Graduate School Community

Our community of postgraduates numbers approximately 140 Masters and research students. Ours is a cosmopolitan community, reflecting a significant proportion of international students from different parts of the world, notably China, Latin America, North America and continental Europe.

We recognise that that our postgraduates have diverse goals – from securing better professional qualification to training for an academic career – and this diversity is reflected in the Graduate School's range of activities.

For those seeking a career in academia or research our training has been recognised by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, and the ESRC quota awards we are able to make reflects the high regard in which our training is held. Our Department has a very well-established reputation for an inclusive research ethos and for its research excellence, which finds expression in research-led teaching at Masters level.

The Graduate School offers Masters and research students a variety of ways in which to participate in the Department's intellectual community:

• Masterclasses: targeted at MA students but open to all in the Graduate School.
• 'Teach-ins': addressing topics of major contemporary interest, such as the US presidential elections (open to all).
• Research Training Groups: targeted at research and '1 + 3' students.
• Activities organised by our Research Centres (open to all)

We also offer support for student-led activities, such as those of the Politics Society or of research-led groups organised by our students (for instance the Postgraduate Global Development Group).