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International Relations and History BA

3-4 years

How did the Cold War divide the world? What is the current state of Britain’s political system? In this degree, you’ll explore the link between history and international relations, and learn how to tackle the most important issues facing world politics.
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International Relations and History BA, 3-4 years

How did the Cold War divide the world? What is the current state of Britain’s political system? In this degree, you’ll explore the link between history and international relations, and learn how to tackle the most important issues facing world politics.

Start date:

2024
2025

Course information

Typical offer ABB-BBB

UK fee £9,250

UCAS code LV21

International fee £19,700

Institute code L34

Taught by Politics and International Relations

School of History, Politics and International Relations website

Course description

Course description

International relations are the product of historical change which means that in order to understand one, you must consider the other. With our International Relations and History BA you will explore the ways in which these two fascinating topics are linked.

You will be able to study the most vital issues affecting the modern world and understand their historical backgrounds - from the world's foremost powers (the United States, the EU, Russia and China) to smaller nations that are impacted by their behaviour.

You will be able to examine the workings and the health of the political system in Britain and other states. You will also explore some of the most important and interesting issues in national and international politics: Who holds power and why? Is there a crisis of political participation? What are the appropriate limits to individual liberty? Is globalisation a positive process?

Flexibility of modules in your second and third years will allow you to delve deeper into the areas of history and international relations that fascinate you the most. Our lecturers have in-depth knowledge across diverse interests, so whichever areas you study, you will receive knowledgeable support and insightful guidance.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

  • A/AS Levels: ABB-BBB. All subjects accepted. Two AS-levels considered in place of one A-level.
  • EPQ with A-levels: BBB-BBC + EPQ at grade B.
  • Access to HE Diploma: Pass diploma with 45 credits at Level 3, including 24 credits at Distinction
  • International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 28 points overall.
  • BTEC Nationals: Full Diploma with DDM

Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.

If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.

If you do not meet the entry requirements for this course, you can apply for the International Foundation Year – Society and Culture run by the Global Study Centre. The GSC provides academic support to help you progress to your chosen undergraduate degree at the University of Leicester.

Second year entry may be possible with suitable qualifications.

Contextual offers

The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.

Selection Process

When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.

Applicants are not normally interviewed. If you receive an offer you will be invited to visit the department.

English Language Requirements

IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability.

If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.

International Qualifications

Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.

Countries list

Fees and funding

Fees and funding

UK Students

Starting in 2024 

  • £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
  • Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,385 for that year

Find out more about scholarships and funding.

International Students

Starting in 2024 

  • £19,700 per year
  • Year Abroad: £4,925, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee

If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

From 2022 onwards, EU nationals will pay the International fee. If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).

Find out more about scholarships and funding.

Careers and employability

Careers and employability

The development of transferable skills is a key feature of teaching at Leicester. Our courses are designed to ensure you are well equipped to secure graduate roles or places on postgraduate courses. We aim to improve your skills in written communications (from short reports to a long dissertation), oral presentation (both formal and informal), working as part of a team, independent learning (e.g. information gathering and time management), problem solving and information technology.

Our careers and employability tutors support and facilitate your academic, professional and personal development. They will help you to make an informed choice, provide help and advice on employability, and send you information on potentially interesting traineeships and vacancies.

Graduate destinations

Graduates from our Politics degrees have gone on to work for a wide range of employers including:

  • BNP Paribas
  • HSBC
  • Credit Agricole
  • Applus Aerospace
  • Spottydog Communications

Tom chose to study Politics at Leicester because he loved the city.

Careers and Employability Service


Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.

Related courses

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Find out more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals

What our students say

What our students say

Emma, International Relations and History BA, Year 3 (Study Abroad) 

Why did you choose to study International Relations and History at Leicester? 

