Department of Political Science and International Studies

The Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) is one of the largest and best departments of it's kind in the UK.

The department received the maximum score of 24 in the Teaching Quality Assessment and has enjoyed a consistently high place in The Guardian league tables since they were published in 2000. Undergraduate Single Honours courses.

The Department is committed to research excellence, quality learning and teaching provision and the continuing professional development of its staff and students.

As well as research and taught courses, we offer a wide range of professionally-orientated courses. You may opt for general multidisciplinary approach or choose from a range of more specialised programmes, with a more specific career orientation.

Since 2008, POLSIS has been the proud host of the Institute for German Studies, which was established in 1994 as a joint venture between the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service - DAAD) and the University of Birmingham.

The Department has strong links to other universities across the world and a balance of expertise that covers all areas of the disciplines of Political Science and International Studies, as demonstrated by the activities of our research groups and thematic research clusters.

The Department has more than 50 PhD students working on a wide variety of research topics. Our students are at the core of our research culture, organising their own weekly research colloquium, setting research group agendas, participating vociferously in debate at the weekly Departmental Research Seminar, helping to organise conferences and workshops, and engaging in undergraduate teaching.

The Department has moved into purpose built accommodation in the recently refurbished Muirhead Tower at the centre of the University's prestigious Edgbaston campus.