The Student Room Group

IR MA in UK Universities

I am applying for IR MA in the UK. However, I haven’t made up my mind regarding which of these two universities to choose:
Bath university
SOAS
Which one is the best to choose?
Original post by Doa'
I am applying for IR MA in the UK. However, I haven’t made up my mind regarding which of these two universities to choose:
Bath university
SOAS
Which one is the best to choose?


They are quite different universities. SOAS is specialist and if you are particularly interested in any of its specialist areas, then it's the place to go. It is in London, that might be a living environment you enjoy or not, it's pricy, but you are on the doorstep of employers, think tanks etc. Bath however, though less specialist in IR perhaps, might be stronger if you want to be an IR generalist. Its quite a different environment, a leafy green campus just outside a beautiful Georgian town. There's plenty to differentiate them, you just have to work out what your priorities are.
Original post by Doa'
I am applying for IR MA in the UK. However, I haven’t made up my mind regarding which of these two universities to choose:
Bath university
SOAS
Which one is the best to choose?


Hi @Doa'

Glad to hear you're considering studying your postgraduate degree at the University of Bath!

I don't study International Relations in particular, but I am a current postgraduate student at Bath, and I completed my undergraduate degree here. So, hopefully I'll be able to help by telling you a little bit about student life at Bath.

With regards to studying, on my course (and most courses), we currently have 4 hours of in person teaching per week. The rest of our classes have been online this year but my lecturers have ensured all classes are very interactive, with discussions allowing an opportunity to meet other students on your course.

Bath itself is really beautiful, and a very safe place to live. It is fairly small but it's also only a 15 minute train journey from Bristol. There's a huge amount of green space both in the city and around the university, which makes it a really great place to live in the current climate. The Students' Union are doing some amazing events to ensure students can still meet one another, despite the restrictions in place. I'd recommend having a look at the SU What's On page to see the sorts of events and activities you could get involved in: https://www.thesubath.com/whats-on/. There's also a huge number of student groups and many of these are adapting to the restrictions to ensure that we can still meet other students with similar interests.

Overall, I've really loved living in Bath over the past 4 years, and I think it's a great place to experience student life - particularly as a postgraduate student.

I hope this has helped and feel free to ask any questions!

Meg
Msc Applied Clinical Psychology
Reply 3
Original post by University of Bath Postgraduate
Hi @Doa'

Glad to hear you're considering studying your postgraduate degree at the University of Bath!

I don't study International Relations in particular, but I am a current postgraduate student at Bath, and I completed my undergraduate degree here. So, hopefully I'll be able to help by telling you a little bit about student life at Bath.

With regards to studying, on my course (and most courses), we currently have 4 hours of in person teaching per week. The rest of our classes have been online this year but my lecturers have ensured all classes are very interactive, with discussions allowing an opportunity to meet other students on your course.

Bath itself is really beautiful, and a very safe place to live. It is fairly small but it's also only a 15 minute train journey from Bristol. There's a huge amount of green space both in the city and around the university, which makes it a really great place to live in the current climate. The Students' Union are doing some amazing events to ensure students can still meet one another, despite the restrictions in place. I'd recommend having a look at the SU What's On page to see the sorts of events and activities you could get involved in: https://www.thesubath.com/whats-on/. There's also a huge number of student groups and many of these are adapting to the restrictions to ensure that we can still meet other students with similar interests.

Overall, I've really loved living in Bath over the past 4 years, and I think it's a great place to experience student life - particularly as a postgraduate student.

I hope this has helped and feel free to ask any questions!

Meg
Msc Applied Clinical Psychology

Thank you for your answer. Very much appreciated!
Reply 4
Original post by threeportdrift
They are quite different universities. SOAS is specialist and if you are particularly interested in any of its specialist areas, then it's the place to go. It is in London, that might be a living environment you enjoy or not, it's pricy, but you are on the doorstep of employers, think tanks etc. Bath however, though less specialist in IR perhaps, might be stronger if you want to be an IR generalist. Its quite a different environment, a leafy green campus just outside a beautiful Georgian town. There's plenty to differentiate them, you just have to work out what your priorities are.

Thank you!

Quick Reply

Latest