Objectives and competences

The Master's in International Relations taught at the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) equips its students to pursue academic or professional careers as policy-makers, analysts or researchers into international relations through a programme which includes a substantial component of comparative and international politics.

The master's degree offers a solid grounding in concepts, together with practice oriented towards the analysis of issues in international politics. Students will come into contact with several disciplines such as politics, law and the economy, and will be able to specialise in more specific material according to their interests.

This advanced master's degree is worth 60 ECTS credits (to be taken in one year, or in two years if you enrol as a part-time student) and can be studied either fully in English or in a combination of Spanish and English. It is a multidisciplinary programme addressed to graduates in political sciences, international relations and economics. Students from a variety of areas of knowledge can benefit from this master's degree, although the majority come from the social sciences branch. The overall objective is to help students acquire ample knowledge of the analytical tools and essential data needed to analyse current international issues, in both the private and public sectors. The contents of the master's degree aim to bring students closer to the analysis of international political and economic processes through the study of national and international actors and economic and social agents, their networks and institutions and contexts in which these actors interact. The postgraduate programme includes the possibility of doing an internship or studying abroad for one semester.

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Law
Branch of knowledge
Mode of delivery
  • Face-to-face
Credits60
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instructionEnglish and Spanish
Course detailsIndicators
Open pre-enrolmentNo
Open enrolmentNo
Lead to doctoral studiesYes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualificationNo
Main university information Master's degree course homepage
InteruniversityYes
Main universityUniversitat Pompeu Fabra
Universities
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  • Universitat Barcelona
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Bridging coursesNo
Specializations
  • Economia Política i Desenvolupament
  • Governança i Globalització
  • Seguretat i Resolució de Conflictes

Objectives and competences

Objectives

  • Master and apply specific knowledge on contemporary international relations and global governance from a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective.
  • Design specialised information searches on topics related to international studies and systematise the results obtained according to the standards of academic-scientific study.
  • Reflect independently and make decisions regarding the resolution of the specific problems and challenges of today's international relations in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
  • Master and apply knowledge about the actors, dynamics, processes and factors that interact in national and international decision-making, the daily practice of governments, non-governmental organisations, governmental organisations, companies, as well as the tools used for the implementation thereof.
  • Design and write texts commonly used in the framework of contemporary international relations (reports, memoranda of foreign policy, resolutions, dispositions, agreements, etc.) of academic-scientific quality, taking into account both content and formal aspects.
  • Identify and recognise issues on the most relevant problems and challenges of international relations and, in turn, specialise in a more specific material field of international relations: international security and conflict resolution; international governance and globalisation; political economy and development.

Competences

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

  • Official Spanish university degree.

  • A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.

  • A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements
Academic background

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

Until 1 July 2023.

Pre-enrolment form

Required documentation

Selection criteria

Notification

IBEI runs a rolling admissions process. The Admissions Committee meets once a month to evaluate all complete applications received by then. Applicants can expect an answer after four to six weeks following the submission of all the required documents (including both reference letters).

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Compulsory 26
Optional 24
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 10
TOTAL 60

List of subjects

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: Economia Política i Desenvolupament
Political Economy of Development Compulsory 6
Specialization: Governança i Globalització
Advanced Social Research Optional 4
African Studies Optional 4
Anàlisi de Política Exterior: Teoria i Estudis de Cas Optional 4
Asia International Relations Optional 4
Comparative Politics and Democratization Compulsory 6
Competitivitat i Creixement Optional 3
Development and Social Change in Latin America Optional 4
Development Economics: Poverty, Inequality and Growth Optional 4
East Asian Studies Optional 4
Economia Política Comparada del Regionalisme Optional 3
European Foreign Policy Optional 4
Global Political History Optional 4
Globalization and Global Governance Compulsory 6
Globalization and Society Optional 4
International Legal System Optional 4
International Political Economy Optional 4
International Protection of Human Rights Optional 4
International Relations in Latin America Optional 4
International Relations Theory Compulsory 8
International Security and Armed Forces Optional 4
International Trade and Economics Compulsory 6
Internships in the Field of Public Policy and International Development Optional 4
Islam and Politics Optional 4
Justícia Global Optional 3
La Presa de Decisions en la Unió Europea Optional 3
La Presa de Decisions en Organitzacions Internacionals Optional 3
Latin American Studies Optional 4
Methods of Multivariate Analysis Optional 3
Ordre Internacional Optional 3
Organitzacions Econòmiques Internacionals Optional 3
Peace and International Security Optional 6
Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution Optional 4
Processos de Pau a Centre-Amèrica Optional 3
Seguretat Internacional i Armes de Destrucció Massiva Optional 3
Studies of the Mediterranean and the Arab World Optional 4
The European Union and its Immediate Environment: Expansion and the European Neighbourhood Policy Optional 4
The Political Economy of Euro-Mediterranean Relations Optional 4
The Political Process in the European Union Optional 4
Treball de Fi de Màster Compulsory 10
Specialization: Seguretat i Resolució de Conflictes
Peace and International Security Compulsory 6

Previous years

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.



Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.



Institutional information


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