Politics and International Relations

Politics and international relations together form one of the most intellectually wide-ranging combinations available in the social sciences. Politics examines how power is organised, contested, and exercised within states: through constitutions, parties, elections, institutions, and ideologies. International relations turns its attention outward, asking how states and other actors interact across borders, how international order is maintained or disrupted, and how global challenges from conflict to climate to migration are understood and managed.

Studied together, the two disciplines provide a comprehensive framework for understanding both domestic political life and the international system in which it is embedded.

At the University of Reading, this programme includes a foundation year, making it accessible to students who are not yet ready for direct entry to degree-level study in the social sciences. The foundation year provides a supported introduction to the key concepts, methods, and academic skills that underpin politics and international relations. From the main programme onwards, you will study political theory, comparative politics, and international relations systematically, developing the ability to analyse arguments, evaluate evidence, and construct well-reasoned positions on complex political and international questions.

Reading has a strong tradition in both politics and international studies, and the programme reflects that depth.

This full-time programme includes a sandwich year with a work placement and a year abroad, providing an exceptional combination of professional and international experience. Both the placement and the year abroad add considerable depth to your CV and your development as a politically and internationally aware graduate. Graduates go on to careers in government, the civil service, diplomacy, international organisations, journalism, think-tanks, NGOs, law, and international business.

Further postgraduate study in politics, international relations, public policy, or security studies is also a well-established route.