Study location	United Kingdom, Colchester Campus
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	4 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA
Course code	L250

Tuition fee	To be confirmed

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in any language

Language requirements	English Accepted proof of proficiency: Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL or other equivalent IELTS: 5.5 TOEFL (IBT): 76 CAE: B2 with 52+ CAE (from Jan 15): 169+

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided.

More information	Expenses, accommodation, working etc. essex.ac.uk/..tercourse=UG00221&subgroup=2

Overview

On our four-year BA International Relations (including foundation year), we work with you to help improve your language skills, to develop your subject-specific knowledge, and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further three years of undergraduate study at Essex.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

At Essex, this course will give you a foundation in politics, while the study of international relations teaches you methods of analysis and gives you awareness of the world system.

This course explores many major areas of international relations, including:

- Conflict and security studies
- Comparative politics
- International political economy
- Political theory
- Politics of the Middle East

Our Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.

Programme structure

Year 0

Political and Social Theory From Plato to the Present Day
Academic Skills
Major Writers in English Literature
An Introduction to the History of the United Kingdom During the Twentieth Century
Western Philosophy: Fundamental Questions, Major Thinkers

Year 1

Introduction to International Relations
Co-Operation and Conflict
Scientific Reasoning for the Social Sciences
Comparative Political Analysis
Career Portfolio
Introduction to Politics (optional)
Democracy: Forms and Futures (optional)
Politics and Power (optional)
Introduction to United States (optional)

Year 2

Political Analysis: Introduction to OLS (optional)
International Relations: Theories and Approaches
Politics of the Middle East
Conflict Analysis
Career Portfolio
International Organisations (optional)
International Politics of the Middle East (optional)
International Economic Development (optional)
Discourse, Rhetoric and Power (optional)

Final year

Political Parties in Britain and Europe (optional)
International Security Studies (optional)
Authoritarianism (optional)
Development, State Building and Conflict (optional)
Career Portfolio
Domestic Politics and International Relations (optional)

Career opportunities

Politics students are in demand from a host of employers, in politics, the civil service fast stream, management, journalism, police, armed forces, commerce, business, finance, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), teaching and graduate research.

Our notable alumni include the former President of Costa Rica and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Oscar Arias, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP, and our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:

Qatar Financial Authority
NATO
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Houses of Parliament Research Unit
United Nations Development Program
Department of Health
IMG Media