Applications for the 2025-2027 cohort are now closed.

Applications to join the 2025-2027 cohort of the MSt in International Relations closed on the 28th of February 2025. Applications completed after that date will not be considered.

The course is a two-year degree, and the next cohort will be the 2027-2029 cohort. Admissions to the 2027-2029 cohort will open in September 2026. Information relevant to that Admissions phase will be posted sometime after May 2026.

Entry requirements

•    Applicants for this course will normally have achieved a good UK 2:1 honours degree or a GPA of 3.7 or equivalent from a non-UK university.  You can find more information on non-UK university equivalency for most countries on the international qualifications page of the Postgraduate website: 

• https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international/international-qualifications

OR

•    Should be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of relevant experience acquired in a non-academic setting, for example through their professional work.

•    A background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is a definite asset but is not a requirement.

Language requirement

•    For those whose first language is not English and who have not previously studied for a degree in an English language university, evidence of proficiency in English: an IELTS score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component) or a TOEFL score of 110 (with 25 in each element).
•    You can use the Competence in English website to find out if you will have a language requirement.

How to apply

Applications are made through the Applicant Portal - which closed on 28 February 2025 at 23:59 (GMT)

When you have completed the necessary preparation and you are ready to begin your online application, you should take note of the following important information before you create your application.

1. There is an application charge of (GBP Sterling) £50 per application. You can make the payment by providing your card details when you submit the online application.

2. Your application is not complete without the required supporting documents (see below).

Please see our 2024 Postgraduate Guide for further information on the application process.

Supporting documents

You will be required to provide the following supporting documents as part of your application:

• References 

You will need to provide letters of recommendation from two referees who can provide academic or professional references; where possible, academic references are desirable.

• Transcripts

A transcript is a list of all the courses you have taken during a programme of study, with the result you obtained, and with the credit value if applicable.

If you are currently studying, please provide a transcript listing the courses taken during your programme of study, with the results or grades obtained for each.

If you have previously completed degree-level study, please provide a transcript (where available) and degree certificate for each degree-level programme you have studied, showing the date the degree was awarded and the final class or grade obtained.

• Research Proposal

Applicants must submit a research proposal outlining the proposed topic for the dissertation in the second year. There is no template for this submission, but we would expect applicants to provide 1-2 pages (c 500 words) outlining their proposed research, methods and sources. For more guidance on your research proposal.

Please include each of the following elements:

• a well thought-out title
• an explicit reference to the methods of research to be used (e.g. archival, discourse-analytical, empirical - whether quantitative, interview, or survey)
• references to the relevant literature of which you are already aware, or which you expect to be able to consult
• reasons why Cambridge is, in your view, a particularly appropriate research institution within which to carry out this research, including the presence of specific individual scholars with expertise in the field of your proposed dissertation, and whose supervision you would welcome.

Please identify a potential supervisor with whom you would like to work.

• Personal Statement

Applicants are encouraged to provide information within the application form about their motivation for applying for the course and to outline relevant experience and interests. A statement of no more than 250 words is sufficient.

• Employer Support Letter

The MSt is a part-time degree that many students complete alongside a full-time job. This represents a major commitment from students, but also from their employers.  

In particular, the employer must commit in writing to allowing students to attend all the in-person periods of residential study over the course of the degree. Attending the residential is compulsory for being awarded the degree. 

Students enrolling in the degree also commit to completing the reading and writing requirements of the course work, including the dissertation, by specified deadlines alongside their existing work commitments. Unforeseen work commitments and assignments are not grounds for extensions to the deadlines for any component of the degree. 

The employer letter need only be a brief statement from the student’s manager that these commitments on attending the residentials in person in Cambridge and completing the components of the degree on time have been discussed by the applicant and manager and agreed by both. 

If students change employer during the course of the degree a new letter should be obtained and submitted to the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS).