Course Overview
Thank you for your interest. This course is now full for September 2024. For alternative start dates see the attendance options above.
Course summary
The International Relations and Democratic Politics MA provides an advanced critical and comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping inter-state relations and global politics. Drawing on key theoretical interpretations of democratic politics, the course examines various principles of democratic thinking (ranging from pluralism and civil society to egalitarianism and human rights), and explores the interplay between theory and practice in old and new democracies and in processes of global governance.
You'll consider various aspects of international order and politics, including the dynamics of international social and political power relationships and conflicts, and state building. These topics are studied comparatively in relation to governmental, political and social processes, and in the contexts of various historical continuities, discontinuities and contrasts.
Is democracy a concept limited to a world of territorially bounded national communities? Can democracy still limit power in a global world? How does democratic policy-making operate in the face of complexity? By raising and examining such questions, the course explores the changing and contested understandings of democracy in contemporary thought, as well as its application to the international sphere in our increasingly complex world.
Top reasons to study with us
- Our course offers you an innovative, disciplined and intellectually challenging framework for studying issues and perspectives within international relations
- You can tailor the MA to your own research interests through your choice of option modules and dissertation topic
- You'll work within a vibrant multicultural cohort, which will enable you to engage with different perspectives on contemporary international security issues
- Our teaching is designed to encourage you to critically analyse all sources and develop your ability to engage in informed debates – we place significant emphasis on enabling you to advance your opinions in an academically grounded manner
- As part of this course, we arrange visits to international organisations based abroad, some of which in the past have included NATO’s HQ in Brussels, the European Commission and the European Parliament
Course structure
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
The dissertation constitutes a third of the overall marks for this course, and you're encouraged to choose a topic that is of particular interest to you. You'll be assigned a supervisor who is an expert in this area, and they will work with you to structure and refine your work.
You must choose four modules from the list of option modules below.
Core modules
The module examines key issues and debates in democratic politics. It focuses on 20th-century democratic thought and discusses how key democratic ideas/ideals have been interpreted and re-interpreted to address dominant trends and changes in democratic societies. The module identifies some of the challenges confronting democratic theory and practice, and it examines differences between old and new democracies. Throughout the module special emphasis is given to the dynamics of democratic institution and democratic renewal.
You will receive supervised guidance and research methods training (through a series of research method workshops, the Dissertation induction and colloquium seminars, and individual Dissertation supervision sessions) to prepare you for your Master's Dissertation on an agreed research topic. You will begin identifying your Dissertation interests at the start of your studies, when you will be able to discuss your ideas with different tutors who may direct you towards taking appropriate option modules that support your future research studies. This module must be taken either following the completion of all other modules, or concurrently with modules in your second semester.
This module introduces you to the theoretical frameworks and practices of the politics of global complexity, the debates that have been triggered, and the way that complexity understandings have developed, especially in the 1990s and 2000s. Emphasis is placed upon the conceptual frameworks deployed in understanding system effects on political, economic and social life, and how these enable us to rethink democratic governance, power and agency. While focusing on conceptual frameworks, this module also engages with how complexity is reflected in new approaches to policy, and external stakeholders will provide input to the module (for example, the Social Market Foundation, Demos, the New Local Government Network and the Foreign Policy Centre).
Option modules
This module focuses on post-Cold War United States foreign and national security policies, and the US policy-making processes. It exposes you to competing interpretations of both policy and the policy-making process. For example, did the end of the Cold War or 9/11 and the onset of the so-called ‘war on terror’ mark new eras in US foreign and national security policy? And how important is the Congress and US public opinion in the making of US foreign policy? The module shows that US policies are rooted as much in domestic politics as they are in America’s perceptions of its interests in a changing international environment.
The discipline of criminology traditionally focuses on the harms perpetrated by the poor and powerless: so-called “street crimes” such as shoplifting, burglary, robbery and selling illicit drugs in public. When it turns its attention to causes and responses, it typically focuses on individual, group, family or community level factors, and the effectiveness of welfare and justice institutions such as local authority youth services, the police and prison system. Critical criminology is a specialist area of the discipline that investigates matters of crime and justice equally within the context of power relations and structural inequalities – e.g., class, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, age and sexuality – and pays equal attention to the harms perpetrated by states and corporations and in private rather than public spaces, many of which are not prohibited under criminal laws or are criminalised under laws that are under-enforced
This module explores and assesses new forms of citizen participation across the world. Recent decades have witnessed increasing experimentation and institutionalisation of democratic participation organised and sponsored by both public authorities as part of formal decision making (e.g. citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting) and by activists, often in opposition to public authorities (e.g. Occupy, World Social Forum). In both cases, these democratic innovations aim to increase and deepen citizen engagement in democratic politics. The module provides an overview of developments in democratic theory and political and social science that help to interpret these exciting democratic practices. Detailed engagement with and evaluation of cases from around the world is promoted. The module provides an opportunity for students to contribute to the global research project and platform Participedia.
This module aims to expose you to key frameworks, tools and instruments used in the practice of development; familiarise you with the debates, challenges and controversies on important aspects of development practice; and, offer practical development insights, skills and competencies. You'll explore policy directions and dynamics with attention to the broader questions and challenges of sustainable development. These approaches are introduced through a range of thematic studies relating to policy-making in international, national and local contexts. The module will be in the format of thematic workshops on key aspects of development practice delivered by the module leader as well as leading policy experts from the field of international development. Although the course is applied in nature, you will gain skills to use and critically evaluate the methods, tools and techniques used in the study and practice of development.
The module examines continuity and change in foreign policy making and diplomatic theory and practice in a world characterised by simultaneous processes of integration and fragmentation and uneven distribution of power. It evaluates state and non-state actor external policies and assesses the diplomatic strategies and negotiation techniques they employ. The module focuses on agency: the formulation of foreign policy and the adoption and employment of diplomatic tools and instruments and negotiation techniques in pursuit of security, prosperity, environmental and humanitarian objectives. It considers the possibility of a sustainable or decolonised diplomacy and foreign policy.
Diplomacy in Action charts the evolution of diplomatic practice from the earliest examples of diplomatic interaction in Mesopotamia and Babylonia via Greece, Persia and Rome, China and India to contemporary modern diplomacy and beyond and examines the extent of diplomatic adaptation and innovation over time and across place. The module will discuss and problematise the theory-practice nexus and explore changes in diplomatic and negotiation practice, including the rise of digital/AI diplomacy and public diplomacy, the sources of such change and the implications thereof. How has diplomacy and diplomatic theory changed in response to the new challenges and opportunities? Who has had what influence or power, over what issues, during what periods? What methods and mechanisms did they use? How can the diplomatic practice of particular types of actors be understood from multiple theoretical perspectives and approaches? How can constructivist, poststructural, feminist and postcolonial perspectives contribute to a decolonisation of our understanding of diplomatic practice? How should we study non-traditional and non-western diplomatic cultures? What can we learn? To what extent are we moving into a ‘managerialization’, ‘de-professionalization’, or ‘transprofessionalization’ of diplomacy with the expansion of informal diplomacy?
This module explores International Relations (IR) using the ‘lenses’ of gender and sexuality. The module draws from feminist and queer scholarship to critique the conceptualisation of IR in gender neutral terms, revealing gendered and heteronormative power relations and engaging with intersectionality including race and global location. The module will explore key issues in global politics including war, (in)security, diplomacy, peace building, human rights, international political economy and transnational activism.
Your main focus throughout this module will be on the domestic and international politics of China and India, and on empirical examples of the global change characterised by the predicted rise of these two non-Western states. The aim will be to go beyond the news headlines to develop a scholarly and critical understanding of the emerging great powers. This offers you an opportunity to train in international relations and recognise, understand, and deal with the changes in the global political landscape.
This module investigates the theoretical and empirical frameworks utilised by criminologists who take a global approach to the study of crime and justice. You’ll focus on how law, crime and justice policies and practices differ between one country or geographical region to another, and the extent to which what happens in one country or region affects or is linked to others, in other words the connections between the local and the global. The module pays equal attention to criminological theories and concepts developed by researchers in the global South as well as the global North.
In recent decades, policing practices have become more transnational and involved greater cooperation across borders. At the same time, policing has shifted away from a ‘law and order’ approach towards being more ‘intelligence-led’ and framed around notions of both ‘internal’ and ‘global’ security. These two shifts have led to a multiplication in the actors, practices, technologies and referent objects involved in global policing and transnational security. This module draws on critical criminology, international relations (IR), sociology, anthropology and geography to critically investigate these actors, practices and technologies of global policing and security. How have different social and political issues such as mobility, global health, or digital technologies become issues of policing and security? What are the political implications of these policing and security transformations?
