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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the new programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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Masters MA in International Relations.
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Postgraduate Diploma Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Postgraduate Certificate Postgraduate certificate in International Relations.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:September 2017
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department Department of PoliticsDepartment of Politics
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Other contributing Departments: N/A
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PMPOLSINT1
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Admissions criteria
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This course is open to all UK and overseas applicants with a good first degree and/or significant relevant practical experience. For applicants whose first language is not English, IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6 in each component (or equivalent) is normally required.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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MA in International Relations.1 yearFull-timeSeptember intake onlyPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNon/a
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MA in International Relations.2 yearsPart-timeSeptember intake onlyPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNon/a
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: Noif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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"Programme leader: TBC.
Key staff: Dr. Alex Hall, Dr Alejandro Peña" .
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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"Our expertise in the field of International Relations is wide-ranging. Our masters course reflects this expertise, by delving into some of the most important issues in world politics such as new security challenges, ethnic conflict, migration, terrorism, human rights, sustainable development, international trade, global health or international organisations. Our expertise also spans most areas of the world, including Latin America, South East Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Africa, China and the Caucasus.
In this masters programme you will be able explore these issues and the politics of these regions using the most advanced theoretical approaches including feminism, postcolonialism, liberalism and Marxism, and drawing on a variety of innovative methodologies. In addition to acquiring a sophisticated knowledge of the foundations of the discipline of International Relations, you will be able to choose from a wide array of modules that reflect the diversity of our teaching and research strengths. You will join a Department that is internationally recognised for the excellence of its research, and you will be taught by researchers who are at the cutting edge of their fields. We have worked with major donors and stakeholders, including DFID, the WHO, Amnesty International and UNDP, to address the biggest problems facing the world’s most vulnerable peoples. We are a lively and friendly intellectual community, and we will provide you with the ideal setting to develop a range of skills, including analysis, communication and teamworking, that will be immensely useful in your future career. We will help you realize your potential."
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme can be expected to do.
If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements for the PG Certificate and four-eight for the PG Diploma in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Understand the origins and evolution of the discipline of International Relations in order to achieve an in-depth knowledge of contemporary dynamics in the relations between state, non-state, and international actors.
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2Apply theories, concepts and methods to issues in world politics such as terrorism, forced migration, ethnic conflict or poverty, using advanced critical reasoning and empirical testing (where appropriate) to assess their strengths and weaknesses.
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3Research independently by: conceiving research questions; explaining the use of theories and concepts; using appropriate tools to gather and interpret data; reviewing relevant literatures so as to achieve a systematic and nuanced appreciation of a particular field of studies; and justifying conclusions.
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4Achieve goals by demonstrating initiative, self-organization and time management in individual work.
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5Communicate effectively and fluently, demonstrating a sophisticated awareness of the topic and constructing and conveying complex ideas through appropriate media including detailed written arguments of varying length.
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6Develop inter-cultural awareness by engaging in a reflective manner with differing points of view in light of the values of tolerance and inclusivity.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) Why the PLOs are considered ambitious or stretching?
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Our state-of-the-art MA in International relations provides a holistic grounding in approaches to and issues in IR . Often the study of international relations is segmented between 'critical' and 'mainstream' approaches; at York, we aim to provide students with a broad range of intellectual tools that they can critically apply to their areas of particular interest. We conceptualise international relations as a sub-discipline without borders, encouraging students to creatively apply approaches and insights gained from the IR canon to the study of a wide variety of issues and topics across Politics and International Studies.
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ii) The ways in which these outcomes are distinctive or particularly advantageous to the student:
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The intellectual heterogeneity of the course will push students to employ independent critical thinking to identity their point of entry into concepts and issues that are studied, and allow extensive opportunity for academic clarification, extension, and/or synthesis.
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iii) Please detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme? For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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Throughout the autumn term the department run regular Study Skills sessions for PGT students. Sessions focus on: Reading and taking effective notes, Participating in seminars, and Developing academic writing skills. For non-native English speakers these study skills sessions are supplemented by English language classes run by the Centre for English Language Teaching. All students participate in department-run Turnitin workshops and complete the University's academic integrity tutorial.
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iv) Please explain how the design of the programme enables students to progress through to the end of the award? For example, in terms of the development of research skills, enabling students to complete an independent study module, developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills, (See: QAA Mater's degree characteristics http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2977#.WS1JOevyu70).
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"Teaching is delivered through a combination of seminars, one-to-one supervision and independent study. Students' academic and personal development is supported and monitored closely through continual supervision and feedback. They will be trained how to think, act, engage, reflect and communicate as a researcher in international relations. Students will develop academic and writing skills through written assignments, build their capacity for reflexivity about the foundations and strengths and weaknesses within the discipline of international relations, and learn how to conduct sustained independent academic research though their dissertation."
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v) How the programme learning outcomes develop students’ digital literacy and use technology-enhanced learning to achieve the discipline and pedagogic goals which support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classrooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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All summative assessments require that students make extensive use of online and library databases to find sources for their research. Students will acquire experience and expertise in use of databases, assessed by the comprehensiveness and presentation of produced bibliographical work and referencing in essays and dissertation. Students will learn to discern between relevant and non-relevant data, how to compile a typology of different resources and to communicate these by organising resources in terms of academic debates in summative assements. For several years it has been departmental policy that all modules are supported by a VLE site on Yorkshare and the Department of Politics also provides further support via the 'MA Study Skills’ VLE site. A VLE module template is used to ensure a minimum standard across the department. This includes: the course announcements tool; module information; seminars; assessments (formative and summative); links to EARL software; and contacts. All summative coursework is submitted via the VLE so the departmental administration team are responsible for ensuring that generic material regarding instructions for submission, marking criteria etc are uniform and in the correct place across all VLE platforms.In addition to module sites the Department provides further support via the 'MA Study Skills’ VLE site. Programme learning outcomes 3, 4, and 5 are directly related to the students' digital skills, in that students will be able to use multiple online sources and research databases effectively, use digital tools like online storage facilities and software to securely store, organise, and analyse data, and use programmes like Word, Powerpoint, or Prezi to present their work.
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vi) How the PLOs support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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Students will be prepared for a variety of different careers, ranging from government, the civil service, research and policy-making, international organisations and NGOs, business and the financial sector. The PLOS emphasize the development of transferable skills like communication, analysis and critical thinking that will equip students for the job market. In addition, the course comprises a variety of teaching environments - lectures, seminars, group work and opportunities for one-to-one tutorials - which have been designed to enable students to experience the tasks and demands that will be required of them in their future careers.
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viii) How is teaching informed and led by research in the department/ centre/ University?
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Students will benefit from our research-led approach to teaching. Many of our academics are internationally recognised in their fields, and all are actively researchers. Students will gain knowledge from top academics at the forefront of current debates. The MA International relations degree fits perfectly with our research priorities – set out in the Research Strategy, LTP and in the Strategic Plan – to expand our capacity in international politics.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof, and provide appropriate detail of the module diet students will need to complete.

