Program Overview

Description

Develop a dynamic and systematic understanding of how political theory can be applied to international politics and world affairs.

Program Details

Start Date

September 2025

Duration

One year full time

School

School of International Relations

Fees

• UK: £14,850
• Rest of the world: £29,990

Why Study This Course?

• Offers a uniquely deep focus on both the history of political thought and contemporary political theory.
• Distinctive approach, different from that of traditional programmes in international relations or international relations theories.
• Ideal for further academic work leading to a PhD at St Andrews or elsewhere.
• Prepares students for a wide range of professional fields including law, policy research and consultancy, NGOs, charities, international organisations, civil service and publishing.

Teaching

Delivered through lectures, tutorials, and seminars.

Class Sizes

Groups range from 1 to 30 students.

Dissertation

A 15,000-word project with regular support from an assigned dissertation supervisor.

Assessment

A mix of coursework and exams.

Modules

All International Political Theory MLitt students take two compulsory and two optional modules over the course of the programme. You may, with permission, take modules from other MLitt programmes in the School of International Relations or from another School.

Compulsory Modules

• Analysis and Interpretation in International Political Theory: introduces methods and interpretive approaches that can be taken in the study of international political theory.
• Concepts in International Political Theory: introduces students to a range of core concepts in International Political Thought, such as the state, power, law, justice, class, gender, race, empire, democracy, agency, borders, rights, and sovereignty.

Optional Modules

• Global Constitutionalism: explores the role of constitutional thinking and draws upon legal theory and international law as well as broader themes.
• Migration and Political Theory: explores the relationship between political thought and the complex phenomenon of migration, including how migration influences understandings of citizenship, rights, borders, justice, and security.
• Political Theory of Race and Caste: gives students an opportunity to study forms of social hierarchy and injustice based on race, caste and descent, through reading key texts in political theory that grapple with conditions of racial and caste subordination and that gesture at the possibilities for emancipation from them.
• World Politics After the 'Death of God': Between Apocalypse and Hope: explores contributions in post-Nietzschean political philosophy and 20th-century political theology as a way to understand the currency of notions such as tragedy, evil and hope in modern politics.
• 'Reason of State': Origin, Nature and Career of a Concept: studies the meaning, origins, development and significance of the notion of 'reason of state' in western political thought.
• Theories of Friendship and Enmity: addresses a number of classical texts in western political thought on the themes of friendship and enmity.
• Topics in International Political Thought: introduces students to key themes in the international realm through a close engagement with the ideas of a single theorist.
• Political Economy of Conflict: provides a political economy perspective on conflict in a developing economy.
• Political Order and Violence in the Middle East: examines the causes and consequences of political order and violence in the Middle East.
• Security and Justice Institutions in World Politics: examines the development and efficacy of institutions in the fields of peace, security and justice.
• Terrorism and Liberal Democracy: addresses conceptual and definitional issues concerning terrorism; the relationship of terrorism to other forms of political violence; the origins, dynamics and development of contemporary terrorism; the efficacy of terrorism as a political weapon; the dilemmas and challenges of liberal democratic state responses to terrorism; and case studies in terrorism and counter-terrorism.

What It Will Lead To

Careers

Students who graduate from the MLitt in International Political Theory go on to work in various professional fields including:

• law
• policy research and consultancy
• NGOs
• charities
• international organisations
• civil service
• publishing

Further Study

Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in a PhD programme at St Andrews.

Why St Andrews?

Alumni

When you graduate you become a member of the University's worldwide alumni community. Benefit from access to alumni clubs, the Saint Connect networking and mentoring platform, and careers support.

Entry Requirements

• A 2.1 Honours degree. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
• English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application Requirements

• CV
• personal statement indicating your knowledge of the programme and how it will benefit you (500 words)
• sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
• two original signed academic references
• academic transcripts and degree certificates

Scholarships and Funding

We are committed to supporting you through your studies, regardless of your financial circumstances. You may be eligible for scholarships, discounts or other support:

• Snowdon Trust Masters Scholarship
• GREAT Scholarship
• St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship
• St Leonard's funding opportunities
• Graduate discount (15% off tuition fees)

International relations scholarships