Politics and International Relations

The Politics and International Relations pathway is offered at Durham University, Newcastle University and Queen’s University Belfast. The pathway covers all areas of Politics and International Relations through a range of theoretical and methodological approaches.

Durham University

Durham’s School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) is a research-intensive, top-ranked department that combines a long tradition of expertise within comparative politics, political theory, political economy and international relations. It provides an exceptional environment for learning, training and research. The department is highly diverse and offers vibrant research units across the Institute of Middle East and Islamic Studies (IMEIS), the Durham Global Security Institute (DGSi), the Global Policy Institute (GPi), the Centre for Institutions and Political Behaviour (CIPB), the Centre for Political Thought (CPT), the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies (CCCS), the Group for Research in International Politics (GRIP), and the International Political Economy Group (IPEG).  Our world-class researchers investigate topics such as power, aggression, and war in the contemporary world order; peace, development, and security; borders and migration; political institutions, public opinion, electoral and political behaviour; international political economy; and the demands of liberty, equality, justice, and civic activism, as well as the ethics of political violence. We have a large and cosmopolitan PhD programme, with students actively involved in various regular workshops, speaker series and other research events within our thriving research community.

Newcastle University

Politics at Newcastle brings together a diverse community of researchers who are committed to world-leading research and excellent, innovative teaching across a wide range of specialist areas within the discipline. There is an excellent training and research environment with active research groups in Environmental Politics, Gender and Politics, Governance and Political Organisations, International Politics, Quantitative Research, Political Theory and Politics Pedagogy in addition to cross-school interdisciplinary expertise in Middle East and North Africa and Conflict, Peace and Security. Our work is both theoretically and methodologically cutting-edge, addressing pressing political challenges from the local to the global level. Whether exploring climate governance, war and security, democratic processes and innovation, or the politics of gender and race, our researchers combine rigorous scholarship with a commitment to impact beyond academia.

Queen’s University Belfast

Research in Politics and International Relations (PIR) at Queen’s University Belfast is both diverse and strongly driven by the pursuit of innovative and critically incisive ways of thinking key problems in theory and current affairs.

Queen’s is proud to have a global outlook and to be one of the driving forces of Northern Ireland’s cultural, political and intellectual renaissance. This is reflected in our wide range of international partners and the strong international reputation of the University for innovative research across a wide range of research areas within PIR, including dedicated Centres and Research Groups. Our priority research areas include: political theory; political parties, elections, and deliberative democracy; governance and public policy, especially EU politics, international political economy, international relations and green political thought; gender studies; Irish political history; and security and terrorism. In each of these, important and pioneering work has been published by members of staff and major projects of research are ongoing.

If you are interested in submitting an application to the pathway, please contact the named person below at the university at which you are interested in enrolling.