This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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i) If the Postgraduate Certificate is an exit award only please:
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Provide a global statement to explain what a student who exits with a PG Cert award will be able to do (this should capture the extent of the achievement of the programme learning outcomes).

NB: Where more than one PG Cert is available as an exit award a statement should be provided detailing what a student exiting with each award will be able to do		Detail the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain the PG Cert as an exit award.

NB: Where more than one PG Cert is available as an exit award the module diet required for each award should be given
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Students who exit with a PG certificate will have met PLOS 1,2, and 6: they will have improved their knowledge base, evaluation and interpersonal and communication skills. Although the core- and option modules also touch upon PLOs 3,4 and 5, students will develop these to a lesser extent than students completing the MA programme as a whole, as PG Cert students will gain less experience in writing essays and will not write a dissertation. As a result, their independent research skills (PLO 3), self organisation (PLO 4) and demontrating a sophisticated awareness of the topic (PLO5) will be less developed. To qualify for a Postgraduate Certificate students must pass the following core modules worth a total of 40 credits - Themes & Theories in International Relations (20 credits), New Security Challenges (20 credits) - and one additional taught optional module worth 20 credits.
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Provide a global statement to explain what a student who exits with a PG Dip award will be able to do (this should capture the extent of the achievement of the programme learning outcomes)Detail the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain the PG Dip as an exit award
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Students who exit with a PG dip will have met PLOs 1,2, 4, and 6: they will have improved their knowledge base, evaluation, analysis, and interpersonal and communication skills. Although the core- and option modules also touch upon PLOs 3 and 5, students will develop these to a lesser extent than students completing the MA programme as a whole, as PG Diploma students will not have successfully completed a dissertation gain less experience in writing essays and will not write a dissertation. As a result, their independent research skills (PLO 3) and demontrating a sophisticated awareness of the topic (PLO5) will be less developed. To qualify for a Postgraduate Diploma students must pass two core modules worth a total of 40 credits -Themes & Theories in International Relations (20 credits), New Security Challenges (20 credits) - and four additional taught optional modules worth 280 credits.
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5.e. Other features of the programme
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i) Involvement of partner organisations
Are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, outline the nature of their involvement (such as contributions to teaching, placement provision). Where appropriate, see also the:
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University guidance on collaborative provision
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ii) Internationalisation/ globalisation
How does the programme promote internationalisation and encourage students to develop cross-cultural capabilities?
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"The very nature of International Relations means that the curriculum is international, as demonstrated by the module titles and descriptions. Almost by definition, most international relations-related modules promote awareness of international issues, contexts and cultures.

The Department has benefited from a staff recruitment strategy in recent years that has resulted in an incredibly ‘international’ department - at least half of the Department was educated overseas (including Spain, Greece, Romania, USA, Argentina, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Canada) and around 50% are non-native English speakers, so students will benefit from this rich and diverse range of cultures and approaches. Our student intake at the PGT level is similarly diverse. We are not overly reliant on one country or region, rather students come to study with us from across Europe, Africa, the US, Central and South East Asia and the Middle East. Many of these students join us with a wealth of professional experience spanning many countries, which they share with one another through seminar discussion.

Also see inclusivity below"
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iii) Inclusivity
How will good practice in ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion be embedded in the design, content and delivery of the programme?
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This refers to the protected characteristics and duties on the University outlined in the Equality Act 2010
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"The programme complies with the Equality Act 2010.

Diversity is embedded in the content of the curriculum. PLO 6 is directly related to making sure that equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in the programme design. By applying different theoretical models and concepts to a range of practical problems, students will learn to appreciate the ethical and normative implications of study, and the importance of tolerance, sustainability and inclusivity. By working with others inside and outside of the classroom, including people of different nationalities, religions, cultures, ages, gender and political persuasions, students will learn to respect difference while promoting tolerance and inclusivity.

The Department ensures that the recommendations of all disability statements for individual students are implemented in full (eg extra time for assessments, use of computers, lecturer/seminar recording, powerpoint presentations released ahead of the lecture etc).
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.VthM1fmLS70
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There is no benchmark statement for an MA of this kind.
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each invidual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/
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Full time structure
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20POL00031MThemes & Theories in International RelationsSEA
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20VariousOption module List ASEA
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20VariousOption module List ASEA
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20POL00046MNew Security ChallengesSEA
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20VariousOption module List BSEA
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20VariousOption module List BSEA
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60POL00041MDissertationSEA
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Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9