Campus tours
Join a campus tour this summer and get a feel for life at Sussex. With award-winning campus food, a National Park setting and buzzing Brighton on our doorstep, our location and facilities are hard to beat.
Book your visit
On campus - in person
You’ll study for this degree on our campus, joining our academics and fellow students. With in-person contact time, digitally supported educational resources, library collections and independent study, this course is designed to give you an inclusive education. Your learning experience may also include work placements, field trips, studying abroad and internationalisation experiences.
Find out about our beautiful campus
Virtual tour
Want to learn more about life at Sussex?
Our 360° virtual tour has been designed to introduce you to life in our diverse, supportive and inclusive community. Join our students for an immersive experience as they reveal why Sussex offers a space to follow your passions, find your voice, and discover people and places that will inspire you.
Begin your tour
As a founding partner of ResearchPlus, a collaboration of research-focused universities, we engage with government, industry and civil society to support economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the whole of the UK.
Find out more
Modules
This is a major/minor course, enabling you to study in depth in a core area (your major subject: taking up 75% of your time), while also exploring an additional area (your minor subject: taking up 25% of your time). Find out more from our guide to undergraduate study
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Silver
The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
This rating was awarded in 2023, for four years. (Teaching Excellence Framework 2023)
Find out more about our approach to teaching and supporting you to thrive
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Year 1 at Sussex
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
- Empires and Revolutions: The Birth of Today's International Order
- Global Issues
- Introducing the Key Powers and Regions: A World Tour of Global Politics
- Introduction to International Relations
Spring teaching
- Talking with Ghosts: Classical Theory and Contemporary Politics
- The Local and the Global: IR in Practice
- The Short Twentieth Century and Beyond
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
The languages we offer can all be started from beginners’ level. Some may be started from a higher level. Find out more about studying a language alongside your degree
Autumn teaching
- Arabic Beginners A
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 1A
- Chinese Beginners A
- French Beginners A
- French For Professional Purposes 1A
- French Intermediate A
- German Beginners A
- Italian Beginners A
- Japanese Beginners A
- Spanish Beginners A
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 1A
- Spanish Intermediate A
Spring teaching
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Year 2 at Sussex
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
- Beyond Bankers and Billionaires: Global Capitalism from Below
- Contemporary International Theory
- War in International Politics
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
The languages we offer can all be started from beginners’ level. Some may be started from a higher level. Find out more about studying a language alongside your degree
Autumn teaching
- Arabic Intermediate A
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 2A
- Chinese Intermediate A
- French Advanced A
- French for Professional Purposes 2A
- French Intermediate A
- German Intermediate A
- Italian Intermediate A
- Japanese Intermediate A
- Spanish Advanced A
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 2A
- Spanish Intermediate A
Spring teaching
- Arabic Intermediate B
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 2B
- Chinese Intermediate B
- Development and the State
- French Advanced B
- French for Professional Purposes 2B
- French Intermediate B
- German Intermediate B
- Humanitarianism in Theory and Practice
- Italian Intermediate B
- Japanese Intermediate B
- Security and Insecurity in Global Politics
- Spanish Advanced B
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 2B
- Spanish Intermediate B
- The Politics of Foreign Policy
- The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism
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Experience Year
Study abroad (optional)
Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career. Find out where your course could take you
If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at Sussex and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a Sussex student
Placement (optional)
To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.
Find out more about placements and internships
Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid
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Year 3 at Sussex
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn and spring teaching
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
The languages we offer can all be started from beginners’ level. Some may be started from a higher level. Find out more about studying a language alongside your degree
Autumn teaching
- Anti-Colonial Worldmaking and Alternative Futures
- Arabic Advanced A
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 3A
- Chinese Advanced A
- Data Analysis for Global Challenges
- Decolonial Movements
- Environment and Development in World Politics
- Finance and Power in the Global Age
- French Advanced A
- French for Professional Purposes 2A
- French For Professional Purposes 3A
- German Advanced A
- Global Work Experience
- Italian Advanced A
- Japanese Advanced A
- Palestine and the International
- Religions in Global Politics
- Spanish Advanced A
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 2A
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 3A
- The Politics of Armed Groups: Rebels, State and Society
- Visualising War: Image, Media, and Culture
Spring teaching
- Arabic Advanced B
- British Foreign Relations: Through Empire and Beyond
- British Sign Language and Deaf Culture 3B
- Chinese Advanced B
- Critical Hope in Global Health: From Big Pharma to Local Wellbeing
- French Advanced B
- French for Professional Purposes 2B
- French For Professional Purposes 3B
- German Advanced B
- Global Supply Chains: Making an (un)sustainable world?
- Humanitarianism in Theory and Practice
- Italian Advanced B
- Japanese Advanced B
- Policing Racial Capitalism
- Putin, Power, Populism: Russia and Eurasia in Global Politics
- Spanish Advanced B
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 2B
- Spanish for Professional Purposes 3B
- The Arms Trade and Global (In)securities
- Violence, militarism & (anti)colonialism: Transnational feminist and queer perspectives
Spirit of Sussex Award
Feel involved in life at the University, make friends and enrich your experience with us – the Spirit of Sussex Award is our way of recognising your extracurricular and voluntary achievements.
