Politics and International Relations with a Year in Industry

Our Joint Honours Politics and International Relations degree is designed for students who are interested in domestic politics (including the study of political theory, states, elections, and parliaments) as well as politics between countries (with a focus on international relations theory, security studies, and conflict). The degree allows students to develop expertise in both areas and to explore topics (such as environmental politics, global political economy, and international development) where they intersect.

The course is designed to give students a strong grounding in both politics and international relations in the first year, before allowing greater specialisation as well as increasing focus on the domestic/international intersection in the second year and building to a final year that centres on self-directed learning, allowing students flexibility to choose topics and areas that they wish to focus on. In the final year you also have the chance to take an internship with the Welsh Parliament and a British Parliamentary Studies module, partly taught by expert staff from the Houses of Parliament.

The third year of this 4-year course with a Year in Industry will be spent on placement. You will have the opportunity to gain real-world industry experience and develop your employability skill set. We have a strong network of industry contacts, and you will receive dedicated support from our employability team, ranging from CV advice through to mock interviews.

Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula,

Why Politics and International Relations at Swansea?
Politics at Swansea is ranked:

• 4th in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)

• 8th in the UK for Academic Support (NSS 2024*)

• Politics and International Relations at Swansea University is ranked in the Top 250 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)

International Relations at Swansea is ranked:

• 4th in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2025)

• Top 15 in the UK Overall (Guardian University Guide 2025)

• Politics and International Relations at Swansea University is ranked in the Top 250 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)

You will study in one of the select departments in the UK to offer the British Parliamentary Studies module, where you will be taught by our specialist academic staff and Members of Parliament, and you will visit the House of Commons.

You will have the competitive option of undertaking a work placement module with the National Assembly for Wales, working closely with Assembly Ministers.

You can also have a semester abroad in Hong Kong, Singapore or the USA, further enhancing your student experience and career prospects.

*Based on the average positivity score across questions 15 to 16 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide

Your Politics and International Relations Experience

• We offer varied and flexible course content, so you can shape your Politics and International Relations degree to your own interests.

• Topics include British and European politics, public policy, political theory and philosophy, electoral issues, democracy and International peace and conflict.

• Teaching is informed by our world-leading research and you can attend seminars organised through our guest speaker programme.

• You will have a personal tutor for any pastoral and academic support you may need.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Introduction to Politics; Politics and the People; Introduction to International Relations; War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Disinformation, Ideology and Bias: Researching and examining political data; Introduction to Ancient Philosophy and Rhetoric; Statws y Gymraeg; Reading Great Works of Philosophy...

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Anarchy and Order: Theories in International Relations; The State and Political Institutions; The History of Political Thought; Global Justice and Human Rights; International Security; Globalisation; Investigating Gender...

The third year of this 4-year course with a Year in Industry will be spent on placement. You will have the opportunity to gain real-world industry experience and develop your employability skill set. We have a strong network of industry contacts, and you will receive dedicated support from our employability team, ranging from CV advice through to mock interviews.

In Year 4, you will typically study areas including: Researching Politics; Senedd Cymru/The Welsh Parliament; Capitalism and Justice; Genocide; Politics and International Development; The Philosophy and Politics of Identity; Shadow Wars: US Presidents and covert action from the Cold War to Trump... You will also undertake a dissertation.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.