- Provides a thorough grounding for the understanding and analysis of international relations.
- Enables students to understand contemporary international relations and the forces that are reshaping global politics in the 21st century.
- Develops students' knowledge of the foreign and security policies of the major actors in world politics, including the key states such as the USA, and the principal institutions such as the UN and the WTO.
- Offers students the opportunity to study specific global issues (e.g., arms control and security governance, migration, development) and regions (from Europe to Latin America) in depth.
- Integrates theory and practice, thereby providing a broad based training for a wide range of careers, including those in international organisations, NGOs, the civil service, political and advocacy organisations, journalism, teaching, international law, and the business and corporate sector.
The key features of this programme are breadth, depth, flexibility and choice:
- Breadth is achieved by studying across the essential subfields of political theory, global politics, public policy, and political analysis, and in delivering rigorous training in research methods.
- Depth is achieved through the range of compulsory modules in Year 2, which build on the foundations delivered in Year 1, and which together provide the knowledge and understanding required of an international relations degree.
- Flexibility is achieved through the optional module capacity in each year of study, which provides for specialisation as your knowledge and understanding of the discipline develops, and through the dissertation in Year 3, which is pursued in a topic of your choice in international relations.
- Choice is achieved by way of the wide selection of available options, which enable you to deepen your knowledge in those areas of most interest to you.
View the programme specification document for this course
To Apply
All applications are through UCAS; the course code is L250. For more information, visit the how to apply section of our website.
Key Facts
In the 2017 National Student Survey, of our BSc (SocSci) International Relations students:
- 100% were satisfied or very satisfied with the overall quality of their course
- 100% agreed that marking and assessment have been fair
- 94% were satisfied or very satisfied with the assessment and feedback within their course
Typical entry requirements
GCSEs:
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|
| GCSE | Grade C at GCSE English Language and GCSE Mathematics. |
A Levels:
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|
| GCE A-level | 3 A Levels subjects: ABB. Or BBB with grade A in the Extended Project Qualification or if studying Politics. General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted. |
IB:
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|
| International Baccalaureate | 32 points overall, 16 at higher level |
Alternative qualifications
We welcome applications from candidates offering qualifications other than A and AS levels (including BTEC, European Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, Irish Leaving Certificate and Scottish Highers). You will be expected to attain an equivalent standard to an A level applicant or an equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University. Contact us for further information on equivalencies for these qualifications and others not listed here.
International applications
Each international application will be assessed on a case by case basis
English Language Requirement
All applicants must have GCSE Grade C or above in English language. If English is not your first language you will be required to pass an approved English test. We normally ask for an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in each component.
Contextual Admissions
The University of Southampton is committed to widening participation and ensuring that all students with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data supports our admissions teams to recognise a student’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Students who flagged in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
A typical contextual offer is BBB from three A levels or an equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University.
Please see our contextual admissions pages for more information.
Selection process:
All applications are through UCAS; the course code is L250. For more information, visit the how to apply section of our website.
Will I be interviewed?
We usually make our decisions based on your UCAS form alone. Only candidates who require special consideration, for example on grounds of age or non-standard entry qualifications, are interviewed.
Mature applicants
We welcome applications from mature students. If you will be over 21 at the start of your proposed degree programme, you are eligible for exemption from our normal entry requirements. However, you will be required to provide evidence of having completed recent serious and successful study (for example, Access, Return to Study, Open University foundation courses) and of your capacity to pursue the course.
Any specific subject requirements must be met. All students are required to have the appropriate qualification in mathematics (GCSE grade C for BSc Politics, BSc Politics and International Relations, BSc International Relations, AS level grade B for BSc Politics and Economics) and English (GCSE grade C for all programmes).
Where feasible, you will be called for an interview. You may find it helpful to discuss your plans with us before applying through UCAS. This will allow you to make sure your chosen course is right for you and give you time to pursue additional academic qualifications if required.
International Foundation Year
International students who do not currently meet our entry requirements may be able to join this course on successful completion of our International Foundation Year. For more information visit the IFY course page.
This page contains specific entry requirements for this course. Find out about
equivalent
entry requirements and qualifications for your country.
Typical course content
We teach a range of core modules common to all politics and international relations degrees in the first year, in order to embed the necessary knowledge foundations for the rest of your programme
In year two there are compulsory and option modules, while in year three there are option modules only. The Research Methods module taught in year two provides guidance on writing a dissertation, which you will undertake in year three.
Students pick option modules from a range, which may include those below (although specific options may change from year to year). In addition to this, our Curriculum Innovation Programme offers our students the chance to take optional modules outside their core disciplines. This allows you to personalise your education, to develop new skills and knowledge for your future.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the
programme and the learning outcomes that a typical
student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if s/he takes full advantage
of the learning opportunities that are provided.
More detailed information can be found in the programme handbook (or other appropriate guide
or website).
Tuition fees
Course fees for 2017/18 full-time UK and EU undergraduate students are typically
£9,250 per year.
Tuition fees for international students differ between each course. Most
part-time courses cost 50% of the full-time fee.
Funding
Scholarships, bursaries or grants may be available to support you through your
course.
Funding opportunities available to you are linked to your subject area and/or
your country of origin.
These can be from the University of Southampton or other sources.
Costs associated with this course
Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such
essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the
academic requirements for each programme of study.
There will also be further costs for the following, not purchasable
from the University:
| Type | Description |
|---|
| Equipment | Approved Calculators: Candidates may use calculators in the examination room only as specified by the University and as permitted by the rubric of individual examination papers. The University approved model is Casio FX-570 This may be purchased from any source and no longer needs to carry the University logo. |
| Stationery | You will be expected to provide your own day-to-day stationery items, e.g. pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. Any specialist stationery items will be specified under the Additional Costs tab of the relevant module profile. |
| Books | Where a module specifies core texts these should generally be available on the reserve list in the library. However due to demand, students may prefer to buy their own copies. These can be purchased from any source.
Some modules suggest reading texts as optional background reading. The library may hold copies of such texts, or alternatively you may wish to purchase your own copies. Although not essential reading, you may benefit from the additional reading materials for the module. |
| Printing and copying | In the majority of cases, coursework such as essays, projects, dissertations is likely to be submitted on line. However, there are some items where it is not possible to submit on line and students will be asked to provide a printed copy. A list of the University printing costs can be found here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/isolutions/students/printing/ |
| Other | Optional Visits: Some modules may include optional visits to a museum, galleries, etc. You will normally be expected to cover the cost of travel and admission, unless otherwise specified in the module profile. |
In some cases you'll be able to choose modules (which may have different costs associated
with that module) which will change the overall cost of a programme to you. Please also
ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University’s Fees, Charges and
Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.