I decided to study International Relations and History as I wanted to understand the interactions between states better and combined with history. It is an excellent opportunity to analyse the events from the historical perspective, as in my opinion, International Relations and History go hand in hand. I picked Leicester because I had so many options to choose from when it came to my modules. This was an essential aspect for me as I had the freedom to study subjects that I was interested in. Another fantastic thing about the University of Leicester is that lecturers will help you write a dissertation about any topic you want. For example, I want to write a dissertation about the relationship between Korea and China in the fifteenth century, and the lecturers at the University of Leicester made this possible. The University of Leicester has an amazing Year Abroad programme, having partnerships with universities worldwide.

What are you enjoying most about your time at Leicester?

I do enjoy how friendly everyone is. I like the fact that the University of Leicester is multicultural and you get to know people from all over the place, besides it is easy to make friends.

Curriculum highlights - International Relations

Key Concepts in International Relations: In this module you will learn all the essentials of IR like 'What is anarchy?', 'What are the main issues in IR?', What are the main theories of IR?'. I enjoyed this module because for someone with little knowledge about IR, this module was a great introduction to future modules.

Comparative European Politics: In this module you will compare key features of modern liberal democratic states within Europe. You will compare constitutions, legislatures, judiciaries, executives and territorial politics. I enjoyed this module because I had the chance to see how different the various European states are. I also had the chance to see the differences between my home country (Romania) and other European countries.

Sex and Gender in Global Politics: This module was one of my favourite IR modules. We analysed concepts and debates in the study of Politics and IR from the perspective of gender.

Curriculum highlights - History 

Barbarism and Civilisation: This module was the one that made me fall in love with Medieval History. We examined landscapes, medieval maps such as the Mappa Mundi. 

Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation: In this module you will analyse the development of Europe, having a focus on countries such as Germany, Italy and Romania in the late nineteenth century. The most exciting part of this module was the first assessment, as this was not a traditional essay. For this assessment, we got the chance to select a question and then work in groups to create a podcast.

Becoming the Historical Researcher: This module was by far the most helpful. It is a module dedicated to students who want to write a history dissertation (just like me). What is a dissertation? What should we write? How can we pick our dissertation topic? The advice was helpful for essays for other modules too. I really liked the fact that we had to think about our dissertation early and write a dissertation, so that we have plenty of time to prepare for the real thing.

What Next? 

I'm just about to start my year abroad in South Korea. This will be a great opportunity to start writing my dissertation, which is about Medieval Korea, to develop my Korean language skills (language that I studied at the University of Leicester) and experience a different learning style. My study abroad experience so far was great. I received all the help that I needed form the Study Abroad team as well as from the Year Abroad Coordinator. I am looking forward to spending a year in Korea to learn, and experience their tradition, culture and rich history.

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Course structure

Year 1

Year 1

Core modules

Option modules

Choose one option module from:

Then choose two option modules from:

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2 (History dissertation)

Year 2 (History dissertation)

If you plan to take the History dissertation in your Final Year, you should take these two modules:

Core modules

Option modules

You will then choose one History module and four International Relations modules.

You can choose:

  • One module from List 1 plus two modules from List 2 plus two modules from List 4, or
  • One module from List 3 plus three modules from List 2 plus one module from List 4.

List 1: History modules

List 2: International Relations modules

List 3: History modules

List 4: International Relations modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2 (International Relations dissertation)

Year 2 (International Relations dissertation)

If you plan to take the International Relations Dissertation in your Final Year, you will take these three modules:

Core modules

Option modules

You will then choose two International Relations modules and three History modules. You can choose any of the following combinations:

  • One module from Lists 1/2 plus one module from List 3 plus two modules from Lists 4/5 plus one module from List 6 - at least one History module must be from either List 1 or List 4
  • Two modules from Lists 1/2 plus one module from Lists 4/5 plus two modules from List 6 - at least one History module must be from either List 1 or List 4
  • Two modules from List 3 plus three modules from Lists 4/5 - at least one History module must be from List 4

List 1: History modules

List 2: International Relations modules

List 3: History modules

List 4: International Relations modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year Abroad (optional)

Year Abroad (optional)

We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.

Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.

For more information, including a list of destinations, please visit our Study Abroad website.

Please note

  • A year spent abroad still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the Fees and Funding tab of this page for details.
  • You may be eligible for a travel grant from Student Finance England.
  • Places are offered on a competitive basis, and eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2.
  • Language courses, at beginners or advanced level, are available through our Languages at Leicester scheme.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 3 (History dissertation)

Year 3 (History dissertation)

Core module

Option modules

If you take the History dissertation in your Final Year, you will choose:

  • either one History module and four International Relations modules 
  • or two History modules and three International Relations modules.

You can choose:

  • One module from List 1 plus two modules from List 2 plus two modules from List 4, or
  • Three modules from List 2 plus one module from List 3 plus one module from List 4, or
  • Two modules from List 1 plus one module from List 2 plus two modules from List 4, or
  • One module from List 1 plus two modules from List 2 plus one module from List 3 plus one module from List 4, or
  • Three modules from List 2 plus two modules from List 3.

List 1: History modules

List 2: International Relations modules

List 3: History modules

List 4: International Relations modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 3 (International Relations dissertation)

Year 3 (International Relations dissertation)

Core module

Option modules

If you take the International Relations dissertation in your Final Year, you will choose:

  • either one International Relations module and four History modules
  • or two International Relations modules and three History modules. 

The History modules in List C are ‘special subjects’ and are each equivalent to three regular modules.

You can choose:

  • Two modules from List 1 plus one module from List 2 plus two modules from List 3, or
  • Three modules from List 1 plus one module from List 3 plus one module from List 4, or
  • One module from List 1 plus two modules from List 2 plus two modules from List 3, or
  • Two modules from List 1 plus one module from List 2 plus one module from List 3 plus one module from List 4, or
  • Three modules from List 1 plus two modules from List 4, or
  • One module from List 1 plus one module from List 2 plus one module from List 5, or
  • Two modules from List 2 plus one module from List 5

List 1: History modules

List 2: International Relations modules

List 3: History modules

List 4: International Relations modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Why Leicester?

Load the video related to: Politics and International Relations at Leicester

Politics and International Relations at Leicester

A diverse university in an international city, Marija found Leicester the ideal place to study.

We have well-respected research centres covering Medieval History, Urban History, Local History and Genocide and Holocaust Studies.

The academic staff in the department have written or edited dozens of books and publish regularly in major national and international journals. Where other people only get to read what our experts think, you will be working directly with them, learning from them in lectures and questioning them in seminars.

Guest speakers who have visited the University to discuss their lives in politics including MPS, members of the House of Lords, MEPs, members of the US Congress, officials working in UK and EU institutions, diplomats and senior personnel from the armed forces.

Teaching and learning

You will be taught by a variety of methods, ranging from large lectures to seminars to individual tutorials. Lectures are used to provide historical narrative and to raise key historical questions and areas of debate. Seminars are where you share your opinion about those debates and put forward your interpretation of the history. In your first year you will normally have around ten contact hours per week, with more emphasis being placed on small group teaching and independent study as you progress through your degree.

You will have regular meetings with your personal tutor to discuss progress in your studies. Your personal tutor will also provide a sympathetic ear for all matters of personal concern, whether they be academic, financial, housing, career or social issues.

You will be assessed through a variety of methods including written examination, assessed essay, reports, briefing papers and presentations.

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.

Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.

Academic support

Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:

  • study and exam skills
  • academic writing
  • presentations
  • dissertations
  • numerical data skills
  • referencing sources

Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Apply now

Course Qualification Duration UCAS Code Availability
Course International Relations and History Qualification BA Duration 3 years full-time UCAS Code LV21 Availability How to apply
Course International Relations and History with Year Abroad Qualification BA Duration 4 year full-time UCAS Code LV21 Availability How to apply

Data about this course

The course challenges your beliefs, forces you to think critically, and makes you more open-minded.

Marija

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