the United Kingdom
University of Staffordshire| The award | How you will study | Study duration | Course start | Domestic course fees | International course fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Part-time, Distance | 2 years | September | GBP 3060 | GBP 3060 |
The MA in International Relations and Central Asian Studies has a strong contemporary orientation and stands at the core of the discipline of International Relations. It will provide you with up-to-date knowledge and understanding of international relations, security issues and the region. This course will provide excellent preparation for either practical work in the field or undertaking a research degree. Whatever your career plans, a thorough understanding of contemporary regional conflicts is essential to those working at an international level to try to understand and resolve them.
The MA draws on the wide disciplinary and specific IR experience of the team in the History & Politics and Sociology. In addition, you will be able to access regionally-appropriate language tuition (for an additional fee) from the famous Rosetta Stone language programme, giving you the opportunity to enhance the comprehensiveness of your distance learning MA degree.
The MA is delivered in distance learning, part-time mode only, and is designed to attract students from a variety of backgrounds who may wish to take their study in these directions. Thus, the MA in International Relations and Central Asian Studies is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to learn more about the global context of a particular key region of the world. Moreover, they are designed to be attractive to students from around the world who will themselves bring a rich variety of perspectives, insight and experience to bear on the course of study.
Course Fees and Finance
The expected study pattern on this programme enables you to complete modules totalling 90 credits in your first year of study and the other 90 credits in your second year of study. If you follow this pattern of study you will pay a fee of £3,060 for your first year in 2017/18. The fee for your second year of study will be broadly the same, except that an inflationary uplift may apply.* You will be invoiced for the modules that you register for each year, so if your study pattern is different from the expected pattern, you will pay more or less each year accordingly.
If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.
* The fees listed are for the 2017/18 academic year only. Any subsequent years may be subject to an inflationary uplift.
Alumni Discount: If you have previously completed an undergraduate degree with us, you may be entitled to 15% off your course fee for any subsequent postgraduate taught course. For further information please contact Graduate Relations.'
Postgraduate Loans:
Providing you are studying towards a full Masters qualification you may be able to apply for a loan of up to £10,280 to help with tuition fees, maintenance and other associated costs. You won't have to start repaying the loan until you are earning more than (currently) £21,000 per year.
Course content
Modules studied:
International Relations in the Modern Era (30 credits) examines the historical evolution of International Relations theory in relation to historical events of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through an examination of the main debates within International Relations, the course compares a variety of theoretical approaches linked to both historical and contemporary events in the development of the international/global system.
International Security (30 credits) examines both traditional conceptions of security and newer challenges to the conceptualization of security. These concepts are examined in terms of both Cold War issues and then a broader set of post-Cold War concerns, including terrorism, state and non-state threats, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Central Asian Politics and Security (30 credits) starts with an introduction to the history of Central Asia during pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, before focusing on the 19th and 20th century when the region became the subject of continued geostrategic interests by Britain, the US, the Soviet Union and Russia, as well as by neighbouring countries such as China, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Based on the historical and cultural understanding gained, the module will mainly focus on the present state of politics, geopolitics, security and conflict in Central Asia.
The Political Economy of Eurasia and Russia (30 credits) is divided into three parts. It starts with an introduction to relevant theoretical approaches from International Political Economy which will be applied in the second and third part of this module in order to analyse the current and evolving Political Economy of Eurasia and Russia, and to analyse how energy and natural resources constitute an important factor not only in economic policy-making in wider Eurasia and Russia, but also in terms of the role and interests of international political and economic state and non-state actors in Eurasia.
The Dissertation (60 credits) is supervised by staff but is a student-centred piece of independent work. Dissertation topics may be drawn from the areas covered in any of the modules you have taken. You will be expected to integrate elements of your learning on the course as a whole, as well as applying skills of research using primary and/or secondary sources. The length of the Dissertation is set at 15,000 words.
For this online, distance-learning programme, applicants must have regular access to a computer with working internet access.
What qualifications would I need to join this programme?
The entry requirements for the course are normally:
1. A 2:1 Honours degree of a United Kingdom institution of higher education or international equivalent.
or
2. A Postgraduate Diploma or Post-Experience Diploma recognised as being equivalent to an Honours Degree.
or
3. In addition we would also accept non-standard applicants who have considerable relevant experience and a record of academic achievement. Applicants in this category may also be eligible to apply for Accreditation to Prior Learning (APL) providing enough evidence can be submitted.
Accredited Prior Learning
Students may be considered for APL/APEL on the basis of credit achieved in prior study; work based training, substantial employment or other experiential learning. This will be considered in accordance with the APL/APEL Handbook. Evaluation is according to the specified procedure. The MA Board of Studies will ensure consistent application of the Handbook.
For the Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate awards a maximum of 75% of the total credits for the course may be set against accredited prior learning/experience.
Application from Overseas Students
The normal language requirement is Cambridge English and International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) examinations passed at WLTS 7 or other equivalent.
Disability
Applications from candidates with disabilities are always considered and assessment of their abilities and learning requirements will be undertaken sensitively. There will be consideration of your requirements and alternative arrangements will be made to allow you to complete the programme where possible.
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