University of Sussex
MA in International Political Economy

Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

DEGREE TYPE

DURATION

1 up to

2 years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time, Part time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

EARLIEST START DATE

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

* UK

Key Summary

About : The MA in International Political Economy explores the complex interactions between politics and economics on a global scale. This program examines critical issues related to trade, development, and international finance, equipping students with essential analytical skills. You'll engage with various theoretical frameworks and practical applications to better understand the dynamics influencing global economic policies.

Career Outcomes : Graduates can pursue careers in international organizations, governments, think tanks, and non-profits. Potential roles include policy analyst, economic consultant, and researcher, where you’ll apply your understanding of political and economic systems to real-world challenges.

The global economy is reshaping all aspects of society. This affects policy, the environment and social inequalities. Studying our MA will give you innovative perspectives on these transformations and the power struggles underlying them.

Study in one of the largest departments of International Relations in Europe. You’ll explore social and political aspects of economic shifts, and look at innovative practices and policies that enable change. You’ll gain novel perspectives on:

neoliberalism and alternatives
financial crises, debt and austerity
rising powers and global governance
development and inequality
multinational corporations.

We host the world-renowned Centre for Global Political Economy, the Sussex Centre for Conflict and Security Research and the Centre for Advanced International Theory. You’ll learn from our multidisciplinary environment, interdisciplinary approach and, cutting-edge research. We have an international faculty and distinctive programme of events.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our students know as soon as possible.

Full-time and part-time study

Choose to study this course full time or part time, to fit around your work and personal life. For details about the part-time course, contact us.

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Autumn teaching

Neoliberalism and the Global Economy in an Age of Crises
Theorising Global Political Economy

Spring teaching

Research Methods and Professional Skills (IR)

Summer teaching

Dissertation (International Political Economy)

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Spring teaching

Environment, Resources, Security
Forced Labour, Trafficking and Global Mobility
Foreign Policy Analysis
Humanitarianism in Global Politics
Managing Economic Instability
Nationalism and Global Order
Rethinking Imperialism
Russia, Eurasia and the Crisis of the Liberal West
The Political Economy of Development
War and Security in North/South Perspective

Summer teaching

Dissertation with Placement (Global Studies)

Field trip

This course offers an optional field trip to Brussels, Belgium or Geneva, Switzerland. A field trip aims to foster your interaction and engagement with policy-makers and practitioners from a wide range of international organisations.

Placements

To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. Research placements run for up to 12 weeks in the summer term and vacation. You can also write your dissertation based on your experience. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can help you:

find an employer
draft an application
prepare for interviews.

Find out more about Global Studies postgraduate placements

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2024 for the modules running in the academic year 2024/25.