MPhil/PhD in International Relations

Programme code: RPIR

In addition to progressing with their research, students are expected to take the listed training and transferable skills courses.  Students may take courses in addition to those listed, and should discuss this with their supervisor.

Year One
Training courses
Compulsory (not examined)
IR501 Methods in International Relations Research
IR509 International Relations Research Design Seminar

Year Two
Training courses
compulsory (not examined)
IR509 International Relations Research Design Seminar (second-year workshops)

Optional (examined/not examined)
The subject workshops offered by the International Relations Department include international relations theory; foreign policy analysis; security, conflict and peace studies; international institutions; political economy and public policy; European international politics; the South and world politics, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

Relevant courses provided by the Methodology Institute and agreed with supervisor, including:
MY400 Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design
MY521 Qualitative Research Methods
MY551M or MY551L Introduction to Quantitative Analysis (H)
MY552M or MY552L Applied Regression Analysis (H)
MY555 Multivariate Analysis and Measurement
MY559 Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis: Quantitative Text Analysis (H)
MY599 Methodology Institute Seminar
MY530 Advanced Qualitative Analysis Workshops
MY591 Computer Packages for Qualitative Analysis

Transferable skills courses
MY592 Workshop in Information Literacy: finding, managing and organising published research and data (Year 1)

Progression and upgrade requirements
Early in the Summer Term first- and second-year research students will have their progress reviewed by a Research Panel. They may also be held at the end of the third or subsequent years of registration at the request of a supervisor or student. Supervisors will not attend Research Panels but will provide reports on progress. Panel members may attend student presentations at the Research Design Seminar (IR509). Students are expected for the first Panel to submit an outline of their proposed research and one draft chapter. Students who are deemed not to have made satisfactory progress will either be refused permission to re-register or will be required by the Research Panel to produce written work over the summer as a condition for re-registration in the autumn. In the event of conditions to re-registration being set, a further Research Panel may be reconvened in the September prior to re-registration.

For the second Panel, which will decide on the question of upgrading from MPhil to PhD, students will be expected to submit two additional draft chapters. The two chapters should be substantially new work, but may include revised material from year one. Students who have not made sufficient progress to be converted from MPhil to PhD registration by the end of their second year will normally have re-registration made conditional on further progress (details to be decided by the Panel) or may, exceptionally, be prohibited from re-registering.