This module focuses on development policies and practices from a political economy perspective. You’ll examine relations between the state, market and civil society and will analyse the politics of growth, aid, agriculture and food, natural resources and labour. An emphasis on the global sustainability challenges of the 21st century will enable you to evaluate development visions from a range of institutions and actors in the global South and beyond.
This module aims at evaluating the relevance of contemporary debates in international relations and political economy to the study of energy security, energy markets and climate change. It examines the political history of the modern energy systems and the role played by states and major private and state-owned companies. In addition, it explores the role of global institutions and their impact on the interplay between energy security, energy markets and climate change. It scrutinises issues that underpin key discussions in the energy and climate change area, such as development, limits to growth, transparency, sustainability and the role of civil society. The module also critically assesses standard approaches to the issue of energy security by focusing on the problem of energy poverty and resilience.
You will explore the EU as a polity and as a system of governance. The module offers a practice-led survey of governance issues in the EU, informed by relevant theoretical approaches. You will cover the legal framework of the EU and the roles of member state and institutional actors in its decision-making processes; questions of institutional efficiency, accountability and the wider legitimacy of the EU; and characterisations of the EU as a polity and as a global actor.
This module explores and compares a range of approaches to analysing and evaluating governance and policy in relation to questions and challenges of sustainable development. These approaches are introduced through a range of case studies relating to policy-making in contrasting international, national and local contexts.
The module focuses on current debates on Middle Eastern politics from a number of perspectives, with a focus on the role of Islam. You will be introduced to a variety of theoretical approaches to studying the modern Middle East, to relevant perspectives in International Relations, to selected case studies and various contributions to the debate from inside and outside the Arab world. A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted, where you will be steered through the fields of comparative politics, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, and social and political theory so that at the end you will have achieved, in addition to familiarity with key issues in modern Middle Eastern politics, an appreciation of the theoretical perspectives being covered. In the process, you will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the workings of the region and challenged to assess the explanations given and provide your own explanations.
This module will provide you with a systematic and coherent introduction to the main theoretical advances, critical debates and policy related issues in the field of just development futures from an inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural perspective. Broadly, you will engage with current appreciation of development as part of a broader project of social justice rather than a post war project. In the first part of the module you’ll learn about critiques of development as a postcolonial encounter and critiques of grand narratives of economic development. The next part of the module covers the different schools of just development thought and the contestations between them. You’ll explore contemporary approaches from social justice, feminism, race theory, environmentalism, indigenous studies, and decolonial theory. In the final part of the module through case studies on global development challenges, you’ll explore the extent to which politics and justice forms a key element of sustainable development and appreciate the linkages between politics, governance and practical applications for envisaging just futures for people and the planet.
Since the 2000s the global energy landscape that took shape in the last two decades of the twentieth century has been altered due to major geo-political and geo-economical shifts, the rise of new players in the energy sector and technological breakthroughs. The aim of this module is to analyse the impact that these developments had on the energy security of key producing and consuming countries. It will analyse these problems by focusing on change and continuity in the decision-making processes of state and non-state actors. Countries covered include the US, the EU, the Asian rising powers, Russia and specific case studies from the Middle East, Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
This module questions if and why people need religion and their lived experience of it and how religion operates as a source of conflict and/ or integration within and beyond local, national and global communities. It examines the role of religion in society sociologically, starting with what is religion and how it can be studied empirically in relation to themes such as gender, politics, the death of religion and revivalism, migration, place, media and education.
Terrorism and radicalisation have predominantly been studied according to state centric perspectives which dismiss state facilitated harms. This perspective has not only led to a partial examination of the root causes and consequences of terrorism, but through doing so has dismissed the entities that have the most power to facilitate radicalisation and terrorism. This module introduces you to the relationship between state crime, injustice, and radicalisation in the ‘war on terror’. It discusses how state crimes, including violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHR) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) perpetuate global and national injustices and facilitate radicalisation, and through doing so, maintain the socially constructed ‘war on terror’ discourse. The module contributes to the diversification and decolonisation of criminology through its exploration and use of post-colonial perspectives. In considering the construction and impact of the ‘war on terror’, you are introduced to post-colonial perspectives as not only equally valid discourses to the western constructed discourses of the ’war on terror’, but through evidence are encouraged to recognise the value of post-colonial perspectives to reducing the perpetuation of harm within the ‘war on terror’. The use of post-colonial perspectives therefore encourages you to consider how discourses are constructed and their value and importance in relation to policies and legislation.