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Video transcript
Hi everyone! As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the Spirit of Sussex Award is now live.
Students across the Sussex community are already earning their points
What will you do to earn yours?
There's so many ways to get involved.
Head over to the website to start your Spirit of Sussex journey.
Text: The Spirit of Sussex Award is an exciting new programme designed to recognise and celebrate the things you do outside your course.
Participating in the Award makes it easy and fun for you to get involved and make the most of university life.
We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.
We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.
Our experts
International Relations
Prof Lara Montesinos Coleman
Professor of International Law, Ethics and Political Economy
Languages
Dr Feras Alkabani
Associate Professor in Arabic and Comparative Literature
Careers
- 86% of Sussex undergraduates have completed work experience by the end of their course (University of Sussex Career Readiness data at point of graduation 2023/24)
Develop communication, language and cultural awareness skills through an International Relations with a Language degree.
These skills mean you could go into graduate jobs at multinational companies, national and international organisations, or work in translation or interpreting. You can also work for employers such as:
- the Civil Service and UK government
- non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
- charities and voluntary organisations.
You will also benefit from careers-based events where you can meet employers and find out more about graduate jobs in the UK and abroad.
Where do our graduates work now?
Surveyed 15 months after finishing their courses, our recent graduates from the Department of International Relations worked for employers including:
- Civil Service
- Goldman Sachs
- Hong Kong Government
- IBM
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- PwC
- Sky News
- Department for Business & Trade
- The Embassy of Japan in Vietnam
- United Nations Foundation.
And our recent graduates from the Department of Language Studies worked for employers including:
(Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2022)
Working while you study
Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work
Studying at Sussex gave me a rounded concept of history that enables me to apply a critical eye to European policy.”Paul Clewett
Junior Research Fellow, Migration Policy Institute
Design your future at Sussex
Taking the next step in your career can feel daunting, but we’ll help you to explore, connect and flourish throughout your studies and beyond.
As a Sussex student, you’ll learn how to tackle real-world challenges and have access to tailored programmes of careers support:
- our Career Lab helps you to explore your options, build key skills and connect with employers. Take part in internships, community consultancy projects and insight visits, where you can learn about life at organisations such as Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, the Knepp Rewilding Project, and fashion brand Puig
- one-to-one appointments with your Faculty Careers Consultant can enable you to identify your career goals, write an effective CV and prepare for future interviews
- entrepreneurship initiatives like StartUp Sussex and Ideas Lab can empower you to turn your concepts into reality.
Explore how our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can support you
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Winner
Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award
National Enterprise Educator Awards 2024
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Winner
Supporting Student and Graduate Employability Award
AGCAS Awards for Excellence 2024
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Top 50
Best Universities for Work Experience in the UK
2025 Higherin Awards
Entry requirements
Find your place in Clearing
This course will be available in Clearing. Explore your options at Sussex – right here, right now.
Fees
Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis. Find details on our Tuition fees page.
Home students
£9,790 per year
Channel Islands and Isle of Man students
£9,790 per year
On 19 March 2026 the UK Parliament set out that the tuition fee cap for 2026 entry will be £9,790. As the University of Sussex keeps fees for Home students and Channel Islands and Isle of Man students in line with UK Government-approved levels, fees will be £9,790 in 2026. In line with our terms and conditions, the University charges fees at the maximum levels set by the UK Government.
International students
£23,500 per year
Study abroad
Find out about grants and funding, tuition fees and insurance costs for studying abroad
Placement
Living costs
We know the rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and affects us all in different ways. Our guide to living costs has been designed to help you plan and budget for life as a Sussex student.
Learn more about typical living costs
Scholarships
Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.
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Chancellor's International Scholarships
£5,000 in the first year of full-time study
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Climate Leaders Scholarship
£3,000 cash per year of full time study.
Scholarships recipients will be supported to develop a high level project plan and provided with mentoring support.
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Sanctuary Scholarship (Undergraduate)
- Full 'Overseas' tuition fee waiver
- £16,440 per year of undergraduate study (up to 4 years)
- Sussexsport membership
- Guaranteed continuation of housing
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Sussex Bursary
£1,000 in your first year of study (either Year 1 or Foundation Year).
£500 in your subsequent years of study.
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Sussex Pakistan Scholarship (Undergraduate)
£4,000 discount on the first year of tuition fees
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Sussex Türkiye Scholarship (Undergraduate)
£4,000 discount on the first year of tuition fees
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Undergraduate Enrichment Award
£6,000 over 3 years of study
Contact us
Ask a student
Chat to Sussex students online via the UniBuddy chat platform.
Enquiries
Contact us with any questions about your course:
+44 (0)1273 876787
Ask us a question
Find out more about the Department of International Relations
Prospectus
What do you want to do next?
Legal information
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.