If students hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet the entry requirements for a master’s, a Pre-Master’s can help them gain a place on a postgraduate degree. For progression to the 1st year of a postgraduate degree at the University of Essex. Course length is determined mainly by students' English language level (UKVI IELTS score).

Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. If their course is longer than 2 terms, students will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Master of Science - International Relations

Humans live in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world where events that unfold on other continents can affect lives very quickly. Sometimes politicians are able to work together in a search for solutions but disagreement, and even the possibility of conflict, never seems far away.

Essex's most popular course, MSc International Relations, attracts students from all over the world. Students focus on general theoretical perspectives of the discipline, providing the tools for students to understand historical and contemporary events. The emphasis is on explaining and understanding international events, rather than simply the intellectual history of international relations as a field.

Students also take optional modules from a large selection offered by the department, including: • global environmental issues • democracies in Europe • forecasting global trends • international security • conflict resolution

Essex's Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. They are rated top in the UK for research, and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.

All Essex politics graduates have the distinction of a qualification from one of the world’s leading politics departments.

Essex's MA International Relations will help students develop key employability skills which will make them attractive to both the public and private sector, including analytical reasoning, research design, communication and report writing. Recent graduates have gone on to work for the following high-profile organisations: the Civil Service, local government, the World Bank, the United Nations, NATO, YouGov and YouGov America.

Essex's academic reputation is illustrated by the fact that many of their graduates now teach or research at universities, colleges of higher education and schools. For example, recent graduates are now research fellows and academic staff at: Mannheim, Germany; ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Duke University, USA; NATO/SHAPE, Belgium; and University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.