BA Politics with International Relations

About this course

Politics with international relations explores the forces that shape how societies govern themselves and how states interact with one another in a world of competing interests, values, and power. Politics asks fundamental questions about authority, legitimacy, and how collective decisions are made; international relations examines why states cooperate and conflict, how global institutions function, and what drives foreign policy, war, diplomacy, and transnational cooperation. Combining the two disciplines on a part-time basis at Teesside University allows you to build a rigorous analytical understanding of both domestic political systems and the international order that connects them. You will examine a wide range of political phenomena, from the ideological conflicts dividing contemporary democracies to the structural forces shaping great-power competition, from the politics of immigration and climate change to the functioning of multilateral organisations and international law. The programme encourages you to bring different theoretical perspectives to these questions, asking not just what is happening in global politics but why, and what the competing explanations get right and wrong. You will develop skills in evidence evaluation, argument construction, and clear political writing that are central to the discipline and valuable far beyond it. The part-time format makes this degree accessible to students who are managing work or other commitments alongside their studies, allowing you to build your knowledge and analytical skills at a sustainable pace. Graduates from politics and international relations programmes pursue careers across a wide range of sectors, including government and public administration, the diplomatic service, journalism, international organisations, think tanks and policy research, charities and advocacy organisations, and international business. Many continue to postgraduate study in political science, international relations, security studies, or public policy.

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