Political Science and International Studies

Overview

The Department offers supervision leading to the research degree of PhD (minimum registration three years) allowing participants to complete an 80,000-word thesis constituting a major piece of original research work. 

The School of Government brings together academic staff, research fellows and doctoral researchers across the Social Sciences. The School is one of the leading UK and international centres for Politics, International Relations, International Development, Sociology and European Studies.

Career

If I gain a postgraduate research degree in this area, what are my career prospects?

Graduates of the Political Science and International Studies programme from University of Birmingham develop transferable skills that are useful in many occupations. These include familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large and diverse quantities of information; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; judging and evaluating complex information; and making reasoned arguments, both orally, in tutorials and presentations, and in written work. There are many careers where a political science and international studies degree is useful and past graduates have entered areas including commercial management, finance, administration, politics, and even the armed forces. Some of our PhD graduates also continue onto successful careers in academic research and teaching.