Is international relations a good degree regarding job prospects ?

For background I am interested in this degree however I feel like I only know the surface . There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there regarding this particular degree or breakdowns of it ( I know diff unis may have different modules ) . There isn’t much or if there is it’s American based . I am also from

If anyone who studies ir would be kind enough to answer what they did during their degree and their jobs prospects now please . I also am very scared as I have heard lots of people on here say that it’s an irrelevant degree and you won’t get a good job with it/ will be hard to find a good paying job . I eventually want to maybe work in politics or work abroad in governing jobs hence I liked the flexibility of the course as I love learning languages and about cultures having taught myself Koreans
and next Mandarin . so working abroad would be great. I’m just scared now from the horror stories and it would be great if you could give your honest opinion preferably if you study it yourself .
It’s the only degree I can see myself doing nothing else is interesting so I’m in a dilemma …

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

OP

Sorry it cut off . I am also from the UK and my choices are Aston , uni of bham , uni of Nottingham , uni Leicester , keele . With Aston being my most likely choice as I am going through clearing last minute . If I get my grades higher than expected it will be UOB

Original post by Anonymous

For background I am interested in this degree however I feel like I only know the surface . There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there regarding this particular degree or breakdowns of it ( I know diff unis may have different modules ) . There isn’t much or if there is it’s American based . I am also from

If anyone who studies ir would be kind enough to answer what they did during their degree and their jobs prospects now please . I also am very scared as I have heard lots of people on here say that it’s an irrelevant degree and you won’t get a good job with it/ will be hard to find a good paying job . I eventually want to maybe work in politics or work abroad in governing jobs hence I liked the flexibility of the course as I love learning languages and about cultures having taught myself Koreans
and next Mandarin . so working abroad would be great. I’m just scared now from the horror stories and it would be great if you could give your honest opinion preferably if you study it yourself .
It’s the only degree I can see myself doing nothing else is interesting so I’m in a dilemma …

Hi there!!

I’m currently a student at Aston (third year) studying politics and international relations so hopefully I can give you more insight on this.

To be blunt, if this is the only degree you can see yourself doing - DO IT, you’re spending 3/4 years doing this and you will only excel if you’re doing something you enjoy!

International relations is a great choice if you want to work abroad.

The main thing you get from this degree is a wide range of transferable skills, communication and analytical skills being the main ones, which is great as when it comes to finding a job you have a wealth of options to choose from (i had no problem finding a placement)

If you are genuinely worried about career prospects it’s worth looking at different joint honours as politics and international relations is only one of many!

I hope this has been helpful but if you have any specific questions please let me know!

- poppy :smile:

Reply 3

University of Portsmouth Student Rep

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

For background I am interested in this degree however I feel like I only know the surface . There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there regarding this particular degree or breakdowns of it ( I know diff unis may have different modules ) . There isn’t much or if there is it’s American based . I am also from

If anyone who studies ir would be kind enough to answer what they did during their degree and their jobs prospects now please . I also am very scared as I have heard lots of people on here say that it’s an irrelevant degree and you won’t get a good job with it/ will be hard to find a good paying job . I eventually want to maybe work in politics or work abroad in governing jobs hence I liked the flexibility of the course as I love learning languages and about cultures having taught myself Koreans
and next Mandarin . so working abroad would be great. I’m just scared now from the horror stories and it would be great if you could give your honest opinion preferably if you study it yourself .
It’s the only degree I can see myself doing nothing else is interesting so I’m in a dilemma …

Hi!

A current IR student here. I hear a lot of the same stuff from people, but it's just because they don't understand just how much our world revolves around IR, and also to be fair it's a relatively new discipline.

IR is great because as you said it gives you a lot of flexibility and there literally isn't a single industry that doesn't have room for IR since our world is so globalised. Whether it's politics, business, trade, economics, entertainment, security, tech. The only way IR would lose relevancy is if every single country in the world stopped working together, trading together and talking to each other. Even countries at war are relating internationally - through war! There's peace talks, arms deals, the actual fighting. So don't even worry about what other people have to say, and don't worry about your future prospects, because it's all about how you specialise and what you do with your time.

I've studied modules such as political thought, international thought, empire and it's afterlives, spanish, global development, analysing politics: Britain and beyond, analysing foreign and security policy, and some professional business courses that will help me because I want to go into either international diplomacy or business, haven't decided yet. I'll specialise in my masters.

Anyway, hope that helps. If you have anymore to ask, feel free!

Samantha, UoP rep

Reply 4

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

For background I am interested in this degree however I feel like I only know the surface . There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there regarding this particular degree or breakdowns of it ( I know diff unis may have different modules ) . There isn’t much or if there is it’s American based . I am also from

If anyone who studies ir would be kind enough to answer what they did during their degree and their jobs prospects now please . I also am very scared as I have heard lots of people on here say that it’s an irrelevant degree and you won’t get a good job with it/ will be hard to find a good paying job . I eventually want to maybe work in politics or work abroad in governing jobs hence I liked the flexibility of the course as I love learning languages and about cultures having taught myself Koreans
and next Mandarin . so working abroad would be great. I’m just scared now from the horror stories and it would be great if you could give your honest opinion preferably if you study it yourself .
It’s the only degree I can see myself doing nothing else is interesting so I’m in a dilemma …

Hi!

I have been seeing a lot of people on the internet disregarding the subject as unimportant or irrelevant as well, however, this is completely false. None of the people who talk about the subject like that has ever studied IR, as obviously, they do not understand how relevant the subject is in truly every area in the world. IR is a very broad subject and throughout your studies, you will figure out which part of it you prefer the most. You may become more interested in economy than anything else, or international crime and terrorism. Maybe you will decide you do not want to work for a public sector and choose the private sector instead. Honestly, there are so many options out there and so many opportunities, you do not have to worry about it at all. There will also always be apprenticeships available throughout your studies, so you can increase your employability.

Hope this helped :smile:

Tereza
Coventry University
International Relations student

Is international relations a good degree regarding job prospects ?

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