MA International Relations at Nottingham Trent University

The International Relations Masters degree is designed to develop global awareness, an understanding of the complexity of contemporary international arenas, and a sense of how policies can address rapid, sophisticated change.

The course offers you the opportunity to take part in an exciting contemporary discussion that not only focuses on core theoretical understandings, but also on contemporary and critical developments within the field.

The course is grounded in theoretical debates and research methods, and has a strong policy focus on global governance, the link between political economy and security, and the transient nature of international political actors and phenomena.

Careers and employability

100% of our MA International Relations postgraduates are in work or further study within six months of finishing their degrees (latest Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey 2016-17).

By nature, the International Relations subject aims to foster your global citizenship characteristics with the discipline’s focus on openness to the world, and its focus on sustainability issues. In addition, the knowledge and skills that you attain are generally those that employers in a variety of different sectors seek, which means that as a graduate of this course you should have a good opportunity to promote yourself to suitable employers.

As an International Relations graduate from this course you'll have had the opportunity to reflect on the subject and transferable skills that you have learned while preparing coursework, and those include expertise in writing complex yet concise analytical pieces, developing and implementing projects, and the ability to present in-depth ideas with confidence. You will also have been helped and encouraged to articulate those skills in relation to particular occupations that you may be interested in pursuing. The course also focuses on developing the following skills: communication, time-management, team-working, and IT / modern technologies. Each module on this course is designed to engage you in developing these skills which often form part of assessed assignments.

Alongside providing such transferable skills, we believe that the optional pathway through the Dissertation module will strongly enhance your employability skills and, more generally, the course's engagement with contemporary global issues will ensure that your knowledge and ‘openness' to the wider world is up-to-date and relevant.

A number of students seek internships and placements during the summer months, and are assisted by the International Relations team to find relevant experiences. This allows graduates from this course to seek a wide range of careers and professions.

You may wish to pursue a career in relevant government departments or international aid and development agencies. In the private sector businesses are increasingly looking for graduates with an understanding of international / global events and processes.

The job titles below give an indication of the careers our recent International Relations graduates are pursuing:

• Trainee campaign organiser
• Financial advisor
• Freelance researcher
• PR Intern
• Writer

(Data extracted from the Latest Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17.)

Employability team

Our expert Employability team will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice. You can benefit from this service at any time during your studies, and for up to three years after completing your course