Entry requirements

• Upper-second class honours degree (2.1) or equivalent. Your undergraduate degree should be in Politics and International Studies or a closely related subject; however, all serious applicants from other disciplines will be considered. Warwick's International Office provides guidelines for how overseas qualifications equate to British ones; this guidance is for information only and all applications and transcripts are considered on a case-by-case basis. However, this page will give you an idea of where your degree falls on the British scale. If you are unsure whether you meet the entry criteria or have questions about your eligibility, please review the University FAQs or submit an enquiry to the Admissions team.

• A strong academic reference. When you apply, you will be able to supply your referee’s contact details, and we will request a reference from them directly. If you graduated more than two years ago, you may supply a professional referee instead, if you are no longer in touch with your undergraduate tutors.
• A good statement of purpose. This personal statement is your opportunity to explain why you would make a great MA student. Typical statements are one to two pages long and you should include:
  1. Your motivation. Why this particular MA, and why Warwick?

  2. Your background. How has your education, extracurricular activities, and/or professional experience prepared you for rigorous postgraduate study in this area? This is particularly important if your undergraduate degree is not in the area of politics.

  3. Your expectations. How does this degree fit into your future plans and what do you hope to gain from it?

• Fluency in English. If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score of 7.0 with no more than two components at 6.0/6.5 and none below 6.0 or other accepted language test for Band B courses. If your previous education was in English, or you are unsure whether your nationality requires a language certificate, please consult the English language information webpages and submit an enquiry to the Postgraduate Admissions team to see if the English Lanaguage proficiency requirement can be otherwise assessed. Your evidence for English proficiency (whether a certificate or education) must be dated within two years of your start date. Please also note that taking a pre-sessional English course at Warwick or elsewhere is not normally sufficient to replace an IELTS score at the required level.

Supporting Documents

• In order to make a decision on your application, we will need to see some documents that demonstrate you meet the above requirements. You should supply these electronically in the first instance; if you receive an official offer, Admissions will tell you precisely which original hard copies are required to secure an unconditional offer. When you submit your application, you will receive a link where you can upload the following documents for review:

  1. Transcript. If you have not yet finished your degree, you can send us an interim transcript and simply state in your application what your final classification, GPA, or average is expected to be.

  2. Reference. As mentioned previously, we will contact your referee directly, but if they do not respond in a reasonable timeframe we may contact you and ask that you remind them to submit your reference.

  3. Statement of purpose. You can paste your statement into the space provided on the application form; if it’s too long to fit in the allocated space, upload it as a pdf or Word document.

  4. English test (if applicable). You do not need to supply your IELTS certificate straight away; however, please ensure you arrange to take your English test sooner rather than later so that you can secure an unconditional offer in time to apply for your visa, (if needed), and start your course on time.

Please note that scanned copies of documents will help us to review your application; however, if you receive an offer, in order to clear the conditions related to your offer you are also required to send versions of the same documents whose authenticity can be verified. The conditions relating to any offer you may be made will be itemised in an offer letter sent by the Admissions Office.

How to apply

Applications for MA programmes should be made directly to the University. Ideally you should aim to submit your application by April to ensure you receive your application results with enough time to organise the logistical aspects of your studies before the start of term. The application deadline for Overseas and EU students is 31 July. While there is no deadline for Home students, we strongly recommend that you also submit your application by 31 July as well.

All applications should be sent to the University's Postgraduate Admissions Office, and not directly to PAIS, using the online application form. If you have any queries about the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions Service using the enquiry form to request assistance.