International Relations and French

International relations and French is a combination that equips you to understand how the world is organised politically and to engage with one of the most globally significant languages through which that world is discussed, negotiated, and contested. International relations examines how states, international organisations, and non-state actors interact on the global stage, asking why the world is structured as it is, how power is distributed and exercised, and how conflict, cooperation, and change unfold across different scales. French, spoken natively by around 275 million people and a working language of the United Nations, the European Union, and many other international bodies, provides direct access to some of the most significant political and cultural conversations of the contemporary world.

At Manchester Metropolitan University this four-year full-time programme introduces you to the core critical and theoretical approaches of international relations alongside practical French language development. You will engage with theories and models that explain power, conflict, and cooperation in the world, from classical realism and liberal institutionalism to critical and constructivist approaches that question what we think we know about international politics. Alongside this, you will develop your French language skills and your engagement with French-speaking cultures and their political traditions.

The combination develops both the analytical frameworks to understand global affairs and the linguistic tools to engage with them directly.

Graduates find careers in diplomacy, the civil service, international organisations, journalism, non-governmental organisations, international business, development, and policy analysis. The combination of political and theoretical understanding with French language competency is particularly valued in organisations working at the intersection of European and global affairs. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in international relations, political science, European studies, French, or public policy.