Subject overview
The Department of International Relations at Sussex is well-established over four decades and includes many distinguished scholars among its past and present faculty.
International relations and security draws on Sussex’s recognised reputation for interdisciplinarity. Working this way allows you to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines, and to develop new understandings of the concept and issues of international relations and security.
Sussex was ranked in the top 3 International Relations departments in the UK in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 95 per cent of our research was rated as internationally recognised, higher than any other UK department.
Our Department is committed to helping you identify work-study placements.
We have regional expertise that covers Europe and North America, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia and Latin America. Our research and teaching cover a wide range of themes in international relations and security; the global political economy; international security, war and peace studies; development studies; law, ethics and gender; the environment; and religion, global health, humanitarian crises and global poverty.
The Department is located within the School of Global Studies, an interdisciplinary school that brings together anthropology, development studies, geography and international relations. The School also houses a number of interdisciplinary research centres.
Faculty have undertaken consultancy and commissioned work in a range of fields, including human rights, development studies, and security. Many of our graduates find employment in these fields, within which we have very strong international networks.
On our MA degrees in Conflict, Security and Development; Geopolitics and Grand Strategy; and International Security, you are encouraged, in addition to attending weekly lectures and seminars, to participate in:
- an optional field trip to Brussels, with meetings at the EU and NATO headquarters
- visiting practitioner and lecturer workshops on specific topics
- our New Security Challenges lecture series involving high-profile practitioners, policy-makers and analysts, as well as Department of International Relations research seminars and guest lectures. Visit Department of International Relations: Lectures and seminars.
The Sussex Centre for Conflict and Security Research is a leading research centre in the UK and provides a unique forum for original research in contemporary security and geopolitics.
Specialist facilities
The University offers extensive computing facilities with a full range of data-processing and communications software. Office space is usually allocated to students taking research degrees. You will have full access to the University’s main Library and its online collection, and to the British Library of Development Studies, at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), which is located on the Sussex campus.
Programmes
- PhD in International Relations
- MPhil in International Relations
We welcome enquiries from students wishing to undertake research in any areas of faculty interest. International relations faculty at Sussex also provide interdisciplinary doctoral supervision in subject areas such as contemporary European studies, development studies, and science and technology policy and management.
All research students are required to complete an appropriate programme of research methods training. This may involve enrolling on the MSc in Social Research Methods – a stand-alone Masters degree – before proceeding to a PhD. This is known as a 1+3 degree.
Students who have already completed a programme of research methods training can apply for the basic, three-year doctoral degree leading to a PhD.
Coursework and supervision
Whether you start the three-year PhD or the 1+3 MSc/PhD degree, you will normally be required to complete some research methods training modules and possibly some specialist thematic modules drawn from the MA degrees.
You will be allocated two academic supervisors with whom you work for the duration of your research degree. These are allocated according to their regional and thematic expertise, to provide a complementary ‘match’ with your research.
Recent thesis titles
A new age of intervention: sovereignty under question
Feminism, social movements and the globalisation of democracy
Global responsibility and climate change: ethics, uncertainty and international relations
Entry requirements
- MPhil in International Relations
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UK entrance requirements
A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in any relevant social science, but applicants from other backgrounds may be considered. Applicants should submit an outline (two to three pages) of their research interests.
Overseas entrance requirements
Please refer to column A in Overseas qualifications.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
For more information, refer to English language requirements.
- PhD in International Relations
-
UK entrance requirements
A Masters degree in international relations or a related discipline, but applicants from other backgrounds may be considered. Applications should be accompanied by a 2,000-word research outline indicating the nature, ambition and primary questions of the research project.
Overseas entrance requirements
Please refer to Overseas qualifications.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
For more information, refer to English language requirements.
Visas and immigration
Find out more about Visas and immigration.
For more information about the admissions process at Sussex
For pre-application enquiries:
Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk
For post-application enquiries:
Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk
Related subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
- MPhil in International Relations
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Home UK/EU students: £3,9001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,9002
Overseas students: £13,00031 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
- PhD in International Relations
-
Home UK/EU students: £3,9001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,9002
Overseas students: £13,00031 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.
Funding
The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.
To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.
Faculty interests
The Department houses the Centre for Global Political Economy and hosts the New Security Challenges lecture series. A number of faculty and students are members of the Justice and Violence Research Centre. Research interests are briefly described below. For more information, visit the Department of International Relations.
Dr Andreas Antoniades Globalisation, hegemony. Author of Producing Globalisation (2009).
Dr Shane Brighton International relations theory, terrorism and counterterrorism.
Professor Steve Burman US foreign policy.
Dr Sergio Catignani Middle East Security. Author of Israeli Counter-Insurgency and the Intifadas (2008).
Professor Stefan Elbe International security. Author of Security and Global Health (2010).
Dr Kevin Gray Labour and globalisation.
Professor Beate Jahn Classical and contemporary political and international theory.
Zdenek Kavan Nationalism, democracy and citizenship in Eastern and Central Europe.
Dr Samuel Knafo Global finance, international political economy, historical sociology.
Dr Kamran Matin Politics of Iran, political Islam, international politics of revolution.
Francis McGowan Policy making in the European Union, European government/ industry relations.
Professor Peter Newell Global environmental governance. Author of Governing Climate Change (2010).
Dr Louiza Odysseos Global ethics.
Dr Stefanie Ortmann International relations theory, state and identity.
Dr Patricia Owens History and theory of warfare.
Dr Fabio Petito Religion and international relations. Co-editor of Civilizational Dialogue and World Order (2009).
Professor Kees van der Pijl Transnational classes.
Professor Justin Rosenberg International relations and international political economy, modernity.
Dr Jan Selby Resource politics. Author of The Global Politics of Oil (forthcoming).
Dr Ben Selwyn Globalisation and development, economic development in Brazil.
Professor Martin Shaw Global civil society, genocide.
Dr Anna Stavrianakis NGOs and global civil society. Author of Taking Aim at the Arms Trade (2010).
Dr Benno Teschke Marxism, historical sociology, critical theory and dialectic, international theory.
Dr Adrian Treacher International relations of the EU, European security, French foreign policy.
Professor Cynthia Weber Media and culture. Author of International Relations Theory: A Critical Introduction (2009).
Careers and perspectives
Many of our graduates find employment in fields such as human rights, international development and security, within which we have very strong networks.
For more information, visit Careers and alumni.
School and contacts
School of Global Studies
The School of Global Studies aims to provide one of the UK's premier venues for understanding how the world is changing. It offers a broad range of perspectives on global issues, and staff and students are actively engaged with a wide range of international and local partners, contributing a distinctive perspective on global affairs.
International Relations,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9SJ, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877686
E irpg@sussex.ac.uk
Department of International Relations
Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions
You’re welcome to attend one of our Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions. These are held in the spring and summer terms and enable you to find out more about postgraduate study and the opportunities Sussex has to offer.
Visit Discover Postgraduate study to book your place.
Other ways to visit Sussex
We run weekly guided campus tours every Wednesday afternoon, year round. Book a place online at Visit us and Open Days.
You are also welcome to visit the University independently without any pre-arrangement.