St Andrew or Durham

I'm an international student.I will come to uk and finish my master degree (politics or international relations). Which one is better? St Andrew or durham?
Thanks for your help

Reply 1

cora06140

They are both superb universities with excellent reputations. I believe St Andrews is top of the range for International Relations - at least the undergrad course.
At the end of the day, it may come down to personal preference about the feel of the place and the lecturers in your field of study, so if you are able to visit both, it would be beneficial.

University of St Andrews

Reply 2

Namunamunamu

Original post by cora06140

Thanks for your reply. And I want to know what the local people think of their master degree. My friend said durham has a bigger city and special college system, but St. Andrew have a elite halo in my mind. So I don't know which one I should choose.

Reply 3

Namunamunamu

Original post by cora06140

它们都是一流的大学，享有盛誉。我相信圣安德鲁斯大学是国际关系领域的佼佼者——至少在本科课程中是这样。
归根结底，这可能归结为个人对地方的感觉和你所在研究领域的讲师的偏好，所以如果你能同时参观这两个地方，那将是有益的。

I'm so far from UK. So I can't visit these areas until I come to school.

Reply 4

cora06140

Original post by Namunamunamu

I'm so far from UK. So I can't visit these areas until I come to school.

Ah, that's a shame... Both are northern UK unis (cold weather!), both steeped in history with a fair bit of tradition. I personally preferred St Andrews when we visited, it felt more open though quite a small town, but I am a parent, students would have different criteria.

If you haven't done so yet, look at the websites and do a virtual open day if you can and perhaps see if you can catch the department head by email to ask the course questions which are important to you + ask if some current students would mind emailing so you can ask them about aspects of uni life and the course you would like to know about?

The other things you might want to look at are course fees, since one is in England, the other in Scotland, so that may differ a bit, and cost of living - I have read Durham has a student housing issue at the moment but St Andrews was the same when my daughter was there, don't know if it is still the case, but worth looking at in detail.