as academic resources and analysis from think-tanks and other independent sources. In addition, students will have access to a range of visiting speakers, academic research seminars and other events of direct relevance to the programme.
Cognitive and Transferable Skills
At the end of the programme, learners will have the capacity to be self-reflective and practice sound judgement and will possess the necessary skills to enhance their ability, think critically and pursue independent research.
Students will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding about the history of the discipline and knowledge of its specific concepts, issues and vocabulary.
Students will enhance their knowledge of the general methodological and theoretical approaches to key issue areas of the discipline.
Students will be able to solve problems, process and prioritize a wide variety of information, and express arguments and positions in oral and written form.
The Postgraduate Masters in International Relations provides postgraduate learners with the opportunity to develop generic analytical, reasoning, literacy and communication skills.
Knowledge and Understanding
Students will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding about the history of the discipline and knowledge of its specific concepts, issues and vocabulary. Students will enhance their knowledge of the general methodological and theoretical approaches to key issue areas of the discipline. Students will be able to solve problems, process and prioritize a wide variety of information, and express arguments and positions in oral and written form.
Specific Skills
The MA in International Relations provides postgraduate learners with the opportunity to develop generic analytical, reasoning, literacy and communication skills.
Assessment
Assessment is continuous throughout the course of study.
- Policy Briefing Papers
- Learning Journals
- Literature reviews
- Portfolios
- Written essays
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Master's courses in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.
International Scholarships
English Language Requirements
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