A PhD or MPhil in Politics and International Relations at Swansea enables you to pursue a substantial project led by your own passions and interests. It represents a highly respected qualification which can present a pathway to a career in academia, or widen your scope for employment in fields such as education, government or the private sector. The PhD takes three years full-time or six years part-time, and the MPhil takes two years full-time or four years part-time. You submit a thesis of up to 100,000 words for PhD assessment and 60,000 words for MPhil assessment, demonstrating original research with a significant contribution to the subject area. This is followed by an oral examination of the thesis (a viva voce examination, or viva). Our dynamic research environment is driven by committed staff who are all active researchers with a diverse range of interests and expertise. We have a wide spread of relevant research expertise which can be divided into the following categories: the empirical study of politics, international relations and development studies, and the history of political thought, political philosophy and political theory.