You will explore the European Union’s international role: as an international trade partner; in its evolving competencies in foreign policy; in its dealings with NATO, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its member states over defence and security issues; in its relations with accession states and other ‘third states’; and in its self-image and values as an international actor. The module offers a practice-led survey of the EU’s external activities, informed by relevant theories.
You will explore the main 20th- and 21st-century theories of the state and examine the different approaches to the phenomenon of violence and its causes. The module examines the challenges arising from globalisation and will help you to grasp the new forms of antagonisms that have evolved in the new world order emerging after the collapse of the Soviet model.
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For more details on course structure, modules, teaching and assessment Download the programme specification (PDF).
To request an accessible version please email [email protected]
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Careers
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Get career-ready
We run events throughout the year with a focus on employability and offer a free 'Policy Skills Lab' course to help prepare you for the job market.
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Focus on your area of interest
You can adapt the course to suit your own research interests through your choice of dissertation topic and option modules.
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Choose from a variety of career paths
You'll develop the ability to think critically about national and international politics, preparing you for a variety of career paths.
Employability
We run a series of events throughout the year with a focus on employability. In the past, these have included talks on internships, volunteering and post-MA career choices.
We also offer a free 'Policy Skills Lab' course where you can engage with experts on interview techniques and drafting your CV. Course topics include 'Learning Policy Advice' and 'Policy Jobs in International Affairs'.
In previous years, we've organised an annual trip to Brussels to meet with representatives from the EU, NATO and other international organisations as well as a number of international non-governmental organisations. This has been an opportunity for our students to understand how these organisations work and talk about their career prospects.
Industry links
Each semester, we invite guest speakers to talk about employability.
Speakers who have previously spoken to our students include representatives from the following organisations:
- Food and Rural Affairs' Protection Approaches
- Includovate
- Refugees Rights Europe
- The European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
- UK Department of Environment
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations including:
- BBC
- European Parliament’s Office for Promotion of Parliamentary Democracy
- The International Institute for Strategic Studies in London
- The Strategic Foresight Group
- UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles in a variety of areas, including:
- Human rights advocate
- International diplomat
- Journalist
- Policy analyst
- Various roles in the Civil Service
Westminster Employability Award
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, allowing you to choose from a set of extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Read more about our Westminster Employability Award.
Course Leader
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Dr Aidan Hehir
Reader in International Relations
Dr Aidan Hehir is a Reader in International Relations at the University of Westminster. He gained his PhD in 2005 and has previously worked at the University of Limerick and the University of Sheffield. His research interests include the Responsibility to Protect, humanitarian intervention, Kosovo, and the laws governing the use of force. He is co-convenor of the BISA Working Group on the Responsibility to Protect and is currently working on an ESRC-funded three-year project on The Responsibility to Protect and Liberal Norms.
As international instability increases, democracy continues to go into retreat, and respect for human rights internationally declines, there has never been a more important time to study the issues, debates and events that have shaped our contemporary world"
Course Team
- Dr Wojciech Ostrowski - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Magdalena Frennhoff Larsen - Reader
- Professor Nitasha Kaul - Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies
- Dr Frands Pedersen - Senior Lecturer in International Relations
- Dr Matthew Fluck - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad - Senior Lecturer
- Professor David Chandler - Professor
- Dr Elisabetta Brighi - Lecturer in International Relations
- Dr Dan Greenwood - Reader in Politics
- Dr Daniel Conway - Reader in Politics and International Relations
- Dr Paulina Tambakaki - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Hilde Stephansen - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Ipshita Basu - Reader in Global Development and Politics
- Professor Roland Dannreuther - Professor
- Dr Hannah Cross - Senior Lecturer
- Dr Ali Tajvidi - Senior Lecturer
Why study this course?
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Multicultural setting
Our Master's students come from all over the world, giving you the chance to engage with different perspectives on contemporary international security issues.
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Fantastic central London location
We're in the centre of one of the world’s greatest cities and use this vibrant setting to ensure that our students discover innovative solutions
to the problems facing our world.
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Supportive environment
You'll be appointed a personal tutor who'll advise you throughout your time at Westminster. Each cohort also appoints a student representative to liaise between staff and students.
Entry Requirements
A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in a related discipline in social sciences or humanities.
If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no element below 6.0.
Applicants are required to submit one academic reference.
Recognition of prior learning and experience
If you have previously studied at university level, or have equivalent work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your course at Westminster. For more information, visit our Recognition of Prior Learning page.
Application process
Visit our How to apply page for more information on:
- the application process
- what you need to apply
- deadlines for application
A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in a related discipline in social sciences or humanities.
If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no element below 6.0.
Applicants are required to submit one academic reference.
Recognition of prior learning and experience
If you have previously studied at university level, or have equivalent work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your course at Westminster. For more information, visit our Recognition of Prior Learning page.
Application process
Visit our How to apply page for more information on:
- the application process
- what you need to apply
- deadlines for application
More information
University preparation courses
Our partner college, Kaplan International College London, offers Pre-Master’s courses that may help you gain a place on a postgraduate degree at Westminster.
To find out more, visit University preparation courses.
What our students say
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Sofiia Zaitseva
International Relations and Democratic Politics MA - 2022
I would describe my experience of studying here as challenging and insightful. I felt supported by the friendly environment at the University, which helped me get through my studies with a positive mindset.
Student Work
“Was the War Between Ukraine and Russia Inevitable?" Dissertation
Student Sofiia Zaitseva received a Distinction for her dissertation titled “Was the War Between Ukraine and Russia Inevitable?”, which analysed competing perspectives on the origin of the invasion. Sofiia is from Ukraine, and her family were forced to leave their homes when the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Despite the challenges this posed, Sofiia received an award in recognition of her dedication, resilience, and academic excellence.
Course Leader Aidan Hehir said: "Sofiia has shown extraordinary courage and dedication this year. Her dissertation was truly excellent, and her commitment to her studies has been remarkable. We are very proud of Sofiia and hope her achievements will inspire others facing similar challenges".
Learn new skills
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Volunteer and gain new skills
We offer a number of different volunteering opportunities for you to learn new skills, create connections, and make a difference in the community.
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Develop your entrepreneurial skills
Our award-winning Westminster Enterprise Network offers industry networking events, workshops, one-to-one business advice and support for your start-up projects.
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Get extra qualifications
We provide access to free online courses in Adobe and Microsoft Office applications, as well as thousands of specialist courses on LinkedIn Learning.
Fees and Funding
UK tuition fee: £10,500 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Paying your fees
If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
Find out more about paying your fees.
Alumni discount
This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
Funding
There is a range of funding available that may help you fund your studies, including Student Finance England (SFE).
Find out more about postgraduate student funding options.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Paying your fees
If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
Find out more about paying your fees.
Alumni discount
This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
Funding
There are a number of funding schemes available to help you fund your studies with us.
Find out more about funding for international students.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
Teaching and Assessment
Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.
How you’ll be taught
Teaching methods across all our postgraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into two broad categories:
- Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
- Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, dissertation/final project research, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision
How you’ll be assessed
Our postgraduate courses include a variety of assessments, which typically fall into two broad categories:
- Practical: examples include presentations, podcasts, blogs
- Coursework: examples include essays, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation
Data from the academic year 2023/24
Research groups
Our research achieves real-world impact and we are proud to claim a rich and diverse profile of high-quality research and knowledge exchange in a wide range of disciplines.
Find out more about our research groups related to this course:
Supporting you
Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.
- Study support — workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
- Personal tutors — support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
- Student advice team — provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
- Extra-curricular activities — volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more
Course Location
Our Regent Campus is composed of three sites, situated on and around Regent Street – one of the most famous and vibrant streets in London.
Our Social Sciences subjects are based at 309 Regent Street, which includes recently refurbished social spaces, gym facilities and our Regent Street Cinema.
For more details, visit our locations page.
Contact us
Call our dedicated team on:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext 65511
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
More information
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