History & International Relations

History and international relations is a pairing with deep intellectual logic. International relations asks how states and other actors behave in the absence of a world government, what drives cooperation and conflict between nations, and how the international order is shaped and reshaped over time. History provides the evidence base and the interpretive tools that those questions require: understanding contemporary international affairs without historical depth is like trying to navigate a landscape without a map.

Studying them together means that your historical thinking is constantly challenged by the present, and your understanding of the present is enriched by the depth of the past.

At King's College London, this three-year full-time programme is an interdepartmental degree developed across two of King's strongest departments. You will engage with the history of international relations and foreign policy, the major theories of international relations, the politics of specific regions, comparative government, and the history of empires, revolutions, and the making of the contemporary world. The programme is designed to develop critical thinking and intellectual independence, preparing you to engage seriously with the most complex political and governmental challenges facing the world today.

King's location in London, close to government, major international institutions, and a large diplomatic community, gives the degree a particular professional relevance.

Graduates pursue careers in the foreign service, government departments, international organisations, think tanks, journalism, and international business. The combination of historical depth and political analysis is particularly valued in roles that require long-range thinking and an understanding of how current situations have developed. Postgraduate study in international relations, history, international law, and security studies is a common progression, and King's graduates are well placed for competitive postgraduate programmes at leading universities in the UK and abroad.