International Relations (MSc)

Background

The MSc in International Relations (including its previous incarnation as International Politics) has been running for almost a decade. Although it is based in Politics, students have the opportunity to approach the subject from a variety of disciplinary approaches through courses across the School of Social and Political Sciences, the School of Law, History, and other subjects.

The programme gives students key knowledge and analytical tools relevant to a career in a variety of settings related to international relations, such as international and domestic non-governmental organisations, international governmental organisations such as the United Nations or European Union, and government agencies, or for further academic research in a PhD programme.

Students also benefit from a number of research and teaching initiatives at the University which all touch on important international issues, including:

• Global Security Roundtable
• Glasgow Centre for International Development
• Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network
• Glasgow Human Rights Network

The programme attracts around 15-20 students a year, which means that classes are small and we actively promote student-centred teaching and guarantee individual dissertation supervision. Our students benefit from intensive teaching by political scientists with strong publishing profiles and international reputations in their areas of expertise.

The School of Law has a number of individuals interested in international law including international and European human rights law, refugee law, and international humanitarian law among other topics.

You will also benefit from being taught by staff from one of the UK's leading institutions for political studies. No other University in Scotland produces as much world class research as Politics in Glasgow (as indicated in the latest Research Assessment Exercise).

Students on the programme come from diverse backgrounds. Over the last two years, for example, the programme has hosted students from 12 different countries – Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Greece, Japan, Malawi, Nigeria, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.

Students on the programme also share classes with students on other programmes, which contributes to a lively and cosmopolitan learning environment.