International Relations and Russian

International relations and Russian is a combination that places one of the world's most consequential languages alongside one of the most demanding and relevant academic disciplines of our time. International relations teaches you to analyse the origins of war and peace, the making of foreign policy, trade regimes, international terrorism, human rights, international law, and the complex interactions between political and economic development. Russian gives you direct access to a major global power's culture, history, politics, and media, in its own language and on its own terms.

At St Andrews, the MA (Hons) in International Relations provides a rigorous grounding in IR theory and empirical analysis, exploring the full range of issues that define global politics in the contemporary world. Alongside this, you will develop Russian language proficiency, building the skills to engage with Russian-language sources, media, and interlocutors with genuine competence. A year abroad is included in the four-year full-time programme, giving you the opportunity to study in a Russian-speaking environment and to deepen both your linguistic and your area-studies knowledge.

The programme leads to an MA (Hons).

Graduates of international relations and Russian programmes are exceptionally distinctive in the graduate market. Careers in diplomacy, intelligence, the foreign and civil service, international journalism, think tanks, academic research, and international development organisations are all natural directions, particularly for those with the rare combination of IR analytical skills and genuine Russian language competency. The combination is valued in a global environment where understanding Russia and the Russian-speaking world matters enormously.

Postgraduate study in IR, Russian and East European studies, security studies, or international law is a common and productive next step.