International Relations and European Studies – (M.A.)

The raison d'être of this MA is a unique opportunity to combine a solid grounding in IR with more detailed analyses of the current issues in Europe. It has a strong focus on European integration and is somewhat less theoretical than the other IR MAs. A key feature of the Kent approach to International Relations and European Studies is the emphasis placed on crucial theoretical and practical challenges that the EU presents to world politics, and vice-versa.

The broad aims are to provide conceptual maps of the two disciplines, examining major theories and investigating both the problems raised by the study of the two subjects and those arising out of their inter-relations. In IR the aim is to look at both traditional approaches and contemporary developments in International Relations theory including critical theory, constitutive approaches, normative theories and feminist views of the discipline.

In ES the focus is on the rapidly evolving body of theories that draw on comparative politics as well as IR to explain the special problems of European Integration in general and the European Union in particular. The two are linked by the stress placed on the EU as an international actor.

Career options

International organisations; Diplomacy; European institutions; Civil service; Political consultancy; Non-governmental organisations; Think tanks; Media; Industry and commerce.