Politics and International Relations

How do we determine who is a terrorist? What is causing the rise of far-right parties across the EU? And how can the international community best respond to conflict in the Middle East?

If these sorts of complex questions fascinate you, you’ll love studying politics and international relations with us. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about the world’s most topical political issues and address them in a stimulating environment where discussion is quite simply the way we work.

We've designed our courses to be flexible, enabling you to choose optional modules that reflect your interests. Moreover, you can gain a direct insight into real-world political processes through innovative political simulations, integrated work placements and hands-on tasks. Our Model United Nations, US Foreign Policy and Middle East simulations give you the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to a scenario that mimics real life, while our Media and Politics module involves you in producing the day's political news. We also offer an extensive programme of guest speakers and visiting experts, and a range of placement and study abroad opportunities.

97% of our research outputs are rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, meaning that the University of Reading is 6th highest in the UK for research outputs (Times Higher Education analysis of the latest REF 2021 – Politics and International Studies, when scoring by GPA Output).

Your learning is informed by our world-leading research and is led by expert staff who have direct experience of the world of politics and international affairs.

Most of your learning time will be spent in small seminar groups, allowing you to interact directly with staff and other students and add your own voice to the discussion.

Studying with us will prepare you for your future career. Our combination of skills development, placements and practical modules has meant that 91% of graduates from Politics and International Relations are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation. (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes first degree Politics and International Relations responders.)