Politics and international relations research degrees

Our postgraduate research in politics and international relations including entry requirements for PhDs and other research degrees.

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Politics and international relations academics at Dundee have particular strength in international politics and are part of the wider School of Social Sciences. To read more, please visit our Politics and International Relations research web pages.

Our research interests include:

peace and security in international relations
international relations theory and international and supranational organisations
European Union politics
the impact of processes of European Integration and globalisation on parties of the European Left
terrorism, counter-terrorism, and policing
asylum, migration and borders
human rights
sexual politics
public policy decision making relating to protection of citizens
the global drugs problem and related policies
law enforcement strategies
democratic consolidation
regional and local politics in Russia
Irish politics
Sub-Saharan African politics: liberation movements, nationalism, the 'invention' of traditions, post-colonial governance
Middle Eastern politics

Current research topics include:

Responding to human rights abuses during conflict in Africa Human rights and foreign policy - the case of Scotland The international drug control regime – can it survive in its present form?
European drug policies and the prevention of mortality from illicit drug use EU-China and UK-China relations post-Brexit The EU-US-China strategic triangle in the 21st Century

Propose your own PhD topic

If you want to propose your PhD topic, you can use the contact details below to contact a staff member to discuss your proposal.

You should have an honours degree at 2.1 or above, and a Masters degree in a relevant discipline.

IELTS (overall)	Reading	Listening	Speaking	Writing
6.5	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.5

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you are a national of certain countries.

Prepare for university study and benefit from extra English tuition with an English language programme.

Academic year of entry	Scottish/Rest of UK fee status	International fee status
2023/24	£4,712 per year of study	£20,895 per year of study
2024/25	£4,786 per year of study	£21,940 per year of study

Tuition fee per year of study (subject to a 3% annual increase for Scottish/Rest of UK students and a 5% annual increase for International students).

Part time study, where available, is charged on a pro-rata basis.

Each year, UKRI sets a recommended fee and stipend level for Scottish/Rest of UK students, which we use as the basis for fees charged to this group.

UKRI usually increases its fee and stipend levels in line with inflation, based on the Treasury GDP deflator.

Therefore, the Scottish/Rest of UK fees detailed in this table for 2025/26 (and beyond) can only be estimated according to the typical increase.

The fee charged to you may differ, though only slightly, from the figure given.

You can apply for a PhD or other postgraduate research degree using our Direct Application System.

We have three start dates per academic year.

The University of Dundee welcomes applications from disabled students.

person

Dr Simon Cook

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sciences

+44 (0)1382 385142