International Relations, MSc at University of Aberdeen

The disciplinary landscape of International Relations (IR) has expanded considerably in the early twenty-first century, with a number of new challenges confronting a now outmoded global architecture of power. IR's traditional concern with war, security and diplomacy have been called into question by the end of the Cold War and the War On Terror and have been further complicated by far-reaching epistemological and methodological shifts in social theory.

Debates about the nature of globalisation, international institutions, development/post-development, global political economy, culture and identity, citizenship and rights bear prominently on efforts to understand the ebb and flow of contemporary IR. In theory and practice, understanding the modalities of power in constituting the ‘international,’ as well as challenges to hegemonic stabilizations of it, has gained a particular urgency, making the study of IR central to apprehending the complexity of global social life.

The MSc in International Relations provides you with a sustained engagement with key issues in contemporary International Relations including development & political economy, critical & human security, globalisation, gender, identity, human rights and governance. It builds a foundation on the conceptual/ theoretical underpinnings of IR, the programme offers a range of courses that enable individualized programmes of specialized study on a particular theme or region.

How You'll Study

Teaching includes a range of interactive methods and approaches to learning in order to enhance students’ critical thinking, presentation and interpersonal skills.

The aim of the programme is to provide a nuanced understanding of key concepts and paradigms that structure the disciplinary study of International Relations and the theoretical and analytical tools to engage debates about them.

Several areas of thematic and regional specialisation that reflect their research and professional interests. For each area, students develop the relevant empirical and theoretical knowledge and understanding to produce in-depth analysis of complex problems. Taken together, these area choices provide students with an understanding of the multifaceted nature of contemporary International Relations.

Postgraduate-level skills of intellectual and professional relevance including: research skills, organisation and structure, critical evaluation of sources and arguments, logic of argumentation, independent study and judgement, and written and oral communication.

Learning Methods

• INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS
• LECTURES
• RESEARCH
• SEMINARS
• TUTORIALS

Why Study International Relations?

• The MSc International Relations at Aberdeen offers you the opportunity to develop in depth analysis and research skills to enable consultancy on behalf of a range of international organisations.
• You are taught by published researchers and international relations consultants at University of Aberdeen, providing the latest research and innovation in the subject.
• An MSc International Relations provides you with a wide range of options in a wide range of professions, and research areas.
• Aberdeen is part of a major collaborative project, Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing Civilian Capabilities for a Sustainable Peace that will provide a comprehensive, comparative and multidisciplinary analysis of the EU's current conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities.
• You are studying one of the newest academic areas with innovative thinking and research to understand new challenges in International Relations.
• The MSc International Relations is taught by The School of Social Sciences where teaching quality was judged as 'Excellent.'
• PIR had 60% of its research assessed as world class or internationally excellent in the 2014 Research Evaluation Framework.
• Politics and International Relations is ranked 5th in research grant income (per fte) in the UK.
• PIR has an 85% student satisfaction rate (National Student Survey).

Careers

Careers relating to International Relations involve public sector research and policy-making in foreign affairs, defence, development and human rights. Many graduates now choose to do public advocacy, research, and project management work for non-governmental organisations (NGOS), and regional and global institutions such as the European Union or the United Nations. Graduates also forge careers in the international media, the armed forces, international risk management, and international corporations involved in trade and finance.

An MSc qualification in International Relations will be an important asset to you if you already hold an undergraduate degree in IR, given the increasing demands for postgraduate qualifications in the job market. In addition, graduates from cognate disciplines can use this route to change their career path, or improve their qualifications within the framework of an existing career.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

• Civil Servant
• Diplomat
• Government Official
• Journalist
• Junior Lecturer
• NGO Worker (Charity Worker)
• Police Officer