Politics & International Relations - BA (Hons) Degree

This degree can be studied as a three-year full-time degree or a four-year full-time degree that includes a year of foundational study. Our foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

1. Students who aspire to enrol onto the first year of a social science-based honours degree programme, who have not achieved the standard entry requirements to enter at year one of the chosen degree.
2. Students who have not studied subjects that provide the necessary background within the scientific disciplines required to enter at year one of the chosen degree.

Find out more about the foundation year.

Please note: You will need to apply using a specific UCAS code if you wish to undertake the 4 years including foundation.

The main distinctive feature of this politics and international relations degree is its truly outward focus. The course is academically rigorous, yet focuses on using innovative methods of teaching, learning, and assessment to develop the real-world skills and contacts needed for future study and employment.

The Cardiff Met BA (Hons) Politics and International Relations consists of 360 credits taken over three years.

• In Year 1 you will study 6 core modules.
• In Year 2 you will study 5 core modules, with 1 additional optional module chosen by you.
• Year 3 will also contain 4 core modules, with 1 additional optional module chosen by you.

Year One (Level 4)

• Introduction to Social Science
• Introduction to the ‘isms’
• Everyday Politics
• Arguing Politics: Today’s Landscape
• What is Politics?
• Global Politics and International Relations

Year Two (Level 5)

Core modules:

• Revolution, Evolution, Devolution: UK Politics Since 1945
• The Politics of Policy Making
• Regions and Powers
• Social Research Methods
• Critical Theories: Interrogating Knowledge

Optional modules:

Students can choose one module of the below:

• (In)Security in a Global World
• Political Economy and International Relations

Year Three (Level 6)

Core modules:

• Scrutiny and the Senedd
• Interrogating the International
• Individual Evidence Based Project (40 credits)
• Research and Employability

Optional modules:

Students can choose one module of the below:

• Political Communication and Influence
• Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of Zero Carbon

Course Delivery

Learning and teaching methods have been selected to ensure that the educational aims and the learning outcomes of modules and the programme are achieved. Methods will include lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, and staff and students are expected to support these sessions via use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The methods used emphasise and facilitate students’ critical development skills and cohere around the integration of practice and theory. Through the programme, students will normally experience both tutor-led learning and self-directed methods of learning, developing increasing independence and reflection as they progress through the programme. It is hoped that the development of these skills will encourage positive attitudes towards lifelong learning.

We aim to help students to develop into reflective professionals and critical scholars. The teaching and learning have been designed so that from induction to graduation, students will encounter a learning experience that is coherent and develops their identity within their programme of study. A principal concept of this programme is to enable students to apply theory to practice.

Contact Hours

Each 20-credit module has approximately 200 hours of study attached to it, delivered over a semester. Typically, 36 of these hours will be delivered in taught sessions such as lectures, seminars, and workshops, usually scheduled as 3 hours per week (per module). Approximately 52 hours are assigned for directed study and preparation tasks which are set weekly as part of the taught sessions and the remaining 100 hours are self-directed study, where you undertake the reading required for the module and complete their required assessment. As the Cardiff Met degree in Politics and International Relations is taught over two semesters per academic year, you will study three 20-credit modules, side-by-side, per semester.

Support

Every student is assigned a personal tutor when they begin the course, and you will receive this support for the entirety of your degree. There are scheduled tutorial meetings that students attend, but tutors are also available to students outside the scheduled meetings.

The University has well-established student support provision for students who have additional learning needs and is equipped to support students to address issues that arise during their studies.

Technology and Facilities

The modules are supported using the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, which is web-based and accessible anywhere via the internet. All course-based material is held here, including lecture and seminar presentations, assessment information and additional reading or resources.

Staff

All staff are research active, and you will benefit from this directly through teaching and supervision of your L6 independent project.

Teaching staff have a broad range of expertise in parliamentary affairs, international organised crime, global health, development and (in)security, evidence-informed policy, and political communication. All staff are committed to providing a high quality, supportive, learning environment.

Facilities

The Cardiff Met degree in Politics and International Relations will be taught at the Llandaff campus, where students will benefit from a range of facilities.

Llandaff is a busy and bustling campus. With millions of pounds of recent investment, it offers state-of-the art learning facilities for our students. It is surrounded by green space but also has proximity to the city centre.

Assessment strategies incorporate a range of methods and authentic opportunities to ensure students can both evidence learning and develop key real-world competencies. The programme adopts a mixture of assessment types to ensure that students develop a broader range of skills for professional success than would be transferred by traditional assessment methods alone. Our assessment framework and strategy ensure a balance between traditional and innovative forms of assessment.

Students will typically be exposed to the following forms of assessment:

• Essays
• Blogs
• Policy Briefs and Reports
• Consultation Response
• Press Releases
• Individual Presentations
• Group Presentations
• Debates
• Role plays/Simulation
• Project Work
• Professional Reports
• Posters
• Learning Portfolios

A unique feature of our assessment strategy is its emphasis on authentic engagement with ‘real-world’ tasks. Our authentic assessment strategies are strongly linked to policy tasks, research skills and the development of graduate attributes that enable a student to develop ‘job-ready’ skills alongside traditional academic skills. At the end of the degree, you will have acquired a Politics and International Relations Portfolio of Skills. This Portfolio can be showcased to potential employers as evidence of relevant skills for employment.

In this programme, assessments are seen an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge. There is support available within the classroom you to complete these, and detailed assessment briefs are provided for each assessment. Students are given submission dates for assessments at the start of each module, as well as an assessment calendar for the whole of the academic year to help you plan and manage your time effectively. You will receive individual feedback on your work to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Where can a degree in Politics and International Relations take me?

Politics and International Relations graduates are in demand across a wide range of professions and sectors, from careers in government, research, civil service, campaigns, NGOs/INGOs, third sector, to media and journalism. Through this course you will develop the skills and knowledge which will allow you to confidently pursue roles both inside and outside the traditional political world. As well as equipping you with the skills to interrogate, challenge, and change the world.

Due to the outward focus of the degree and innovative teaching, learning and assessment methods, you will develop the real-world skills and industry links needed for employment such as for careers in government, politics, communications and public relations, law, public service, humanitarian organisations, research and more.

The degree will also equip you with the skills for postgraduate study, and provides an opportunity for this, including the MRes Social Policy and PhD study at Cardiff Met.

As mentioned, a distinctive and exciting feature of the programme is the creation of a Politics and International Relations Portfolio of Skills. By the end of level 6, you will have a portfolio of examples of skills and experience that you can showcase to a potential employer.

Typical Offers

The following requirements are based on typical offers relevant to entering year 1 of the degree.

If you do not meet these entry requirements, we also offer a Foundation Year which allows progression to Year 1 upon successful completion.

• Tariff points: 104
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Advanced Skills Baccalaureate considered as a third subject.
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM
• T Level: Merit.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grade DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

For general enquiries, please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Programme Leader:

Email: LMcCarthy-Cotter@cardiffmet.ac.uk