BA International Relations and Modern Languages
About this course
BA in International Relations and Modern Languages, a politics and international relations and modern languages degree centred on global affairs alongside linguistic and cultural study. Core topics include Data Analysis, Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Language & Translation, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The course includes an option to spend the third year studying or working abroad in a country matching the chosen language. The first year introduces the discipline of International Relations and foundational challenges of world politics alongside language modules in French, German, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Optional modules in the first year cover topics such as the politics and economy of the Middle East, classical and early modern political thought, comparative politics, and social data. The second year progresses to contemporary theories of world politics and international political economy, alongside further intermediate and written or oral language modules. Optional study choices in the second year range from Middle Eastern studies and American politics to research design in the social sciences and data analysis.
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Entry requirements
A level: AAB-ABB. Required subjects: Dependent on language level chosen (see below). IB: 34/665-32/655.
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 70%: 99 offers from 142 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 11 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 86%
- Learning opportunities: 80%
- Assessment and feedback: 74%
- Academic support: 93%
- Organisation and management: 79%
- Learning resources: 86%
- Student voice: 81%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 25 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 7 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 10%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 22%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 13%
- Finance Professionals: 10%
- Administrative occupations: 7%
- Elementary occupations: 7%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 160 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 2%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 7%
- East of England: 13%
- London: 34%
- South East: 15%
- South West: 22%
- Wales: 4%
Who gets in
Based on about 25 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 75%
- Baccalaureate: 15%
- Access course: 5%
- Foundation course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Globalisation of World Politics
- The Challenges of World Politics in the Twenty-First Century
- French Language
- French Language for Beginners
- German Language
- German Language for Beginners
- Italian Language
- Italian Language for Beginners
- Beginners Chinese
- Portuguese Language for Beginners
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral
- Russian Language for Beginners
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Language for Beginners
- Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East
- Power and Democracy
- Classical Political Thought
- Early Modern Political Thought
- Introduction to Comparative Politics
- International Politics of the Global South
- The State of the UK: Identifying Marginalised Identities and Addressing Inequalities
- Global Sustainability Policy and Governance
- Population and Society
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Introduction to Social Data
- Data Analysis in Social Science 1
- The Making of Modern France
- The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French
- The French Language, Present and Past
- An Introduction to French Thought
- A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory
- Turning Points in German History 1200 - 2000
- An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling
- Russia: Empire and Identity
- Chinese Art and the Art of Living
- Introduction to Asian Philosophy
- Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy
- A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy
- Comparative Literatures and Cultures: Theories and Approaches
- Reading Comparatively
- Introduction to Film
- Language, Culture, International Relations
- An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context
- The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture
- An Introduction to the Literature and Film of Spain
- Contemporary Theories of World Politics
- The Politics of the World Economy
- French Language, Written and Oral
- Intermediate French
- German Language, Written and Oral
- Intermediate German
- Italian Language, Written and Oral
- Italian Language
- Intermediate Chinese (One)
- Intermediate Portuguese
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral I
- Intermediate Russian
- Spanish Language, Written and Oral
- Spanish Language (ex-beginners)
- Islamist Movements: From the Muslim Brothers to the Islamic State
- Gender-Identity and Modernity in the Middle East
- Islamic Law and Society
- Ethnography of the Middle East
- Conflict and Peacemaking Palestine/Israel
- Muslims in Britain
- A History of the Modern Middle East, 1900-2014
- The Economics of Politics
- American Politics
- Political Philosophy
- Political Thought of Modernity
- Changing Character of Warfare
- Explaining Public Policies
- Introduction to Research Design in Politics and International Relations
- Foreign Policy Analysis
- Gendering World Politics
- Research Design in the Social Sciences
- Data Analysis in Social Science 2
- Data Analysis in Social Science 3
- Chinoiserie and Européenerie: Artistic and Vultural Exchanges between China and Europe
- Digital China: Popular Culture, Technology, and Society
- Revolutions! Art and Society in France, 1770-1830
- Evolution of the French Language
- Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment
- Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre
- Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde
- Berlin - Culture, History and Politics
- Gender, Race and Migration in 20th and 21st-century German Literature
- Migrating Texts: Classical Reception, Adaptation, Translation
- Research Skills in Languages and Cultures
- Contemporary Latin American Cinema
- Multilingualism in Society
- Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence
- From Page to Screen: Female Detectives in Literature, Film, and Television
- Exploring Revolution: The Making of Soviet Society and Culture in the 1920s
- Apocalypse/Utopia: the Russian Roots of Revolution
- Other Shores: Exile and Emigration in Russian Literature
- Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry
- The Latin American Short Story
- Catalonia Is Not Spain? Modern Catalan Culture in Context
- "What is Love? And Do I Need It?" An Introduction to Spanish Renaissance Love Poetry
- Fiction in Post-War Spain: Voices of Conformity and Subversion
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £27,500 after 3 years, £36,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £29,000 and £46,500. The £36,000 median after five years is £2,000 more than the UK median for Politics.
What do graduates of BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
86% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 154 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
70% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 99 offers from 142 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA International Relations and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.