The School is a thriving and dynamic centre for the study of politics and international relations. One of the largest and most cosmopolitan in Europe, it has more than doubled in size in the last few years, and has further expansion plans for the future. Students from all parts of the world enrol on our wide range of courses. The School is situated in the Law and Social Sciences building, at the heart of one of the most attractive campus universities in the UK.
Our priority is excellence in research and teaching. Our research strengths lie in three main areas of political studies:
- comparative politics, with specialisms in European politics, Asian politics, transitions to democracy and the politics of the mass media
- international relations, particularly the study of diplomacy, terrorism, international security, war, intervention and international theory
- political theory, in its historical, analytical and policy-relevant aspects. In addition there is a strong cross-school interest in issues such as globalisation and global governance.
The School encourages and cultivates collaborative work which over the years has led to the development of a number of research centres and institutes. These give a focus to the research work of the School, and postgraduate research students play a prominent role in centre activities. Our centres and institutes include:
- Centre for British Politics
- Centre for the Study of European Governance
- Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice
- CONCEPT: A Centre for Normative Political Theory
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Methods and Data Institute
Download the Postgraduate Research in Politics leaflet for more information on research opportunities in the School.
First stage of research application
The first stage of the application is the formal application however this is not considered until the proposal and references are received.