政治与国际关系研究探索政治和治理的理论，实践和伦理。我们涵盖了广泛的专业领域，从地方政策到全球治理，政治理论到实证研究，建构主义到理性选择方法。我们的政治与国际关系小组与跨学科和国际认可的研究中心有着密切的联系。主要研究重点包括：政治和公共政策的次州和超国家层面，英国及其他地区权力下放的影响，欧盟的宪法和治理，国际政治：不断变化的关系，新的安全议程，跨大西洋关系政治经济学，移民政治与全球治理，民族主义，民主过渡，公民社会与制度建设，健康，福利，环境，竞争，移民与公民身份，平等机会政策，政治理论，尤其是战争
Approximately 60 members of PIR academic staff enjoy international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching, research and advising awards. Their scholarship covers a diverse range of research areas on Scotland, Europe, and the world, and is published in highly-rated journals and books.<br><br>The department has a strong tradition of advising, informing and debating policy with key decision-makers at Scottish, UK, European and international levels, and has a notable concentration of political theorists.<br><br>The degree is based on three to four years of full-time research. Each student follows an individual training programme designed with their supervisor and the Postgraduate Adviser. This programme is reviewed and updated on an annual basis.<br><br>In the first year, you will acquire a wide range of research skills and formulate their research question and related design, under the guidance of their supervisors. At the end of their course of study you will submit a thesis and will be assessed in an oral examination (viva voce) by two examiners (usually one internal to the University, the other external).<br><br>The thesis is a long piece of research on a topic of your particular interest and makes an original contribution to the field of politics and international relations.<br><br>Research in Politics and International Relations explores the theory, practice and ethics of politics and governance.<br><br>We cover a broad area of expertise, from local policy to global governance, political theory to empirical studies, constructivism to rational choice approaches.<br><br>Our Politics & International Relations group has close links with cross-disciplinary and internationally recognised research centres.<br><br>Major research focuses include:<br><br>sub-state and supranational dimensions of politics and public policy<br>the impact of devolution in the UK and elsewhere, and the constitution and governance of the European Union<br>international politics: changing relations, the new security agenda, transatlantic relations, political economy, migration politics and global governance<br>nationalism, democratic transition, civil society and institution-building<br>health, welfare, environment, competition, migrations and citizenship, and equal opportunities policies<br>political theory, especially war ethics, environmental ethics and theories of freedom.