Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development
Politics, international studies, and global sustainable development is one of the most ambitious and timely interdisciplinary degrees available in the social sciences. It combines rigorous political and international analysis with the increasingly urgent questions of sustainability, climate change, resource equity, and global justice. The discipline of sustainable development insists that political analysis cannot be separated from understanding the ecological and social systems that human institutions either protect or destroy, and this degree brings those connections into focus.
At the University of Warwick this three-year, full-time BASc programme enables you to take part in the critical analysis of political ideas in an international context while developing the theoretical foundations needed to analyse issue-based problems across all three disciplines. You will study political theory and international relations alongside the science, economics, and politics of sustainable development, learning to think across disciplinary boundaries in ways that the most pressing global challenges actually require. A sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities are all built in, giving you professional experience and an international dimension that ground your academic analysis in real-world contexts.
Graduates are well placed for careers in international development, government, the civil service, NGOs, think tanks, environmental policy, journalism, and international organisations concerned with climate, sustainability, or global governance. The combination of political literacy, international awareness, and sustainability knowledge is particularly valued by employers who need people who can engage with the political dimensions of environmental challenges and the environmental dimensions of political decisions. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in politics, international relations, sustainable development, or environmental policy, building towards specialist research or advocacy careers.
Warwick's strong research culture and the programme's interdisciplinary ambition make it a distinctive preparation for careers at the intersection of politics and sustainability.