International Relations and Modern History
International relations and modern history is a degree that takes the most significant political and geopolitical developments of the past two centuries and examines them from both a historical and a theoretical perspective. Modern history provides the empirical depth: the detailed knowledge of how states have behaved, how wars have been fought and concluded, how imperial systems have risen and fallen, and how the international order has been repeatedly remade in the wake of great crises. International relations provides the analytical frameworks: theories of how states interact, how international institutions function, how power is distributed and exercised, and how cooperation and conflict emerge from the structure of the international system.
Together they produce an unusually rich and practically relevant education.
At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme develops your expertise in both disciplines, engaging with the origins of war and peace, the making of foreign policy, trade regimes, international terrorism, human rights, and international law, alongside the detailed historical knowledge of the modern era. The programme includes a year abroad, which may be spent at a partner institution studying in a different scholarly environment and broadening your perspective on international and historical questions. St Andrews is one of the UK's most distinguished universities for both history and international relations.
Graduates are well placed for careers in diplomacy, the foreign service, international organisations, think tanks, journalism, the civil service, NGOs, and policy research. The combination of historical depth and theoretical analytical rigour is particularly valued in roles that require contextual judgement about complex international situations. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in international relations, history, or related fields, and the combination is an excellent preparation for doctoral research in these disciplines.