History and International Relations

History and international relations is a pairing that makes excellent intellectual sense, because the international system we inhabit today can only be understood through its history, and historical events can only be fully explained by engaging with the structures of power, diplomacy and conflict that international relations theory illuminates. History develops the capacity to analyse evidence, trace causation over time and understand events within their broader contexts. International relations brings theoretical frameworks for understanding how states interact, why wars occur, how institutions like the United Nations emerge and function, and what forces shape global order.

At the University of Reading, this three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad at a partner institution overseas, and work placement experience, providing an unusually rich combination of practical and international exposure alongside the academic study. You will engage with both historical research and scholarship and the theoretical traditions of international relations, studying topics that might span the history of modern diplomacy, the politics of decolonisation, the emergence of the post-1945 international order, the Cold War, and contemporary questions of sovereignty, security and global governance.

Graduates move into careers in the civil service, international organisations, diplomacy, journalism, think tanks, policy research, NGOs, education, law and public affairs. The combination of historical contextual understanding and political analytical skills is valued wherever organisations need people who can make sense of complex, evolving situations and communicate clearly about them. The year abroad and professional placement experiences that this programme incorporates strengthen graduate employability and provide the kind of international and professional awareness that employers in globally oriented organisations particularly value.

Postgraduate study in history, international relations, public policy, law or development studies is a natural next step.