Where you can study
International students
International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.
Specialise in Politics and International Relations for your Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at Massey
The Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Politics and International Relations) allows you to take a political issue that grabbed your attention as an undergraduate student and investigate it further.
Understand the world around you
Politics is exciting and relevant. It’s about contests for power and how we make decisions in society: who gets what, when and how, from the local community to the global level. It’s concerned with the conflict of ideas and values. It has to do with who governs, and how and why decisions that affect all of us (such as how much students should pay to study at university or whether the UN should sanction military interventions) are made.
Small class sizes and enthusiastic lecturers
At Massey, politics is taught in a small interdisciplinary programme where you have regular and close contact with academic staff. Your lecturers are active researchers in their respective fields. They are a politically diverse group who critically and enthusiastically engage with contemporary and historical events.
A Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics and International Relations is a good fit if you:
- were a high-achieving undergraduate politics student
- are keen to follow your intellectual curiosity and develop your research skills
- would like to investigate an issue in politics through independent, supervised research.
Planning information
Completing a subject is compulsory. A Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Politics and International Relations) requires 120 credits.
If you study full-time, you’ll take 120 credits per year or 60 credits per semester.
Not all courses are available in each semester.
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Courses you can enrol in
Course planning key
- Prerequisites
- Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
- Corequisites
- Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
- Restrictions
- Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Compulsory course
Course code: 200798 Research Report (30) 30 credits
Subject courses
Course code: 176702 Advanced Social Inquiry 30 credits
An advanced study of methodological issues pertinent to social research. The course is designed to assist the planning of postgraduate theses and reports.
View full course detailsCourse code: 200701 Advanced Political Thought 30 credits
An advanced study of significant and diverse scholarships and debates that frame and contest contemporary political events.
View full course detailsCourse code: 200702 Comparative Politics 30 credits
An in-depth exploration and critical analysis of the operation and nature of politics in different countries and regions around the world.
View full course detailsCourse code: 200761 International Relations: Theory and Practice 30 credits
An exploration of the theory and practice of international relations.
View full course detailsEntry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
To enter the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)(Politics and International Relations) you will have been awarded or qualified for:
- a Bachelor of Arts degree or equivalent qualification with a major in the intended postgraduate subject or close equivalent, or
- a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in the intended postgraduate subject, followed by a Graduate Certificate in Arts endorsed in the intended postgraduate subject or close equivalent,a or
- a Bachelor of Arts degree followed by a Graduate Diploma of Arts in the intended postgraduate subject or close equivalent.
You must have achieved at least a B grade average over the 200 and 300-level courses.
You will need to provide copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language and your qualifying degree was not completed at a University where English is the medium of instruction, to enter this qualification you must have achieved an IELTS of 7.0 with no band less than 6.5.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Fees and scholarships
Fees, student loans and free fees scheme
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student portal
Fees disclaimer
This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.
Careers and job opportunities
Massey’s Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Politics and International Relations) can lead to a range of careers, including:
- academia
- business and commerce
- diplomacy
- finance
- journalism and media
- policy advising and analysis
- public service
- research.
Organisations employing our graduates include the NZ Defence Forces, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, the Treasury, Air New Zealand, the Reserve Bank, the United Nations, TV3News and Amnesty International.
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Useful planning information
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions. Learn more on careers.govt.nz