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What is ‘political science' and how does that approach differ from simply historical reporting of political phenomena? How can politics be used to analyse the real world? What is the relationship between ideas and political practices? Our MA Politics allows you to explore these questions and more.

A PhD at Essex makes you a member of the best political science department in the UK. We are renowned especially for our expertise in the areas of political behaviour, comparative politics, ideology and discourse analysis, international relations, and conflict resolution.

This course is available for both October and January entry.Our four-year PhD Government (with research and communication skills) course has been designed to support students who do not have English as a first language. We recognise and understand the importance of continuing professional development for students and have designed this course for students who do not have English as a first language and may have been studying in a different country, or out of a traditional academic environment for some time.

How are we to understand political life – as the expression of violence, tradition, domination, the search for freedom, the struggle for equality? How should we think about democracy – as the participation of citizens, the contest of representatives or the search for a common good through deliberation? What is justice – equality for all human beings, solidarity among some human beings or the free play of personal choice? These questions have exercised minds since ancient Athens and, in recent years, they have received new interpretations in political theory, one of the most intellectually fertile sub-disciplines of politics.

Over the last three decades, political economy has been one of the fastest growing approaches in the social sciences. At Essex, we are primarily interested in the scientific study of political institutions and how they might determine economic variables.

How do political scientists explain political outcomes? How does normative theory inform the way researchers approach their work? How do political science approaches differ from historical accounts of political phenomenon? How can political science be used to analyse the real world? Our MA Political Science gives a general overview of such topics, and as our most flexible postgraduate course offers you a very wide choice of optional modules.

We're well-established in political science, asking difficult questions to find important answers. How do you put an end to armed conflict? What are the benefits and consequences of intervention? What role do non-governmental organisations play in the prevention and resolution of conflict? Is immigration linked to terrorism? Does climate change affect transnational migration patterns? Our course helps you understand the evolving field of conflict resolution, exploring the causes and effects of destructive conflict across the world, and scrutinising the theory and practice of how it can be managed peacefully.

Over the last three decades, political economy has been one of the fastest growing approaches in the social sciences. At Essex, we are primarily interested in the scientific study of political institutions and how they might determine economic variables.

How do political scientists explain political outcomes? How does normative theory inform the way researchers approach their work? How do political science approaches differ from historical accounts of political phenomenon? How can political science be used to analyse the real world? Our MSc Political Science gives a general overview of such topics, and as our most flexible postgraduate course offers you a very wide choice of optional modules.

We're well-established in political science, asking difficult questions to find important answers. How do you put an end to armed conflict? What are the benefits and consequences of intervention? What role do non-governmental organisations play in the prevention and resolution of conflict? Is immigration linked to terrorism? Does climate change affect transnational migration patterns? Our course helps you understand the evolving field of conflict resolution, exploring the causes and effects of destructive conflict across the world, and scrutinising the theory and practice of how it can be managed peacefully.