European Politics and Area Studies is a specialised research area within the Politics and International Relations postgraduate research programmes (PhD). It is supported by a strong research culture within the Department, which is recognised for the quality and impact of its research and its success in securing external funding. The academic environment is further enriched by an active postgraduate community and research centres such as the Wales Governance Centre and the European Governance, Identity and Public Policy Research Unit, which attract scholars from across Europe and internationally.

The programme offers supervision across a wide range of topics related to European politics and governance. These include comparative politics, European Union institutions and policies, European political economy, the Euro Area, and the European social model. Additional areas of research encompass European public policy, Europeanisation, EU external relations, political parties and elections, defence and security, and the history of European integration. Country-specific and regional studies, as well as sub-national governance within Europe, are also key areas of focus.

Students benefit from a dynamic and internationally connected research environment, enabling them to engage with contemporary political challenges across Europe. The breadth of expertise available within the School supports the development of rigorous, original research that contributes to both academic scholarship and policy debates in European politics and area studies.