Application deadline
Friday 25 April 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“ My degree has expanded my horizons and offered various career paths. I have been able to delve deeply into my area of interest with guidance from the best minds in their discipline. A highlight is the community of postgraduates from around the world who connect easily and share their variety of experiences and backgrounds. ”
- Washington, USA
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 Honours degree. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV
- personal statement indicating your knowledge of the programme and how it will benefit you (500 words)
- sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in International Political Theory is a one-year taught postgraduate programme run by the School of International Relations.
Highlights
- Offers a uniquely deep focus on both the history of political thought and contemporary political theory.
- Distinctive approach, different from that of traditional programmes in international relations or international relations theories.
- Ideal for further academic work leading to a PhD at St Andrews or elsewhere.
- Prepares students for a wide range of professional fields including law, policy research and consultancy, NGOs, charities, international organisations, civil service and publishing.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
All International Political Theory MLitt students take two compulsory and two optional modules over the course of the programme. You may, with permission, take modules from other MLitt programmes in the School of International Relations or from another School.
- Analysis and Interpretation in International Political Theory: introduces methods and interpretive approaches that can be taken in the study of international political theory.
- Concepts in International Political Theory: introduces students to a range of core concepts in International Political Thought, such as the state, power, law, justice, class, gender, race, empire, democracy, agency, borders, rights, and sovereignty.
Students choose two optional modules.
Here is a sample of optional modules that may be offered, subject to staffing and availability.
International Political Theory-focused options:
- Global Constitutionalism: explores the role of constitutional thinking and draws upon legal theory and international law as well as broader themes.
- Migration and Political Theory: explores the relationship between political thought and the complex phenomenon of migration, including how migration influences understandings of citizenship, rights, borders, justice, and security.
- Political Theory of Race and Caste: gives students an opportunity to study forms of social hierarchy and injustice based on race, caste and descent, through reading key texts in political theory that grapple with conditions of racial and caste subordination and that gesture at the possibilities for emancipation from them.
- World Politics After the 'Death of God': Between Apocalypse and Hope: explores contributions in post-Nietzschean political philosophy and 20th-century political theology as a way to understand the currency of notions such as tragedy, evil and hope in modern politics.
- 'Reason of State': Origin, Nature and Career of a Concept: studies the meaning, origins, development and significance of the notion of 'reason of state' in western political thought.
- Theories of Friendship and Enmity: addresses a number of classical texts in western political thought on the themes of friendship and enmity.
- Topics in International Political Thought: introduces students to key themes in the international realm through a close engagement with the ideas of a single theorist.
- Political Economy of Conflict: provides a political economy perspective on conflict in a developing economy.
- Political Order and Violence in the Middle East: examines the causes and consequences of political order and violence in the Middle East.
- Security and Justice Institutions in World Politics: examines the development and efficacy of institutions in the fields of peace, security and justice.
- Terrorism and Liberal Democracy: addresses conceptual and definitional issues concerning terrorism; the relationship of terrorism to other forms of political violence; the origins, dynamics and development of contemporary terrorism; the efficacy of terrorism as a political weapon; the dilemmas and challenges of liberal democratic state responses to terrorism; and case studies in terrorism and counter-terrorism.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University's position on curriculum development).
The final element of the MLitt is a 15,000-word dissertation. The dissertation should focus on an area of international political theory in which you are interested. Each student is supported by a relevant supervisor from the School who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation must be submitted by the end of August.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there are exit awards available that allow suitably qualified candidates to receive a postgraduate diploma (PGDip). By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.
Teaching
The programme consists of four taught modules taken over two semesters and a 15,000-word dissertation in an area of your choice.
Modules are taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials.
Average lecture sizes range from 20 to 30 students, and tutorial sizes range from 1 to 15 students.
Assessment methods include a combination of examination and coursework.
Every MLitt student is assigned a dissertation supervisor who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process.
Fees
Home
£14,850
Overseas
£29,990
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
Students who graduate from the MLitt in International Political Theory go on to work in various professional fields including:
- law
- policy research and consultancy
- NGOs
- charities
- international organisations
- civil service
- publishing
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in a PhD programme at St Andrews.
Postgraduate researchContact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 1944
- irpgt@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of International Relations
The Arts Building
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AX