MSt in International Relations

Course Overview

The course is distinctive in its multidisciplinary approach and breadth. Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars in theory, politics, history, economics, law, security and various regional and area studies, as well as individual thesis supervision. The taught part of the course aims to familiarise you with the range and variety of disciplines required for a thorough critical understanding of the field in all its complexity and of the means and methods that have been devised to comprehend and analyse it.

Who is the course designed for?

The programme is designed for students from (for example) industry, teaching, the civil service, NGOs or the armed forces who wish to study while pursuing their career; it is also suitable for students who have just completed their first degree. A background in international relations, law, economics, history or politics is a definite asset, but we welcome applications from all disciplines. The course is taught in intensive residential blocks which enables students to continue with their professional careers while studying, and also enables international students to attend.

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. Students wishing to study full-time are encouraged to consider the MPhil in International Relations, http://www.polis.cam.ac.uk/study-at-polis/graduates/MPhilIRPOL.

Aims of the programme

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 substantive written assignments, and undertaking independent research
• Developed the ability to undertake independent research and writing

MSt students aiming to proceed to PhD study must fulfil the usual requirement for progression by achieving a High Performance grade i.e 75 per cent or above.

Former MSt students have used the skills and knowledge acquired on the course to develop their careers within NGOs, IGOs, major companies and organisations.

Read about the experiences of former MSt students or watch our introductory video to find out what our MSt students have to say about the course. 

Teaching and learning

During the first year of the MSt in International Relations, all students are required to undertake a core course in International Relations, consisting of three modules:

1. Theory (Dr Giovanni Mantilla)
2. International Organisation (Dr Mette Eilstrup- Sangiovanni)
3. Security (Steven Ward)

Students must also choose three from a range of option modules, which are planned to include:

• Africa (Stephanie Diepeveen)
• Cold War Old and New (Dr Walter Ladwig III)
• Democracy and Technology (Professor David Runciman)
• Environmental Politics (Dr Cristina Peñasco)
• European Politics (Dr Julie Smith)
• Governing Migration (Dr Tugba Basaran)
• Great Powers (Professor Brendan Simms et al)
• International Law (Professor Marc Weller)
• International Political Economy (Dr Jeremy Green)
• International Relations of the Modern Middle East (Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian)
• Politics and Religion (Dr Isa Hussin and/or Dr Tomas Larsson et al)

Please note module options offered may be subject to change.

Students completing the first year successfully will spend their second year researching and writing a dissertation of 20-25,000 words on a topic of their choice, subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) 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:

• Monday 20 September - Friday 1 October 2021
• Monday 6 December - Friday 17 December 2021
• Monday 21 March - Friday 1 April 2022
• Monday 20 June - Friday 1 July 2022

Year 2:

• Monday 26 September - Friday 30 September 2022
• Monday 20 March - Friday 24 March 2023

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

• Year 1: 12-15 hours per module (3 Core and 3 options), divided between lectures and seminars.
• Year 2:  25-40 hours of directed dissertation advisement, divided between lectures, seminars, and one-on-one supervision

Assessment

Thesis

• Dissertation: 20-25,000 words maximum (including tables, footnotes, and appendices, but excluding bibliography).

Essays

Students must attend all sessions of their option modules and will be assessed on each by one essay not exceeding 4,000 words.

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. Dissertation Supervisors are asked to write an annual progress report at the end of Year 1 and termly reports during Year 2.

Find out more

If you have any questions about the application process, contact our Admissions team: mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk

Please note the Course Directors are unable to comment on research proposals etc. prior to application.

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. 

Please see this chart to check equivalent International qualifications

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

If English isn’t your first language, you will be required to submit evidence that you meet the University’s English language requirement before you are admitted.

Please follow this link for full details of the University Language Requirement:

https://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international/competence-english

Please note that there are no exceptions to this requirement and, if you are offered a place on the course, it will be subject to you meeting this requirement.

Those that have taken previous degrees in English may not fulfil the requirement. Please use the calculator to check if you are required to take a language test. Failure to do could mean that you are not able to join the course.

Supporting documents

You will be required to provide supporting documents as part of your application.

References

You will need to provide letters of recommendation from two referees who can provide academic or professional references; where possible, academic references are desirable.

Transcripts

A transcript is a list of all the courses you have taken during a programme of study, with the result you obtained, and with the credit value if applicable.

If you are currently studying, please provide a transcript listing the courses taken during your programme of study, with the results or grades obtained for each.

If you have previously completed degree-level study, please provide a transcript (where available) and degree certificate for each degree-level programme you have studied, showing the date the degree was awarded and the final class or grade obtained.

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 we would expect applicants to provide 1-2 pages (c 1,000 words) outlining their proposed research, methods and sources.

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. A statement of no more than 500 words is sufficient.

