Politics and International Relations BA (Hons)
Course Code
UCAS Code: L250
International Code: AHU072
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years sandwich
Flexible part-time
Start date
September 2022
January 2023
Course overview
Study level: Undergraduate
Politics and International Relations looks at how countries are governed and decisions are made, what shapes foreign policies, and how national and international political events impact people locally.
The course:
- includes a range of modules on British, American, European, African and Middle Eastern politics
- provides you with a deeper understanding of the rationale and value of peaceful and cooperative relations between nations and people
- teaches you how the world is becoming increasingly more connected and how this impacts on governments and their agencies, multinational companies, international organizations, non-governmental organisations, and you.

Global Ready
An international outlook, with global opportunities
Teaching excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
Employability
Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeedWhy you should study this course
- Academic staff who are actively engaged in high-quality research that informs their teaching and who are qualified lecturers with members of staff being fellows and senior fellows of AdvanceHE.
- Events and conferences featuring national and international politicians and dignitaries (subject to availability and additional costs).
- An exciting and modern course that examines the key political issues of the modern world.
- Multidisciplinary teaching with experts from national and international politics, history, global security and social theory.
- An intellectually challenging course that encourages you to sharpen your analytical skills and engage with issues of vital concern for today’s world.
- The opportunity to focus on specific themes such as North American, European, East Asian, and Middle Eastern politics, social movements or global security as you progress through your course.
- The opportunity to apply for an international experience with international staff, an international curriculum and the options of an overseas field trip, and / or study abroad or overseas placement (subject to availability, competitive application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs).
- The opportunity to develop advanced professional skills such as the ability to think independently and creatively, to advance sophisticated arguments and to communicate ideas confidently as enquired by potential employers.
Find out more about our range of history, politics and international relations courses.
What you'll study
Politics and International Relations are highly interconnected academic disciplines, concerned with overlapping questions of power, government, decision-making, conflict, peace, foreign policy, democracy, human rights, social movements and political ideologies. Throughout your degree, you will study these issues, both in relation to the internal workings of different political systems and their external relations in the contemporary global system. Through a rich programme of modules, you will learn about the politics and international relations of the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, the US, Europe and China.
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.
How you'll learn
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.
- Politics: We study political institutions and behaviour post World War II, examining the theories associated with political systems and institutions that form the framework for political life. The major focus will be on the ways individuals and groups react to and behave within the political framework of the Nation State, including political participation, political communication and the expression of interests. We consider the foreign policy ‘problem’, assessing the ways in which national political systems experience and cope with challenges arising from their involvement in international affairs.
- International relations: You will have the opportunity to learn about and understand the world from perspectives and positions you may not agree with to raise your socio-political and cultural awareness, as well as your empathy for difference. We examine three major themes that underpin the development of international relations in the 21st century: globalisation, power and order.
Assessment
Your course will be based on a series of lectures, with associated seminars, tutorials, workshops, online discussions, web-based activities and fieldtrip (subject to availability). In addition, your personal tutor will review and discuss your progress with you and will be available for advice. In a typical teaching week, you will have up to 12 ‘contact’ hours of teaching.
Job ready
On successful completion, you will have knowledge of:
- The origins and character of different political systems.
- The origins and character of the contemporary international system.
- The key issues, institutions and processes that determine domestic affairs and international relations.
- The methods and approaches employed in the study of politics and international relations.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Identify accurately the issue(s) which need researching and retrieve up-to-date disciplined based information using paper and electronic sources.
- Locate a range of information sources, to gather and marshal relevant evidence successfully.
- Review critically, synthesise and debate evidence collected by research.
- Construct fair, coherent and convincing arguments utilising the relevant key concepts and approaches in the disciplines of politics and international relations.
- Analyse problems, take decisions, be creative and show initiative.
- Work independently with increasing self-confidence and to reflect upon the process of learning.
- Work within a group, to negotiate, to learn from others and to lead an activity.
- Manage time effectively, to set objectives and to evaluate the performance of oneself and others.
- Develop and debate ideas and to sustain arguments effectively both orally and in written form.
International experience opportunities
This course has an inherently international perspective. If you want to further enhance your opportunity to gain an international experience, we will provide support for you to spend a year studying abroad or on placement and organise an annual overseas study trip (subject to additional costs, availability, application and meeting any applicable visa requirements). For example, previous students spent a week Brussels and The Hague to learn more about the European Union, NATO, and the International Court of Justice. Students also travelled to Sicily to examine how anti-mafia organisations have been working to combat organised crime.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
2022/23 Tuition fees
Student | Full time | Part time |
---|---|---|
UK | £9,250 per year | Not available |
International | £15,300 per year | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees 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. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
Facilities
We are currently in the process of a major redevelopment of our Faculty of Arts and Humanities buildings, due to open later in 2022. The building will be open to the public as well as students, and will feature an expansive gallery space. It will also provide world-class teaching spaces, including highly flexible and immersive media facilities.

Library
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 criminology and forensics.

Academic support
No matter which degree you’re studying, you’ll find a lot of support on campus, including the Centre of Academic Writing and sigma, which offers mathematics and statistics support.
Careers and opportunities
In a globalised world where companies increasingly do business across national boundaries, you can benefit from an in-depth understanding of the international landscape, gaining an insight appealing to many employers. This course is informed by up-to-date research and provides knowledge on issues that are at the forefront of the disciplines of Politics and International Relations and enables you to develop a wide range of skills that are highly valued by employers.
Our students who graduate in degrees that include politics and international relations can find a number of exciting careers.
International Relations
Recent graduates are now employed in the private sector, ranging from marketing, human resources, banking, and finance to media, and across the public sector in education, the civil service, police forces, local authorities, charities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and international organisations.
They work for a range of organisations, including the Houses of Parliament, BUPA Healthcare, BMI Healthcare, Barclays, HSBC, Amazon, National Crime Agency, BBC, West Midlands Police/Transport Police, European Union, Atlas Copco, GlaxoSmithKline, Grant Thornton, IPSOS Mori, European Parliament, NHS, Commonwealth, Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
Some of our students set up in business for themselves, which range from youth mentoring, learning and development workshop delivery, logistics and creative industries.
Politics
Some of our previous students have secured graduate-level jobs in the Civil Service, international organisations, local government, the media, private sector companies, the culture industry, further and higher education teaching and non-government organisations (NGOs).
Where our graduates work
Our previous graduates of international relations and politics have worked at organisations including: the Houses of Parliament, BBC, West Midlands Police/Transport Police, European Union, GlaxoSmithKline, Grant Thornton, IPSOS Mori, European Parliament, NHS, Commonwealth, Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
Further study
You can choose to continue your studies at Coventry University with the International Relations MA, Politics MA and Terrorism, International Crime and Global Security MA. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
How to apply
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UK Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS. Part-time students should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimer
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
Tuition fees
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
Facilities
Facilities mentioned on this page may not be relevant for every course. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Placements and study abroad opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Additional costs
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to), equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas).