Business Economics and International Relations MSc

Course modules

This rewarding course is for graduates and professionals seeking a competitive advantage in today’s international job market. It offers diversity in the range of study, from international relations theory to regional integration. By studying business economics and international relations together, you will develop a critical awareness of the role of economic policies in shaping these global issues and help shape organisational responses to changes in the business and organisational environment.

A range of core modules underpin key business and financial principles:

Macroeconomics in a Global Context - presents an analysis of how the macroeconomy works in a global environment that is subject to international trade and factor endowment flows. You will gain the skills to relate the theory of macroeconomics to recent world events and debate the implications of macroeconomic policy.

Economics and Strategic Analysis - the aim of this module is for you to understand they key strategic decisions that individuals, firms ad organisations, face and the consequence of those decisions. You will also learn how to apply microeconomic models to solve current economic problems.

Theory and Practice of International Relations –investigates the actual experience of emerging market economies (EMEs) and their contribution to the global economy. These theories are applied to discuss topics such as globalisation, growth, debt, banking, exchange rates, capital inflows and institutions. The module aims to introduce you to contemporary academic research and the issues that EMEs post to institutions and international business.

International Trade Theory and Policy - examines the real world international policy issues, within a coherent theoretical framework. The module will present an analysis of how the international economy works, in terms of trade theory and policy. Recent developments in the world economy have raised concerns regarding the nature of the international adjustment mechanism, and the merits of free trade compared with protectionism. This module will relate the theory of international economics to recent world events, to draw out the application of the theory and allow debate on policy implications.

Economics of Emerging Markets – investigates the actual experience of emerging market economies (EMEs) and their contribution to the global economy. These theories are applied to discuss topics such as globalization, growth, debt, banking, exchange rates, capital inflows and institutions. The module aims to introduce you to contemporary academic research and the issues that EMEs pose to institutions and international business.

Research Methods – introduces you to the basic elements of research methodology and the complete range of research methods suitable for research in finance, accounting, management and business. It also aims to help you in defining a research topic and the production of a suitable research proposal for your dissertation.

You will also select an elective module aimed at developing a specialism within the field of international relations. The module choice might include:

• Post-Cold World Order
• Decision Points: The Domestic Context of US Foreign Policy
• Globalisation
• Britain and European Integration

Dissertation - The dissertation will give you the opportunity to produce an individual and sustained piece of original work that addresses a specific area in the field of economics and international relations. The dissertation will demonstrate your intellectual and conceptual skills through your background research and application of theoretical knowledge.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching will be delivered through formal lectures, informal seminars, tutorials, workshops, discussions and e-learning packages. Assessment will usually be through a combination of individual and group work, presentations, essays, reports and exams.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course and in total you should be prepared to devote approximately 38 hours a week to your studies. You will typically have up to 14 hours contact hours of teaching most weeks for semester 1 and 2. Teaching is through a mix of lecturers, tutorials, seminars and lab sessions and the breakdown of these activities is shown in each module description.

In addition each module provides a 2 hour surgery each week available for individual consultation with the lecturer. You may also have some scheduled meetings with your programme leader, personal tutor, and/or careers throughout the year to discuss your academic progress and personal development.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to make regular use of our on-line resources, participate in classroom discussions including on our virtual learning environment (VLE) and engage in personal study, revision and reflection for approximately 24 hours per work during semester 1 and 2.

In semester 3, you will undertake independent research for your dissertation and again should typically allow around 38 hours per week for this. You will be allocated a dedicated academic supervisor to support you, who you will be able to contact on a regular basis.