Philosophy and International Relations with Placement Experience

Philosophy and international relations is a pairing that addresses some of the most fundamental questions in public life. Philosophy provides the tools for rigorous argument: logic, conceptual analysis, ethical theory, and the ability to interrogate assumptions at the level of first principles. International relations examines how states, organisations, and other actors interact beyond national borders, and asks how power is distributed and exercised in the international system, what the basis of international law and justice might be, and how conflicts arise and are managed.

Together, the disciplines give you both the analytical rigour to think clearly about values and the empirical and theoretical grounding to apply that thinking to the real world of global politics.

At the University of Reading, this four-year, full-time programme includes placement experience, which is embedded in the degree to give you direct exposure to professional settings relevant to your studies. The placement might take place in an NGO, a think tank, a government department, an international organisation, or a media outlet, and it gives you the opportunity to see how the ideas you have studied operate in practice and to develop professional skills and connections. Across the academic programme you will engage with moral and political philosophy, the history of ideas, normative theories of international justice, empirical international relations, and the analysis of specific global issues including security, human rights, trade, and environmental governance.

A typical entry tariff of 120 UCAS points sets clear entry expectations.

The programme develops strong analytical and written communication skills, alongside the ability to think carefully about ethics in complex, real-world contexts.

Graduates work in the civil service, international organisations, the NGO sector, law, journalism, policy research, and diplomacy. The combination of philosophical rigour and international knowledge is valued in any role that requires principled, well-argued judgement. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in international law, political philosophy, or international relations.