International Relations

The Master of Studies (MSt) in International Relations is a part-time course designed for mature students from, for example, industry, teaching, the civil service or the armed forces, but we also welcome recent graduates wishing to undertake postgraduate study. The MSt has been developed by the Department of Politics and International Studies in association with the Institute of Continuing Education and provides a two-year, part time route to a full Cambridge Master's degree.

Please note that as a part-time course, students are not eligible for a student visa and therefore those who are not eligible to remain in the UK, will require a short term study visa which only entitles residency during the stipulated residential sessions of the course. 

By the end of the course students should have:

• Developed the ability to apply critically the main theories, models, and concepts used in the study of international politics
• Developed an understanding and substantive knowledge of international politics, history, economics, and security
• Extended and developed their analytical, evaluative and critical capacities
• Developed transferable skills, including the ability to take responsibility for their own learning, making oral and written presentations, planning and producing written assignments, working independently, and, where they have chosen to do so, using information technology
• Developed the ability to undertake independent research and writing

As well as progressing to success in PhD studies, former MSt students have used the skills and knowledge acquired on the course to develop their careers within NGOs, IGOs, major companies and organisations.

During the first year, all students will be required to undertake a core course in International Relations and also chose six modules from the following options:

• International Relations of the Modern Middle East
• Politics of peace, conflict and violence in Africa
• The Cold War
• China in the International System
• Gender, War and Security
• International Migration and Development
• Democratisation
• Issues in International Law
• American Presidents and Foreign Policy
• International Political Economy
• European integration
• European Geopolitics from the end of the second world war
• The Global Governance of Financial Crime

Students completing the first year successfully will then spend their second year researching and writing a 25,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice, subject to the approval of the Graduate Education Committee (GEC) of the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). Dissertation work will be individually supervised by an academic specialist.

Teaching blocks

All teaching takes place in Cambridge during the six residential sessions which are scheduled as follows:

Year 1:

• 18 - 29 September 2017
• 4 - 15 December 2017
• 9 - 20 April 2018
• 18 - 29 June 2018

Year 2:

• 24 - 28 September 2018
• 7 - 11 January 2019

Attendance at all the residential sessions is compulsory and applicants must ensure they can meet this attendance requirement before applying for the course.

Contact time

• Lectures: each module has a minimum of 12 hours teaching, including on average 8 hours of lectures
• Seminars: provided for most modules, 6-8 hours per module
• Supervision: 10-15 hours (second year)

Assessment

Thesis

• Dissertation: 25,000 words maximum (including tables, footnotes, and appendices, but excluding bibliography).

Essays

Students must attend all sessions of their six option modules, but will assessed on three modules by either:

• Two essays not exceeding 2,000 words each; or
• One essay not exceeding 4,000 words; or

Written examination

• Compulsory core course examination paper written under examination conditions of three hours' duration.

Feedback

Students are given formal feedback on their assignments and informal feedback throughout their course, including during supervisions. Supervisions also result in an annual progress report at the end of Year 1 and termly reports during Year 2.

Expected academic standard

Applicants for this course will normally have achieved a good UK 2.i honours degree, GPA of 3.7 or above or overseas equivalent. 

There is provision to accept non-standard applicants who do not satisfy the standard academic criterion. Such applicants must produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience and their suitability for the course.

Language requirement

• IELTS Academic: Overall band score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
• TOEFL: Overall score of 110 (with a minimum of 25 in each element)
• CAE: Grade A
• CPE: Grade A, B, or C

Supporting documents

• References. You will need to provide the details of two referees who can provide academic or professional references. You will be asked to provide e-mail addresses for your referees so that they can submit their reference via the online referencing system, so it is important for you to ensure that your referee is able to provide a reference for you before you submit your application form. If your referees are unable to use the online referencing system, or do not have e-mail addresses, please contact the ICE Admissions office for further assistance.
• Transcripts. 
• Research Proposal. Applicants must submit a research proposal outlining the proposed topic for the dissertation in the second year. There is no template for this submission, but would expect applicants to provide 1-2 pages (c 1,000 words) outlining their proposed topic. Examples of previous research proposals are provided on the website.
• Personal Statement. Applicants are encouraged to provide information within the application form about their motivation for applying for the course and to outline relevant experience and interests.
• Letter of Support from your Employer. If you will be in employment during your studies, please ask your employer to provide a letter stating that they support your application and understand/accept that in undertaking the course you will need time away from work to attend the residential sessions.

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