Politics and International Relations

PoliticsDegree

Image by Vilius Kukanauskas from Pixabay

Studying politics and international relations at Nottingham provides you with a firm foundation for your future career. Politics as a subject is valued by employers in many sectors and our graduates do well in the graduate job market.

Continuing to a higher degree is a popular option and our graduates are very successful in accessing taught and research opportunities, in areas related to their academic, personal and career interests.

MyCareer

What can I do with my politics and international relations degree?

Studying politics and international relations at Nottingham provides you with a firm foundation for your future career. Politics, as a subject, is valued by employers in many sectors and our graduates do well in the graduate job market.

What skills will I gain during my degree?

In addition to your subject knowledge your politics/international relations degree equips you with key skills valued by employers:

reflection, critical reasoning and analytical abilities
creative thinking and intellectual rigour
self motivation and reliance
professional communication skills – able to construct and present cogent and persuasive arguments
strong written and verbal communication skills
team skills, collaborating effectively with others
digital capabilities and effective research skills

If you choose the Q-Step programme you will also develop excellent quantitative analysis and research skills.

What are my career options?

Politics and international relations graduates can enter a diverse range of occupations and courses. These could be careers with a direct correlation to their degree, for example:

Parliamentary officer or researcher
Government communications officer
Political research executive
Politician’s assistant
Civil servant
Policy officer
Public affairs/relations executive
Social dedia officer for a political party
Trade union field organiser

There are also a range of career options in many sectors of employment which are available to graduates from any degree subject. These include:

Business sales executives
Management consultant and business analysts
Business research professions
Advertising and marketing professions
Accountancy
Finance and investment analysts and advisers
Teacher
Police officer

What do graduates from my course go on to do?

Politics and international relations graduates have secured professional positions in a wide range of careers working in the public, private, charity and education employment sectors.

The key careers our graduates are working in are;

marketing and sales management
civil service (Cabinet Office, Home Office and the Ministry of Defence).
accountancy financial management and tax consultancy (Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG and EY)
public relations and political lobbying
political and social science research
business and management consultancy
human resource management and recruitment

Around 1/5th of undergraduate students have gone onto further study courses.

Watch this webinar with a panel of politics and international relations graduates. Hear about some of the career paths our graduates have taken.

Graduate destinations from the Graduate Outcomes survey

You can view the destinations of graduates, who completed the Graduate Outcomes survey, from your course by booking an appointment with an adviser. This can help you to explore your options if you are unsure what you want to do.

Graduate Outcomes is a national survey capturing the activities and perspectives of graduates launched in 2018 and is the biggest annual social survey in the UK.

Find out more about the Graduate Outcomes survey

Speakers:

Tom Monks, G7 Summit Officer, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Emilie Nilson, Policy Advisor, Department of Science, Innovation and Technology
Jess Hay, Public Affairs and Communications Officer, All Child
Maryam Gbajabiamila, Strategic Communications Consultant, FTI Consulting

Alumni: Email us to gain access to the webinar

How can I develop my skills and gain experience during my degree?

Work experience

Depending on what area of work or role you might be interested in, and where, there will be specific strategies, from speculative applications to formal processes you need to be familiar with.

Work experience - what, how and when

Nottingham Internship Scheme

We work closely with a huge variety of local and national businesses to bring you an exciting range of internship opportunities, for both current students and recent graduates

Nottingham Internship Scheme

Nottingham Advantage Award

Through the completion of extracurricular modules, the Nottingham Advantage Award helps you develop key life and work-based skills and reflect on your experiences, allowing you to demonstrate your achievements and skills more effectively when applying for jobs.

Nottingham Advantage Award

Enhance your digital skills

Digital skills are essential in many career fields including advertising, publishing, marketing and general commerce. They range from social media to coding and will definitely enhance your employability.

Digital marketing careers

Apply for part-time jobs through us

We advertise part-time, casual and temporary jobs on campus and with local businesses. Created just for you, the advertised vacancies can fit around your studies and other commitments.

The vacancies are advertised in two places.

On-campus jobs

Off-campus jobs

Students' Union

The Students’ Union offers a wide range of volunteering options both locally and internationally which you can fit around your studies.

Alternatively you could get involved in a society or sports club - there's so many, you're bound to find one that interests you!

Students' Union

Students in Classrooms

There are three initiatives which will give you the opportunity to work in a local educational setting. These initiatives support the academic attainment and raise the aspirations of primary and secondary pupils, whilst developing the skills and employability of those involved.

These are excellent opportunities for students considering teaching, youth work or community engagement as a career.

Students in Classrooms

Exchange programmes overseas

Undertake an exchange semester in another country and broaden your horizons. Talk to your tutors and find out more about the programmes available from the International Office.

Exchange programmes

Psychometric tests

Many graduate recruiters use psychometric tests during the recruitment and selection process. They are common across all sectors and career fields. Practise will really help your performance.

Use our example tests

Read Josie's blog: How to use LinkedIn to your advantage as a politics student