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. Please note if you are unable to provide a letter of support from your employer with your application, you can provide it at a later date if you are subsequently offered a place on the course.

Applications will be accepted online from 1 September 2020 until 4 March 2021.

See the Entry Requirements tab for details of the supporting documents you will need to provide when applying for this course. A research proposal is required at the time of application - Guidance notes provided in a PDF document below.

Apply online when you are ready to start the application process.

FAQ's

When will the MSt in International Relations be open for applications? / When is the closing date for applications? 

Applications opened in September 2020 and closed on 4 March 2021. 

Late applications will not be considered. We encourage all applications to be submitted as early as possible, to avoid any possible technical difficulties with submission. 

Is there an advantage in submitting my application early?  / Will some places be offered before the deadline? 

All applications submitted by the deadline will be considered. No places will be offered before the deadline. 

When will I hear back about my application? 

In the second stage of the process some candidates will be interviewed by two Academics who will then decide on the outcome. Interviews will take place in April & May 2021. All successful candidates will be informed by the beginning of August 2021. 

What are the academic criteria, and how do I know I qualify if my degree is from an institution from another country? 

The standard entry requirement is a 2i or above – or the equivalent - in your first degree. Students with degrees awarded by universities in other countries must meet an equivalent standard.  

Do I have the relevant qualifications to be considered for the course? 

Please see this chart to check your suitability: International qualifications

I do not meet the academic criteria, can I still apply for the course? 

Entry to the course is very competitive and we normally receive at least 4 applications for every place.  

In addition to those with the standard entry requirement of a 2i or above in their first degree, we welcome applications from students from ‘unconventional’ backgrounds, including those in the creative fields, or with lower marks in the first degree than the standard requirement, or in some cases, with no formal Higher Education record. In all cases, unconventional applications will be considered if professional experience and expertise are shown to be of unusually high standards of achievement and accomplishment.  Professional experience and expertise may also be more relevant than a distant degree in an unrelated discipline. In all cases, the quality of the research proposal and references is of signal importance, and we take very seriously each applicant’s academic and professional record. Prospective students should show evidence that they can think analytically and in a structured manner, motivation to pursue in-depth study of international relations, and ability to engage successfully with the high demands of the course. 

What references do I need to include in my application? 

The criteria for acceptance includes letters of recommendation from two referees who can provide academic or professional references; where possible, academic references are desirable. Only references officially evidencing the institutional affiliation of the referee with be accepted. 

If you have been out of education for some time and you are not able to obtain an academic reference, please provide two professional references. References which arrive from personal email addresses are not accepted. 

(Why) Do I need to do complete a language test? 

Evidence of English language proficiency is a University requirement, and rigorously applied. Even those applicants who may have obtained previous degrees in English may be required to take a language test, as the University’s regulations are time dependent. It is imperative that applicants check in advance, and if necessary, arrange for appropriate testing, as they must be in compliance before taking up any offer of admission. Any English language proficiency test needs to have been completed within the last 3 years. 

The University's main graduate admissions office website has a languagecalculator, https://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international/competence-english which you may find helpful at this stage of the application process. 

The Admissions team will only make a formal assessment of whether or not an applicant will be required to provide additional evidence of their current English language proficiency after they receive an academic decision to accept your application from the department. It is best to check yourself ahead of this in order to give yourself enough time to take a test if required.

Do the Certificate and Diploma in International Relations courses offer an automatic progression to the MSt course? 

The Certificate and Diploma courses do not offer automatic progression to the MSt. However, successful completion of the Certificate or Diploma course will aid progression to the MSt, as they offer substantive engagement with the discipline of international relations, and experience in rigorous academic writing. 

Is the Institute of Continuing Education as well as University of Cambridge mentioned on the certificate?  

The Institute of Continuing Education is not mentioned on the MSt in International Relations certificate. The degree is awarded by the University of Cambridge. 

Which college will I be assigned to?  

You are invited to choose your preferred college from the list below; however, your choice cannot be guaranteed, and if your application is successful, you may be assigned to another college on this list: 

• Robinson College
• Selwyn College 
• Sidney Sussex 
• Wolfson College 

College membership continues after the course is completed.  

Will the course be run in-person or virtually? Do I need to attend in person? 

This is an in-person course and attendance is compulsory at each of the six Residential periods in Cambridge. You will need to:  

a. Attend, in person, all the Residential periods and  

b. Be eligible to study in the UK  

Do I need a Visa, and if so, how do I obtain one? 

Please see the information on Visas from the International Student Office at Cambridge here:  

https://www.iso.admin.cam.ac.uk/visa-advice-service 

With the change in the rules after Brexit, am I, as a European citizen, considered an overseas, or a UK student? 

The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International. EU students should regularly check for updates at: http://www.eu.admin.cam.ac.uk/