Overview / Programme Structure / Teaching and Assessment / Entry Requirements / Careers

Overview

• Can, or should, global business practices be regulated?
• What political power do transnational companies exercise in world affairs?
• Does the recent banking/ financial crisis signify the decline of neoliberalism?  

If you are interested in some of these questions, and want to know more, then the MSc in International Business and Politics is the programme for you. This innovative MSc draws on the strengths of faculty in the School of Politics and International Relations and in the School of Business Studies to provide a truly inter-disciplinary perspective on the relationship between business and politics from an international perspective. You will explore the changing relationship between states and markets, international institutions of global political-economic governance, transnational companies, work, geo-politics, industrialisation and development. The programme will provide you with a set of cutting-edge analytical skills and knowledge that will allow you to think talk and write critically about contemporary international issues, as well as providing a firm foundation for further study.

Why study with us?

• The School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary was rated amongst the top 20 Politics departments in the UK in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
•  Develop advanced and rigorous understandings of the politics of international business through various intellectual perspectives, mainstream and critical.
• An innovative and flexible programme with a large number of optional modules
• Taught by research active faculty members who are responding to the very latest global events.
• An internationally diverse staff and student body.
• Close to the heart of UK politics, the School enjoys close links to practitioners in London.

Facilities

You will have access to postgraduate only facilities which include the Lock-keeper's Cottage Graduate Centre dedicated solely to the use of graduate students in the faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences, with the use of a common room and interdisciplinary training workshops. The Learning Resource centre has 200 networked PCs and is open to students round the clock, there are dedicated workstations for postgraduate students.

You will also have access to Queen Mary's comprehensive libraries, including the Postgraduate Reading Room, and The British Library can also be accessed as a research resource.

Programme structure

The Msc in International Business and Politics is currently available for one year full-time study, or two year part time study.

Students must undertake four taught modules as well as a 12,000 word dissertation.

Full-time

Undertaking a Masters programme is a serious commitment, with weekly contact hours being in addition to numerous hours of independent learning and research needed to progress at the required level. When coursework or examination deadlines are approaching independent learning hours may need to increase significantly. Please contact the course convenor for precise information on the number of contact hours per week for this programme.

Part-time

Part-time study options often mean that the number of modules taken is reduced per semester, with the full modules required to complete the programme spread over a two academic years. Teaching is generally done during the day and part-time students should contact the course convenor to get an idea of when these teaching hours are likely to take place. Timetables are likely to finalised in September but you may be able to gain an expectation of what will be required.

Core Modules:

• Approaches to Political Economy
• The Politics of International Business
• Dissertation

Optional modules include:

Two modules from the following options:

• Finance for Development
• Globalisation and the International Political Economy of Development
• Innovation and Global Competition
• International Security: War and Peace in a Global Context
• Knowledge and Innovation Management
• Multinationals and Global Business
• Organisational Theory
• Sovereignty and Intervention in International Politics
• Themes and Cases in US Foreign Policy

Teaching and assessment

Teaching for all modules includes a combination of lectures and seminars, supported by a virtual learning environment. Some modules are assessed on coursework, others by a final exam, and others by both. You will also independently research and write a dissertation of 12,000 words on a topic of your choice. You will be assigned a personal supervisor to give advice and assistance for this part of the programme.

The programme will be taught in such a way that your communication skills as well as analytical skills will be further developed, thus furthering your employment opportunities.

There is also a lively range of extra-curricular seminars and groups that you can attend to complement your studies including events run by our various research centres. The School runs an annual Expert Speakers seminar series that puts key practitioners of political affairs in conversation with students and academics.

You will also be assessed on a supervised 12,000-word dissertation. Students are currently researching a range of topics for their dissertations including:

• The global financial crisis: a failure of governments or markets?
• Is China a good trade partner for Latin America?
• Is Fairtrade a challenge to neoliberal hegemony?
• Is the Occupy movement reformist or revolutionary?
• To what extent are value-creating activities in global commodity chains migrating from the West to emerging economies?

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper-second class honours degree in Politics or a related discipline. Students should also have IELTS 7.

International applicants

Students from outside of the UK help form a global community here at Queen Mary. For detailed country specific entry requirements please visit the International section of our website. If your first language is not English, you must provide evidence of your English language proficiency. You can find details on our English language entry requirements here: www.qmul.ac.uk/international/languagerequirements

If you do not meet language or scholarly requirements it might be possible for you to undertake foundation or pre-sessional programmes that will prepare you for the masters programme. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office.

If you are unable to find the information you require, please contact the Admissions Office for assistance.

The Admissions Office can be contacted here: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/enquiries/index.html

Careers

The programme will be of particular interest to those who either have, or want to develop careers in fields related to government, business research, business management, the voluntary sector, teaching, journalism, or indeed any career where advanced knowledge of business and international politics is an advantage.

You will develop transferable skills including;

• Analytical and critical thinking
• Research
• Communication

Recent graduate destinations include:

Amnesty International, The BBC, Bloomberg, The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, The UK Border Agency, Children Across Borders, CNN, The Italian Chamber of Commerce for the UK, The Refugee Council, The Swiss Federal Office for Migration, The Thailand Embassy in the UK, UNESCO, UNO, The University of Westminster and Yahoo!

Continuing onto further research

You will also be ideally placed to pursue further research whether that be at Queen Mary or at other institutions in the UK or globally. Some graduates go on to study for PhDs, and some have been awarded studentships to continue their studies within the School.

Our links with the industry

The School as a whole enjoys a diverse set of links with industry. Students will benefit from these links through our – and the Business School’s - seminar series and special lectures from well known figures in the field, including policy makers and journalists.

Careers support from Queen Mary

QM Careers provides careers information, advice and guidance to all students of the College on everything from choosing a career to finding work. We run employer events on campus, manage full and part-time vacancy information and offer one-to-one careers advice; practice interviews, CV checks, psychometric test preparation and lots more.

We are part of The Careers Group, University of London the largest careers service in the country, and we are accredited by the Matrix quality standard which assures quality of advice, information and guidance.