MA International Relations

Overview

The MA International Relations at Durham examines how states, international organisations, and non-state actors shape world politics. Core modules cover international theory, security studies, diplomatic history, and global political economy. You will simulate UN Security Council negotiations, write policy briefs for real NGOs, and engage with faculty who have served in diplomatic corps and multilateral agencies. The programme prepares graduates for careers in foreign services, international NGOs, journalism, and further doctoral study. MA International Relations is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 24 months, and the credit total is 36. Students move from Theories of International Relations through Theories of International Relations; International Security & Conflict; Global Political Economy; Diplomatic History since 1945; International Law & Organisations; Foreign Policy Analysis, and finish on MA Dissertation. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students apply the method of the subject to a defined problem and defend the result. Reading is a core text, a case or dataset, and a critique. The artefact a marker expects is a submission that shows the method, the evidence, and the limit of the claim. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Apply major IR theories to contemporary geopolitical crises Draft policy memos and diplomatic correspondence to professional standards Analyse trade agreements, sanctions regimes, and international law Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.

Simulations include UN Security Council crises, trade negotiations, and humanitarian access dilemmas. You will brief a policy audience in written and oral formats each term. Language support modules (French, Arabic, Spanish) are optional electives.

Who This Programme Is For

• ✦Graduates pursuing diplomatic, NGO, or journalism careers
• ✦Military and civil-service officers needing IR credentials
• ✦Lawyers and economists moving into geopolitical risk

Programme Structure & Delivery

Learning Outcomes

• ✦Apply major IR theories to contemporary geopolitical crises
• ✦Draft policy memos and diplomatic correspondence to professional standards
• ✦Analyse trade agreements, sanctions regimes, and international law
• ✦Evaluate humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping operations critically
• ✦Conduct original research using primary sources and field interviews
• ✦Produce policy memos suitable for ministerial or NGO executive briefings
• ✦Analyse sanctions, trade blocs, and regional security architectures

Career Pathways

• ✦Foreign Service Officer
• ✦International NGO Programme Manager
• ✦Political Risk Analyst
• ✦Diplomatic Correspondent / Journalist
• ✦International Organisation Specialist (UN, AU, EU)

Curriculum