Master of Arts in Social and Political Thought

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

This degree combines the study of Politics and International Studies with a specific focus on German language and culture. It looks at how German society and culture have been central to the development of modern Europe.

You can also get involved with extracurricular activity linked to your studies, such as the PAIS Film Club. You will spend your second or third year studying or on work placement in Germany or Austria.

The course is good preparation for a career in politics, although it develops transferable skills in investigative and evaluative research, presentation and critical analysis, which can be applied in many careers.

Study abroad

The third year of the degree is usually spent studying and/or on work placement in Germany or Austria.

Possible study abroad universities include:

• Universität Konstanz
• Freie Universität Berlin
• Universität Wien
• Technische Universität Wien
• Universität Salzburg
• Technische Universität Dresden
• Universität zu Köln
• Ludwig Maximilians Universität München
• Universität Würzburg
• Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

By studying linguistics together with Spanish, you will explore the fascinating human capacity for language, while also building your fluency in Spanish. As a linguist, you will learn about the structure and function of language, and about relationships between language and society.

You will also study and practice written and oral communication in Spanish, and learn broadly about communicating across languages and cultures. Your skills in linguistic analysis will support your language learning, and your knowledge of Spanish will complement your work as a linguist. This course opens many career opportunities that require the knowledge and skills of both a modern language and a deep understanding of language, culture and communication.

(75% linguistics, 25% Spanish).

Study abroad

If you wish to spend a year abroad (which we thoroughly recommend), this will take place in your third year, meaning that you will complete your degree in four years instead of three. All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities. The Student Mobility Team offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.

International Political Economy (IPE) is a field of enquiry concerned with the distribution of power, wealth and agency in a rapidly changing and contested global context. With such a diverse range of interest, IPE encourages a plural and often eclectic approach to study.

Our MA is a truly global programme and attracts students from all over the world. You will benefit from an engaging intellectual environment and are able to choose from a selection of cutting-edge options in trade, finance, development, and global governance. Our department boasts leading figures in the IPE discipline.

Our MSc offers you the opportunity to study business and get specific insight into the world of finance. You will study the underlying foundation disciplines of business, and then specialise in accounting and finance, learning from experts in these fields.

There is a choice of Dissertation or Business in Practice route. If you are considering further academic study (PhD) and you would like the opportunity to research a topic relating to accounting and finance, the dissertation enables you to test and apply the techniques and theories you have learned.

If you would like to develop further applied skills and specialist knowledge to suit your career aspirations, you can complete your studies with one additional elective module and our applied Business in Practice module.

Skills from this degree

• Get a grounding in business whilst specialising in accounting and finance
• Tailor your degree to your own interests with our range of optional modules
• Put your learnings into practice with the applied Business in Practice module
• Access to dedicated CareersPlus service with specialist careers coaches

Political Theory, Comparative Politics and the study of Political Systems provide the core of this degree, then you can choose options across the full range of modules or focus on specific pathways.

You will tackle questions relating to the nature and distribution of power, the advantages and disadvantages of different political systems, gendered and racialized aspects of politics, and the role of ideology in determining political outcomes. You will critique how politics works in a number of different nations and question the appropriate level to analyze politics from the individual to the global system.

You will also consider how the work of political theorists can help explain the ways in which politicians intervene in questions of economy, law-making, conflict and the regulation of our daily lives. You will apply these ideas to everyday political problems such as immigration, poverty, war and climate change.

In today’s complex business environment, where so much of global GDP is now service-related, service science is a crucial area in which businesses must increase expertise in order to stay ahead.  

During the course, you will consider the complexity of services that bring together people, organisations, technologies and information, in order to deliver value for the customer. You will learn the tools and techniques to design the systems needed to work with your customer, and ensure the best outcomes are achieved. You will learn to structure a service organisation, and will look at excellence in service from a variety of international sector perspectives.  

This course will review operationally how you go about using techniques to design service experience, lead change, and drive business transformation. It will show you how you go about building reputation, relationships, and brand with your customer. It will help you make sense of big data, and the use of technology to effectively support service delivery.

Political theory and international relations theory will provide the core of your studies in year one with progressively more optional choices throughout the degree.

With a 75:25 split between Politics and International Studies, and Chinese, this degree gives you the opportunity to acquire Chinese language skills while gaining a strong understanding of Politics and International Studies.

You will engage critically with the political world, from national and global perspectives, exploring the theoretical and empirical approaches to political ideas.

You will also study in China during your third year.

Our graduates leave with the ability to understand complex theoretical positions and apply them to political problems.

Study abroad
The third-year is spent studying at a partner institution in China.

Possible exchange partners include:

• Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Tsinghua University

Crop agriculture provides mankind’s increasing population with foods, fibres and fuel and this course provides you with knowledge and practical skills in crop management and crop improvement.

In this master's course you will gain a combination of practical expertise and academic understanding to develop key skills. You will learn the principles of crop production, including the latest advances in plant pathology, integrated pest management and soil health.

Skills from this degree

You will gain:

• An understanding of how crops are grown and the factors affecting crop production
• The knowledge to identify and understand the causes of crop disorders and make decisions on appropriate management/control measures
• The skills to critically evaluate how constraints on crop production can change due to biotic and societal pressures
• Transferable skills including team working, communicating with peers and sector specialists, organising, planning and oral presentation
• Research skills including scientific report writing, conducting surveys, problem solving, data analysis and project work

The unique English and History degree at Warwick explores these ideas through modules that span time and geography: from the ancient to the contemporary, and from Europe to Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

As well as choosing from a wide range of modules in both departments (and in others), you will study special core modules that are exclusively for English and History students, bringing the two subjects together and thinking about how literature helps us to understand the past, and how history can illuminate works of literature. You will examine the literary techniques employed in historical writing, and consider how the past is represented in poetry, plays, and novels.

At all times, we will encourage you to develop your own ideas and arguments, to critically analyse what others say and write, and to think in new and imaginative ways about how we know the past through texts.

Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach that enables the realization of complex systems. Many complex engineering products (such as aerospace and automotive) involve a high level of integration and interaction across the mechanical, electronic, and software domains.

Systems Engineers analyze and design the behavior of these systems including active and intelligent software, which allows systems to detect and respond to changes. A Systems Engineer needs to understand the broader context of a system including people, processes, and information flow. The Systems Thinking approach that will be gained from this course equips engineers to work on holistic problems where there are conflicting needs and complex interactions.

Recent projects include the creating of a gesture detection system that recognizes British sign language and developing a systems model of iron storage in brain disease.

By choosing the MEng degree you can explore specialist areas of Systems Engineering through the fourth-year core and optional module choices and a group project.

Study abroad

You may choose to take an intercalated year in industry, research or study abroad between years two and three (BEng and MEng), or between years three and four (MEng only). If you choose to take an intercalated year, this will be reflected in your degree title, and add a year to your degree program.

As an MEng student, you may choose to take your third year as an exchange year at a partner university abroad, subject to academic requirements and approval of the study program.