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Our International Relations MA is both theoretical and practical and aims to prepare you for a career dealing with complex world issues.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Course code
AHT023
Start date
September 2025
January 2026
May 2026
At Coventry University, we continuously review the courses we offer to ensure we reflect industry-relevant emerging best practice and technology. As a result, this course is undergoing continuous improvement assessment and will be launched with a renewed curriculum starting in September 2025. Module content and titles will be updated. Course title, learning outcomes and assessments may also change. We expect our new curriculum to be fully updated by January 2025. Please return to this page to see the final course details.
If you are interested in pursuing an international career in government, public administration, diplomacy, policy formation or research - you’ll examine and interpret the challenges facing our interconnected world on this course.
This course explores the discipline of international relations, from a theoretical and practical perspective and in the context of issues and events in contemporary politics and society.
The School of Humanities is home to the Confucius Institute. This is a collaboration created with Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, which aims to promote an understanding of the Chinese language and culture.
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
The course has been devised primarily as a one-year full-time programme. It may also be taken over two years on a part-time basis with the part-time students participating in the same classes as the full-time students.
During the first two semesters, you will study eight mandatory modules designed to establish the core agenda of the programme. In semester three, you will be required to complete a 15,000-word dissertation.
The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester. However, on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the first year. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 35 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending on the module. Assessment methods could include:
Assessment may also include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
Previous students have participated in Model European Parliaments, in Coventry and in Lecce, Italy. We have also held Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activities, including webinars and exchange visits, with the University of Costa Rica, the University of Buenos Aires and the South-South International Cooperation organisation in Sicily2.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees -£11,200 |
Request fee information |
EU | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees -£11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary** 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees -£18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary** |
Not available |
International | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees -£18,600 |
Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.
We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees3 cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
You will benefit from studying on our well-equipped, modern campus.
Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities in a dedicated environment4.
The library offers a team of dedicated academic liaison librarians who provide specialist help and support. You’ll also have access to subject specific databases of journal articles related to international relations.
The Delia Derbyshire complex offers more space to learn, design and make, including a hyper-studio for students across all disciplines to collaborate on projects together, a gallery space and an events atrium.
The School of Humanities is home to the Confucius Institute. This is a collaboration created with Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, which aims to promote an understanding of the Chinese language and culture.
Upon successful completion, you should have knowledge of:
You should be able to:
Employers are looking for individuals with the ability to work across different cultures, manage teams and possess problem-solving and critical analysis skills.
We encourage you to gain first-hand experience through volunteering and placement opportunities2. Previously students have undertaken internships in embassies and high commissions, such as the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, think-tanks, including the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin and the South-South International Cooperation organisation in Palermo, and undertaken research in universities abroad such as the Arab-American University in Jenin2.
The course prepares you for roles such as public administration within a Foreign Service or other government departments, international civil service (such as the United Nations or European Union), international agencies and non-governmental organisations, as well as multinational corporations, the international media, teaching and research.
Our previous graduates have been successful in securing employment in the foreign services of a range of countries from Ethiopia to the UK, as well as working in government departments in Barbados, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the United Kingdom. Several have gone on to enter the diplomatic service in their home country, others have sought careers in international organisations, non-governmental organisations or international commerce and business.