UK University 411

1. You know you want to study politics and/or international relations and wish to specialize immediately. Unlike North American universities where you do not get to focus on a specific subject area until your second or third year, UK universities offer the opportunity to focus your studies from day one. This eliminates the frustration of having to take courses in subject areas that don't really interest you for the first couple of years of study. There are also joint degree or combined studies programmes if your interests span across several subject areas (e.g., politics and sociology, french and international relations). It is also possible to go immediately into professional degrees like Law.

2. You enjoy independent study. UK university programmes are structured to include lots of time for independent study on topics that interest you. There are generally fewer lectures and seminars that need to be attended. This means that courses are more focused in what they cover greatly reducing the amount of filler material. Through independent study, you are able to become an active participant in lectures and seminars rather than a passive receptor for the ideas of your instructor. You are also able to gain greater mastery over the subject area.

3. You are motivated by assignments and exams that are meaningful. There is less course work in UK classes than in North American equivalents. This means that assignments and exams are more significant in terms of their weighting towards your final mark. Busy work assignments that are often a staple of undergrad assessment in North America can be avoided in the UK.

4. You want to be taught and inspired by active researchers in your subject area. Most UK universities place a heavy emphasis on research. Thus, it is expected that everyone--from the lowest lecturer to the highest professor--is engaged in research that is being published in leading academic journals and presses. Courses offered at an institution will reflect the research expertise of the staff. This will provide you with the opportunity to take a class by someone who is currently publishing on the topic rather than from a person who might read something written by your instructor after it gets published.

5. You want to live in Europe and explore what it has to offer rather than just visit for a summer. The UK is a part of the European Union. Rail travel within the UK is relatively cheap for students. Compared to North America, travel times between destinations are short. Moreover, many major urban centers outside of London (e.g., Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh, Bradford/Leeds, Glasgow amongst many others) have international airports with daily flights to the continent. Air fares--if ordered well in advance--can be unbelievably inexpensive with budget airlines like RyanAir, Easyjet, or Jets2. Port cities may also have ferry services to places like Ireland, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Thus, pursuing an undergraduate degree at a UK university offers the opportunity to combine an education with frequent travel opportunities that are simply not possible from North America.

6. You want to distinguish yourself from the pack and pick up an edge for the job market. Being able to demonstrate that you have international experience is always a plus for prospective employers, particularly in today's globalized economy. Moreover, having studied abroad is an indication that you are able to embrace change, take calculated risks, work in a diverse environment, show initiative, and be independent, all of which are highly sought qualities.

7. It's not as expensive as you think. Tuition--or what are called fees--for North American students are usually around £10,000-£13,000 ($17,000-$22,000 US) depending on the institution--note that some are higher than this. Living expenses for nine months can range from £7000-£10,000 ($11,500-$17,000 US) depending on the city. While not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, this is certainly competitive with leading US institutions such as top 20 research universities, the Ivys, and selective liberal arts colleges. Moreover, undergraduate degrees in England and Wales are typically only three years long, cutting your costs by 25% relative to comparable US institutions.

1. The theories and approaches taken to the study of politics and international relations in the UK are extremely diverse. While there are institutions with globally recognized strengths in quantitative methods, the UK is positioned at the leading edge of qualitative research in the field. Important perspectives often downplayed or ignored in North American academia such as Feminisms, Political Sociology, Marxism, Critical Realism, International History, Poststructuralism, and Postcolonialism have vibrant research communities across the UK with specific institutions being recognized as centers of excellence in these areas. There is also a greater recognition of the benefits of pursuing scholarship that is interdisciplinary by drawing upon insights from other areas like media studies, philosophy, English, economics, and geography.

Moreover, the fields of politics and international relations are less sectarian than in North America; there is a general consensus that whatever approach one uses-- whether it be quantitative, qualitative, or philosophical--and whatever theoretical positions underpin it can make a contribution to understanding the complex relationships constituted by power, economics, politics, and society.

2. The majority of MA degrees in Politics and International Relations are only one year in length. Your first term takes place from October to the end of January. The second term takes place from February to the middle of June. The summer is then used to work on your dissertation under the guidance of your research supervisor--which is generally in the region of 10,000-15,000 words. While it is a very intensive experience, it means that you are able to fully immerse yourself into the subject. Moreover, MA dissertations do not involve an oral defense or viva as is often the case at North American institutions.

3. You want a Masters degree in politics and international relations that stands out from the crowd. UK departments have been very innovative in developing programmes that allow one to focus on a specific aspect of politics and international relations, including new and emerging fields. This allows graduates to highlight a specific sub-field expertise with their degree title. For example, at Newcastle University , we offer a range of degrees including European Union Studies, International Political Economy, International Studies, International Politics (Critical Geopolitics), International Politics (Global Justice and Ethics), and International Politics (Globalization, Poverty, and Development). Thus, one is can demonstrate that they have received a MA degree in International Politics and, for example, that the degree itself was focussed on a specific specialization in Global Justice and Ethics.

With MA degrees become more and more common amongst those pursuing professional occupations in the civil service, private sector, and NGO communities, being able to demonstrate a specialization is an advantage that can be tailored to specific job applications. Moreover, much like I've noted above with respect to an undergraduate degree, having studied abroad is an indication that you are able to embrace change, take calculated risks, work in a diverse environment, show initiative, and be independent, all of which are highly sought qualities in prospective employees.

