School of Politics and International Relations

Why study Politics or International Relations at Queen Mary?

We’re a growing School which really cares about teaching, and we pride ourselves on our friendly and informal approach. As you move towards graduation, you’ll get one-to-one supervision for your dissertation, and small seminar groups led by academic staff. Our staff have wide interests, which means that you'll have a wide choice of optional modules, all taught by active, highly-rated researchers at the cutting edge of their respective fields.  

Our flexible modular system means that, as well as benefiting from specialist teaching, you get the freedom as you move through your degree to shape your own programme of study, helped by your personal academic advisor. Teaching is by a mixture of larger classes and small, highly-interactive seminars.  We also make a great deal of use of our virtual learning environment – QMPlus.  Assessment varies from module to module but is usually through a mix of unseen assessments, presentations and coursework.

Finally, don’t forget the huge benefits of studying politics in London: national political institutions, party HQs, high-profile organisations and think-tanks – they’re all here. We have lots of visiting speakers from all these bodies. There are also student-run societies which organise debates and organise visiting speakers of their own.