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Published: 07 May 2024

Top jobs with an international relations or public affairs masters degree

Find out what you could do with a masters degree in international relations or public affairs and discover some of the jobs our graduates have secured.

We aim to provide you with the transferable skills the world’s rapidly evolving workplaces demand. From government to finance, from secret intelligence services to humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs), our masters courses will provide you with the tools you need to understand the drivers of a complex global political and economic environment. Dr Malte Philipp Kaeding, Postgraduate Taught Programmes Director
Malte Philipp Kaeding
People talking at a table

One hundred per cent of our Politics and International Relations postgraduate students are in employment or further study after they graduate from the University of Surrey taking home an average salary of £48,043 (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA).

Some of our International Relations and Public Affairs masters' postgraduates have gone on to launch their careers in the following roles:

  • Account manager
  • Client business analyst
  • Grants management and communication officer
  • Lead editor
  • Media and communications officer
  • Operations manager
  • Parliamentary and public affairs officer
  • Parliamentary researcher
  • Policy adviser
  • Policy and advocacy officer
  • Political analyst
  • Protection delegate
  • Public affairs and external insight advisor
  • Researcher
  • Senior legal affairs executive
  • Senior manager in intellectual property department
  • Senior policy analyst
  • Solutions architect
  • Strategic advisor
  • Tax revenue officer.
I appreciate how my course offers different pathways for students wishing to opt out of doing a regular dissertation in favour of an intensive work placement. Maresa Strano, MSc International Relations

Employers

Graduates from our masters work for the following employers:

  • Alzheimer's Society
  • AMAFHH Investments
  • Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
  • Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
  • Cratus (public relations)
  • Croydon Council
  • Dell Technologies
  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
  • FE fundinfo
  • George Washington University
  • Gryphon Finance LGI Sustainable Innovation in Paris
  • International Committee of the Red Cross
  • Iraq Embassy
  • King’s College, London
  • Médecins du monde/Doctors of the World
  • Medical Schools Council
  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • New America Foundation
  • NHS Digital
  • Office of Minister of Armed Forces
  • Procter and Gamble
  • United Nations Development Programme
  • Youth Empowerment.

Related professions

The skills you gain are also highly relevant in other fields, including:

  • Armed forces
  • Investment banking
  • Journalism.

Many of our graduates go on to complete a PhD, investigating an area of personal interest.

Discover more about our postgraduate international relations and public affairs courses and what it’s like being a student at Surrey.

We combine engaging classroom techniques with challenging, practical case studies presented by our leading academics and guest speakers. The result is an exciting series of modules across a huge range of relevant topics, allowing our students to graduate into a range of careers, with the best possible understanding of British, European and international affairs. Professor Amelia Hadfield, Director, CIFAL Surrey. Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability. Associate Vice-President for External Engagement. Founding Director, Centre for Britain and Europe.

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Featured Academics

Dr Malte Kaeding

Senior Lecturer in International Politics
Amelia Hadfield

Prof Amelia Hadfield

Director, CIFAL Surrey. Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability. Associate Vice-President for External Engagement. Founding Director, Centre for Britain and Europe.

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