4. You are interested in pursuing a Masters degree in politics or international relations but have an undergraduate degree in another subject area. In North America, MA programmes are usually suspicious of applicants to MA programmes who do not have a prior degree in the subject area or an equivalent in terms of experience. As such, it can often be difficult to get accepted onto these programmes even with a strong GPA for your undergraduate degree. This is not the case in the UK: MA degree programmes will generally accept you if you have the required grades, regardless of the subject for which those grades were obtained. This makes the MA experience extremely interesting for both students and instructors as multiple perspectives shaped by different disciplinary backgrounds can be brought to bear on seminar discussions.

5. You want to be taught and supervised by active researchers in your subject area. Most UK universities place a heavy emphasis on research. Thus, it is expected that everyone--from the lowest lecturer to the highest professor--is engaged in research that is being published in leading academic journals and presses. To take advantage of this, many MA seminars are very focused in terms of the topics that are covered. This means that your seminars are likely be lead by someone currently engaged in research on the specific issue being discussed. This gives you the advantage of gaining first-hand insight into the latest advancements in the field by an expert.

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1. You already have a really good idea of the topic you want to research and do not want to spend 2.5 years taking additional courses, studying for comprehensive examinations, and obtaining research proposal approval. At UK institutions, you spend your first year undertaking advanced research training that goes towards drafting a research proposal. The length of time that it takes to write a proposal that meets the standards of your committee usually varies from between three months and nine months. Once your proposal is approved, you will be fully immersed in your dissertation.

2. Your proposed programme of research is in some way different with respect to the norms of North American political science. The behavioural revolution never established as strong a foothold in the UK as it did in the United States or Canada. If you are interested in qualitative research, critical social theories, philosophical approaches to the study of politics, feminisms, or post-positivist political analysis--amongst other developments deemed 'unorthodox' by North American standards--you will be joining a large research community of like-minded scholars in the UK. Not only does this give an opportunity to connect with some of the leading figures in these areas, it also means that you are able to avoid a lot of the 'disciplining by the discipline' that can occur in North America. Often as a researcher engaged in non-traditional work, you can become a target for colleagues, committee members, and other established academics who feel a responsibility to police an imaginary border between what is proper political science and what is not. This kind of 'mentoring' is more rare in the UK.

3. You want to receive quality supervision from your committee. Horror stories about a lack of supervision are rife in North America, whether at world leading universities or lesser known institutions. While some universities in the UK are not without their own problems, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) --a significant research funding body--has spent the past several years tightening up supervisory norms and making institutional eligibility for research funding tied to Ph.D. completion rates. This has made quality supervision a priority. For example, at Newcastle University you are guaranteed a minimum 10 meetings a year with your supervisory team. Other universities have similar policies that are in place to ensure that your progress is being monitored and that you have the opportunity to receive feedback from your committee on a regular basis.

4. You want to complete your Ph.D. and get it finished relatively quickly. As mentioned above, Ph.D. completion rates and the time that it takes to finish are tied to institutional research funding eligibility so UK universities take them very seriously. Typically it takes between 3-4 years to complete a Ph.D in politics or international relations. Any doctoral candidates taking longer than four years to complete will count against their institution for ESRC monitoring purposes. Thus there is an incentive to ensure that you are making good progress right from the start of your programme as well as producing a quality piece of research that will pass a defense (or what is called a viva in the UK). By comparison, North American attrition rates in doctoral programmes are typically far higher than in the UK and most doctoral programmes are 5 years in length.

5. Your career is not determined by supervisory pedigree or institutional reputation. The results of the recent Research Assessment Exercise have shown that world class research is occurring across a wide spectrum of politics and international relations departments in the UK. Thus, rather than tying your worth and potential to who your lead supervisor is/was or how highly ranked your programme is according to a media outlet, UK academics will generally judge you on the relative merits (or demerits) of your research and publication record.

6. You want to be treated as a colleague by other academics. Institutional cultures in North American departments often dictate that doctoral candidates should be seen and not heard. Moreover, this practice is often internalized by Ph.D. students to the point where they introduce themselves via the name of their supervisor--e.g., I'm working under Professor Bigshot and my name is...' Things are generally more collegial in UK institutions and doctoral candidates are very often seen as valuable contributors to the teaching and learning environment. For example, at Newcastle University , our Ph.D.s are often involved in research projects with members of staff. We ask them to participate in major decision-making processes including new hires. Our Ph.Ds also run a research seminar series that focuses on bringing in early career scholars to present research papers.

7. You want the opportunity to network with leading scholars in your research area. Conferencing tends to be difficult in North America simply because of the difficulties of getting people together from a bunch of institutions that may be thousands of miles apart. Distances are quite manageable in the UK making regular 1-2 day events possible. Therefore, beyond the major disciplinary events like the Political Studies Association meeting or the British International Studies Association conference, there are numerous smaller conferences and workshops taking place throughout the year. Moreover, funding for these conferences is often contingent on the organizers offering a reduced--if not free--rate for doctoral students. Thus, there are plenty of opportunities in the UK to see, meet, and connect with academics from other UK institutions.

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