Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- We’ll equip you with the research skills necessary to progress to a doctoral research degree, or to embark upon a career as a political researcher
- You’ll receive training in social science, as well as more specific research training in politics (including any chosen political specialism) and international relations
- Forms part of the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership and funding may be available for UK/EU students embarking on the programme and wishing to work towards a PhD
- Our seminar series and highly successful annual postgraduate conference brings together researchers from across all humanities and social sciences disciplines
Top 10 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 for Politics in world subject rankings
Entry requirements
A 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent, supported by strong evidence of research potential in undergraduate work, e.g through level three independent project or dissertation and/or through testimonial from academic referees.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MRes in Politics is a training programme designed to equip you with the research skills necessary to progress to a doctoral research degree, or to embark upon on a career as a political researcher. It provides generic research methods training in social science, as well as more specific research training in politics (including any chosen political specialism) and international relations.
This programme has ‘1+3’ recognition from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which means it can be taken as the first step of a four-year PhD programme. You may therefore take the MRes on its own as a stand-alone qualification, or as the first year of our Four Year PhD Programme, in which case your dissertation will be used as a platform for your PhD level research.
This programme also forms part of the ESRC SWDTP – a hub of world-class social sciences research.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Fees
2024/25 entry
UK fees per year:
£11,500 full-time; £5,750 part-time
International fees per year:
£23,800 full-time; £11,900 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students and have Global Excellence Scholarships available for international fee paying students applying for January 2024 entry and September 2024 entry.* For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details of eligible programmes and candidates. Awards may vary from year to year.
Teaching and research
Learning and teaching
With the exception of the dissertation, each module on this programme is normally taught through academic lectures expanded through seminar discussion, presentations, group work, reading and essay assignments.
You will have an individual supervisor for your Dissertation, which is a 15,000 word extended essay on a topic of your choice (following discussion and approval from your supervisor).
Research
Students can take advantage of our seminar series and its long-running and highly successful annual postgraduate conference which brings together researchers from across all humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Dr Florian Stoeckel
Programme Director
Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Professor Susan Kelly
Professor of Sociology
Dr Florian Stoeckel
Programme Director
Florian is a political scientist interested in comparative politics, European politics, and political psychology. His work is published in the European Journal of Political Research, Political Psychology, European Union Politics, the Journal of Common Market Studies, and the Journal of European Public Policy. His research interests include how citizens form attitudes towards complex political issues such as European integration and international redistribution and 'post factual politics'.
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Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Duncan is a Professor in Environmental Policy with research interests in areas such as UK and European Environmental Policy, climate policy, public policy and policy appraisal and coordination, evidence and policy interactions and budgetary politics.
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Professor Susan Kelly
Professor of Sociology
Susan teaches on the core module Research Methods in the Social Sciences and is Director of the Health, Technology and Society (HTS) Research Group. Her research interests centre around the development of new biomedical forms of investigation and intervention into human bodies and beings, focusing particularly on the arenas of reproduction (prenatal testing and diagnosis), mental health, childhood disorders, and complex diseases.
Profile page
Careers
The MRes in Politics is a training programme designed to equip you with the research skills necessary to progress to a doctoral research degree, or to embark upon on a career as a political researcher.
Employer valued skills
You will develop a range of academic, knowledge-based and personal skills:
- Advanced independent thinking
- Experience of working as an individual on challenging material
- The ability to reflect on your learning, evaluate personal strengths and weakness, and map out a plan of personal development based on those reflections
- Experience of working as a participant and/or leader of a group, and of contributing effectively to the planning and achievement of that group’s objectives
- Experience of giving presentations to others in your field
- The ability to construct a rigorous argument, and defend that argument citing relevant sources, both in written form and orally
Careers support
The Exeter University careers advisory service offer expert guidance to all students and will help you plan your future through activities such as psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events, practice job interviews and CV preparation. Visit the employment and professional development pages for more information, including podcasts and profiles, about the range of support available.
