International Relations

Program Overview

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International Relations MPhil, PhD

Overview

Explore international relations in theory and practice: our PhD programme will support you in discovering and creating new knowledge about global politics and international relations.

Full Description

Our PhD research programme will allow you to explore your own interests in international relations and international politics, supported by the expertise of our staff.

You'll be allocated two supervisors, with additional staff members available if necessary. Our supervisors are experienced in most areas of international relations, with particular strengths in international political theory, security studies, military studies, development, political philosophy, human rights and (counter) terrorism studies. The International Relations degree also links in closely with Criminology at Anglia Ruskin, so that you can benefit from a rich and broad environment for specialised research.

We'll provide you with a rich and stimulating research environment with strong links to research networks in Anglia Ruskin and the wider community, including the University of Cambridge's Centre for Research into Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH), and links to Citizens Advice Bureau, the National Probation Service, the Crown Court and Crown Prosecution Service, as well as Cambridgeshire Police. We host the Labour History Research Unit (LHRU), which covers aspects of national and international political history, and contribute to many of our Faculty's other research groups, including the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute and the StoryLab Research Group.

We also host and take part in many research events, including Faculty and departmental research seminars and symposia, which will allow you to engage and present your research in a safe and supportive setting. These events, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of disciplines.

All your subject-specific studies will be enhanced and supported by our University-wide training sessions, where you'll gain important research expertise in areas like ethics, presentations, intellectual property and digital scholarship.

Completion Times

• MPhil: full-time 1-3 years, part-time 2-4 years.
• PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: full-time 2.5-5 years, part-time 3.5-6 years.
• PhD: full-time 2-4 years, part-time 3-6 years.

PhD Project Opportunities

• World-leading research at ARU
• Labour History Research Unit
• International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences research

Supervision and Support

Our permanent supervisory staff members are recognised as international experts in their fields, and have produced influential books, journal articles and edited collections, and won funding for a number of prestigious research projects. Our International Relations expertise includes:

• Dr Solava Ibrahim: Dynamics of political change and state-society relations in the Middle East; human development and capability approach; poverty reduction; gender and women groups; grassroots-led development.
• Dr Anna Markovska: transitional countries; serious crime; corruption; drug abuse.
• Colleen Moore: the treatment of victims in the criminal justice system; violence, sexual violence and exploitation; 'Justice'; identities and judgement; conflict resolution; terrorism, cultures of war.
• Prof Samantha Lundrigan: criminological profiling systems; profiling serial offenders, criminological research methods.
• Prof Bronwen Walter: Irish diaspora studies
• Dr Jon Davis: Russian history; the Cold War.
• Dr Richard Carr: British politics and government.

Where You'll Research

Your Department and Faculty

At the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, we believe in thinking critically about the past, present and future to challenge perceptions and better understand communities and people.

With expertise from gender issues to literary analysis to exploring how the past has shaped our modern world, all our staff members are active researchers. This is reflected in our teaching, allowing us to support our students with the latest theories and practices, as well as essential employability advice.

Where Can I Study?

• Cambridge

Our campus is close to the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.

Specialist Facilities

You’ll receive access to the University of Cambridge Library, our own campus library and other local archives.

Fees & Funding

Course Fees

• UK students, 2024/25 (per year): £4,786
• UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £2,392
• International students, 2024/25 (per year): £15,900
• International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £7,950

Bench Fees

In some cases extra costs known as bench fees will be charged for a postgraduate research degree. These are to cover additional/exceptional costs directly related to a specific research project.

Some examples of these costs are (the list is not exhaustive): equipment hire, access costs to specialist equipment/workshops, volunteer expenses, specialist tissue/cell culture, specialist reagents or materials, specialist software, access to specialist databases, data collection costs, specialist media, recording or digital storage needs.

We charge bench fees in bands. They may apply for every year of your course. These bands are the same for full- and part-time students.

For 2024/25 the bench fee bands are:

• 1. £500
• 2. £1,200
• 3. £2,200
• 4. £4,500
• 5. £8,900

PhD by Published Work

• Initial registration: £1,500
• Full registration: £4,500

Writing Up Fees 2024/25

• £1,200

How Do I Pay My Fees?

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in instalments – though you won't need to pay until you've accepted an offer to study with us.

Funding

For advice on the Doctoral Loan and other sources of funding, including ARU scholarships, visit our finance guide for postgraduate researchers.

You might also find The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding helpful.

ARU Research

ARU's academic excellence was recognised in 2021, as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), an exercise which assesses the quality of academic research. Sixteen areas of our work were classed as generating world-leading research. The results showed that we're making a significant impact on the societies we live in.

Careers

We’ll provide you with many opportunities for career development and training, in areas like writing up a paper for publication, placing an academic article, giving a conference paper, the doctoral writing style, updates on research methods and literature searches, internet training, editing skills for doctoral research, subsequent monograph publication and working with agents and publishers. You might also be able to take on teaching responsibilities within the department, or organise research events.

In conjunction with the University’s research support, you can request specific support for writing-up, conference papers, general research methods and other research skills if you need it.

Entry Requirements

• MPhil or PhD with progression from MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelors degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.
• PhD: You’ll need a Masters degree or equivalent in a related subject area.

Please note we consider candidates for PhD with progression from MPhil in the first instance. If you want to be considered for direct entry to the PhD route then this can be discussed at interview if you are shortlisted. Please note you’ll also need to provide academic justification for this request.

If English is not your first language, you'll require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent test). If you don't meet our English language requirements, we offer a range of courses which could help you achieve the level required for entry.

Suggested Courses That May Interest You

• Criminology
• Sociology

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The PhD programme in International Relations supports students in exploring and creating new knowledge in the field of global politics and international relations. Participants will receive expert guidance from experienced supervisors and benefit from a rich research environment with links to research networks at Anglia Ruskin University and beyond.

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Teaching:

Students will receive guidance from two supervisors, with additional support available from other staff members if necessary. The program provides a rich and stimulating research environment with links to research networks at Anglia Ruskin University and the wider community, including the University of Cambridge's Centre for Research into Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH), and connections to organizations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, the National Probation Service, the Crown Court and Crown Prosecution Service, and Cambridgeshire Police. The Labour History Research Unit (LHRU), which covers aspects of national and international political history, is also hosted at Anglia Ruskin University.

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Tuition Fees and Payment Information:

UK students, 2023/24 (per year) £4,712 UK students, 2023/24 (part-time, per year) £2,356 International students, 2023/24 (per year) £15,000 International students, 2023/24 (part-time, per year) £7,500 UK students, 2024/25 (per year) £4,786 UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year) £2,392 International students, 2024/25 (per year) £15,900 International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year) £7,950