The three-year BA in International Relations is designed for students who need additional preparation prior to undergraduate level study. The first year of the programme is intended to provide a foundation in both knowledge and academic skills for the more specialist subjects in years two and three. Students’ progression onto the BA International programme is subject to regulations for the Foundation Stage of three-year degree programmes.

An important feature of the modern world which is widely recognised and commented upon by businesspeople, journalists, politicians, diplomats, teachers and virtually anyone with the alertness to look about them, is its increasing inter-dependence and ‘internationalisation’. Your ability to read this message on the World Wide Web is itself a manifestation of the power of ideas to transcend national boundaries with great rapidity and at low cost. Technology has proved to be an agent which encourages co-operation across national boundaries. Technological developments in transport, telecommunications and computing have encouraged economic changes such as the decline in barriers to trade, the internationalisation of financial markets, the rise of global companies, and a massive increase in the volume of international trade in goods and services. These trends have been accompanied by political developments such as the rise of regional trading groupings of countries, international efforts to agree about common legal and technical rules to govern business dealings, arguments about ‘tax competition’ between countries, as well as increasing concern about the environmental consequences associated with world economic development. Enormous social tensions arise as these international forces come into conflict with long established ways of doing things in every country. Political and social systems are in a continuous process of adjustment to an increasingly open world.

The International Relations programme at Buckingham gives you an opportunity to learn about these fundamental problems. With students coming to Buckingham from over 80 countries, it is an ideal environment to learn about matters of international concern and to discuss them with people from differing cultural backgrounds. The programme is inter-disciplinary and covers economic, political, legal, historical and cultural dimensions. Graduates from the International Relations programme will have acquired a knowledge of economics sufficient to analyse and understand the global marketplace; a familiarity with political systems in a range of different countries; and a good historical understanding of how the international framework has evolved over time.

Students wishing to pursue careers in the media, journalism, international business, politics, diplomacy or education should find the programme very attractive for their first degree.

Year one:
1. To equip students to become independent learners, facilitating the successful continuation of their studies in years two and three.
2. To develop students’ ability to construct and communicate logical arguments clearly.
3. To help students acquire and practise strategies for effective reading and for academic vocabulary development.
4. To provide opportunities for students to develop academic skills.
5. To train students in language awareness.
6. To encourage students to develop general study skills, particularly including the ability to learn independently using a variety of source materials.
7. To stimulate engagement and participation in the learning process.

Years two & three:
1. To provide students with the opportunity to study a set of social-science disciplines including history, politics and economics.
2. To provide coherence to the programme by focusing on matters of international concern including international trade and development, comparative political systems, international relations and contemporary international history.
3. To create an environment in which students can investigate issues of international concern using the skills and knowledge acquired from the separate disciplines.
4. To create a forum in which inter-disciplinary discussion can take place and students can assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.

• Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (Link);
• Relevant Subject Benchmark Statement(s) (Link).

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each course unit/module can be found in the departmental or programme handbook. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed annually by the University of Buckingham and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency.