Best place to study international relations

I want to study international relations (I actually have started a degree in France, but it wasn't good enough so I've decided to try in England instead!), but I'm not sure which of these three universities would be best:

-Aberystwyth (lack of reputation, but really good international relations course - the 1st ever!)
-Oxford Brookes (modern, convenient location - I live in France!)
-Durham (well.. obviously a great uni..!)

I've already receieved unconditional offers from Aberystwyth and Brookes, now I'm waiting to see what Durham has to say!

Any other suggestions? I'd have loved to go to Oxford but it's too late..

Reply 1

Beyman23

Essex is very good ranked 5th in the UK
Exeter also very good
ive applied to both of these for IR
looked at aberystwyth but it looks so boring! i want a student life!
Durham is good but very picky so be wary
but me i want to go to essex lots of international students go there as well so very cosmopolitan

Reply 2

wilson_smith

17

I'd definitely say Durham, it leads in the middle east field and it's Durham - although the Aberwystwyth department is outstanding and a world leader, however the universities overall reputation would let you down most likely.

As for other IR departments, the best would probably be; LSE, St.Andrews, Warwick, KCL (War Studies), York, Bath, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Exeter.

Reply 3

jelly1000

21

chlowi

I want to study international relations (I actually have started a degree in France, but it wasn't good enough so I've decided to try in England instead!), but I'm not sure which of these three universities would be best:

-Aberystwyth (lack of reputation, but really good international relations course - the 1st ever!)
-Oxford Brookes (modern, convenient location - I live in France!)
-Durham (well.. obviously a great uni..!)

I've already receieved unconditional offers from Aberystwyth and Brookes, now I'm waiting to see what Durham has to say!

Any other suggestions? I'd have loved to go to Oxford but it's too late..

Of those three Durham has the best overall reputation, however the IR course is very new- this is the first year its run, so its currently not known it its own right.
In terms of the course reputation, Aberystwyth is the best established, however be warned that the town is small and not easy to access- there is no direct route there from London e.c.t on the train.

In terms of other suggestions- LSE is said to be one of the best for IR, as both the course & the uni have prestige, however entry is extremely competitive and you would need to have achieved top marks in your year at uni or the high school course you took (whichever the unis are looking at).
If you didnt mind travelling all the way to Scotland then St Andrews is well known for its IR course, but again entry is very competitive and grades will need to be high.

As far as Oxford goes, they don't offer an IR course for undergraduates (neither does Cambridge for that matter)

Reply 4

misternite

3

Be wary when looking at departments for their strengths in IR. Some universities have excellent departments but aren't so hot when it comes to IR. Essex is a pretty good example of this and it's primarily the reason why I decided to go to York rather than Sheffield.

Ones that I know are noteworthy: LSE, St Andrews, Aber, Nottingham, Exeter, Warwick and York but I'm a little bias on the last one :-)

Reply 5

chlowi

OP

2

Ok!!
If I don't receive an offer from Durham, which would be best, Aberystwyth or Brookes?

Reply 6

Irrepressible

chlowi

Ok!!
If I don't receive an offer from Durham, which would be best, Aberystwyth or Brookes?

Why don't you wait a bit more? I know a lot of unis make their offers after the UCAS deadline (15 Jan). You can decide after that and think over all your options.

Reply 7

username358506

20

Aberyswyth is by far your best IR choice, their department is world renowned. I'd put Durham second and Brookes third.

Good luck.

chlowi

Ok!!
If I don't receive an offer from Durham, which would be best, Aberystwyth or Brookes?

Aberystwyth is better than Brookes by about as far as the rankings go, they are at complete extremes. The only place Aber doesn't have a stellar reputation is outside IR. Within IR it is one of the places to study, easily top 5 in the UK. Durham and Brookes are absolutely nowhere in the IR reputation league. Durham has a strong general reputation as a university, Brookes doesn't. Aber or Brookes is like asking Sciences Po or well, somewhere almost totally unheard of in IR circles.

PPEist2003

I wouldn't say Sciences Po is completely unheard of in IR circles. After all, the head of the IMF and the head of the World Trade Organisation are both Sciences Po alumni and they clearly did pretty well. Be careful not to be too UK focused when you are looking at IR. It so happens that IR is surprisingly enough, international...

My comparison clearly didn't come across as clearly as I had intended. What I was trying to convey is that Aberystwyth has a fantastic reputation for IR in the UK, whereas Brookes has none, just as in France, where I believe the OP is studying, Sciences Po has a fantastic reputation for IR, whereas...... except I don't know anywhere with a reputation for being almost completely useless for IR in France!

Reply 10

chlowi

OP

2

threeportdrift

My comparison clearly didn't come across as clearly as I had intended. What I was trying to convey is that Aberystwyth has a fantastic reputation for IR in the UK, whereas Brookes has none, just as in France, where I believe the OP is studying, Sciences Po has a fantastic reputation for IR, whereas...... except I don't know anywhere with a reputation for being almost completely useless for IR in France!

Don't worry, I understood! Thank you :yes:

Reply 11

Main_Du_Bois

Nobody mentioned Keele?

5A rating for research, 24/24 from the QAA, very good for the environMENTALIST studies if that's your thing. Beautiful campus too. Not enough political activism though.

PS Also one of the only universities to have a module dedicated to the study of intelligence agencies... which was an AWESOME module.

Reply 12

Lucible

9

Sheffield? York? Warwick? The London School of Economics?
All good universities. :smile:

Reply 13

luketh

It's definitely not the best uni in the UK! But I am studying International Relations at Plymouth. I looked at just about all the universities offering IR in the UK, and I fell in love with Plymouth, I love the course too. I've always wanted to do IR, so would reccommend Plymouth! If you're in France, it also has a twice weekly ferry service to Roscoff, which I don't know if is at all convenient for you but its worth mentioning! Also I believe there are flights available to various locations in France from bouth Plymouth and Exeter airports. :smile:

Reply 14

username358506

20

Having looked at each of the university rankings(times, guardian and independent), I'm still unsure about which school to pick as I have very ambiguous top 10.

What's your top 10 for research quality and graduate prospects?

Is this top 10 of mine accurate?

1) LSE
2) Aberystwyth
3) St Andrews
4) Sheffield
5) Essex
6) Warwick
7) York
8) Durham
9) Nottingham
10) Hull

Reply 15

MagicNMedicine

20

Sussex is up there for IR.

Reply 16

MagicNMedicine

20

wilson_smith

although the Aberwystwyth department is outstanding and a world leader, however the universities overall reputation would let you down most likely.

Well if you are wanting to get a job related to IR, in government/academia etc, it's well known that Aberwystwyth is a big fish. As long as you are happy to study in a quiet remote place like that, it will be good for your career to have studied there.