MA International Political Communication

• Social Theory & Political Communication: This unit highlights the wider theoretical underpinnings of analysis of political communication and provides an introduction to the broader contextual and conceptual basis in which political communication is conducted. 
• The Psychodynamics of Emotion & Political Culture: Applying a psychosocial approach that combines theories and methods from psychoanalysis, cultural and media studies and political sociology you will explore the cultural and emotional processes that shape our relationship to politics in the late modern, media age. 

• Methods of Inquiry in the Social Sciences & Humanities: Drawing on your previous research knowledge and experience, the unit offers you a broad grounding in methods and processes of social science research and prepares you with the understanding and skills needed to rigorously design, conduct, report and evaluate research.  

• Political Communication & Campaigning: This unit provides an overview and critical appraisal of the academic study of political marketing, campaigning and reporting in the context of a diversified and international media environment. You will explore the historical development of political communication, by political parties, by mainstream media and via social media.
• Public Diplomacy & International Relation: This unit offers a multi-disciplinary perspective on public diplomacy as an emerging field of study and practice at the intersection of international relations, communications, history, public relations and media studies. Making sense of contemporary debates and global trends is at the forefront of the unit that also takes a historical approach to support you in developing an in-depth, nuanced understanding of events and crises of the day. 
• Discourse, Rhetoric & Power: During this unit you will explore the intimate relationship in politics between discourse, rhetoric, and power. Its core aim is to expose the political character of social relations and practices by discovering the centrality of rhetoric and the construction of meaning in their constitution, institutionalisation, and contestation.
• Final Project: You will critically apply the principles and techniques of systematic research to produce a piece of scholarly research in order to facilitate academic and professional thinking in the field of political communication. This unit will be underpinned by previous learning in Methods of Inquiry in the Social Sciences and Humanities in which you will have developed advanced knowledge and skills in research design, application and analysis.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

"In an ever increasingly interconnected world we need more interdisciplinary qualifications. MA International Political Communication is one such qualification. MAIPC successfully fuses politics with communication, international relations, sociology, psychology, journalism and campaigning. Where next? Anywhere I like." 

“I was very glad to meet highly professional lecturers with the requisite modern skills, techniques and experiences couple with so much passion in lectureship who didn't only impact knowledge in me but each assisted and mentored me throughout my entire Masters programme. Bournemouth University is indeed a home of excellence.”

“The MAIPC course, the facilities at BU, and the kind and supportive staff helped me gain the experience and knowledge I needed to level-up my career following undergraduate study. I have since gone on to become a skilled professional in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), and still utilise the skills and networks I gained in Bournemouth.” 

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent 

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

• National and Local government
• Political parties
• Unions
• Charities and NGOs
• Public affairs
• International organisations
• Journalism
• Communication/ Advertising
• PR/ lobbying
• Teaching/ academia

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Our fees commiment means your tuition fees are fixed at the price quoted.
• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances. 
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationary and other supplies. Our award-winning Library has a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students' Union shops stock stationary supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• ​Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• ​Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office or Digital ID verification charges.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study. 
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

We offer a range of scholarships to students who are beginning their studies at BU. Our fees and funding pages also provide details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

Savvas is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at Bournemouth University. His expertise lies in political theory—particularly critical theory, discourse theory, and psychosocial studies. His research integrates psychoanalysis and discourse theory to examine nationalism, the politicization of loss and mourning, and the politics of austerity during economic crises.

His current work explores the rhetoric of reactionary politics, the construction of ‘populism’ in political and media discourse, and the role of evaluation and metrics in economic policy. From 2022 to 2024, he was based at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he led the research project Anti-populist Discourse in European Politics and Media (Anti-pop), funded by the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

Savvas serves on the editorial board of Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society and is a member of the international Center for the Study of Democracy, Signification, and Resistance (DESIRE) in Brussels.

Alina is Principal Academic in Media, Communication and Politics at Bournemouth University, UK. Her research is situated at the intersection of public diplomacy, migration, media and communication studies, with a focus on discourse. She is particularly interested in the role non-state actors have come to play in public diplomacy, reproducing, but also contesting and disrupting the state’s strategic communication. She is currently focusing on diasporas and emotions, exploring the opportunities as well as the consequences of their transnational existence for public diplomacy.

Jenny is a Senior Lecturer in Politics, Media and Communication in the Department of Humanities and Law. Her primary research, teaching and publishing interests are in environmental politics and environmental communication, and in gender, sexuality and politics/ gender, sexuality and communication. Her PhD (University of Sussex) was on nineteenth century anarchist autobiographies. She has published on gender, sexuality, disability and representation (including on fan-fiction, anarchism and sexuality, and the semiotics of the 2012 Paralympics) and on environmental politics and communication (including on "eco-celebrity" and eco-fascism). Her most recent journal article is entitled "Green White Nationalism: Eco-Fascism and the Alt-Right in the Era of Climate Breakdown" (2020). She is currently writing a book for Routledge on Environmental Advertising: New Forms of Transnational Persuasion, about the global politics of promotional communication on the subject of the environment.

Anastasia joined the School of Media at Bournemouth University in September 2014. Prior to this, she was teaching at the University of Leicester and in several educational institutions in Greece. She is an interdisciplinary scholar, educator, and active communication consultant, researching the intersection of media and politics – including visual and political communication, digital political campaigning, and media framing of protest; visual communication, and photojournalism. Her research is published in edited volumes and journals, and presented at numerous academic conferences – gaining Academy of Marketing Best Paper (2019) – and features in national and international print and broadcast media. She is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Comparative Politics and Media Research. Prior to joining academia full time, she worked as a research analyst for renowned Greek market research companies, and as a communication consultant to various political campaigns, NGOs, and the Hellenic Parliament. Her research and professional experiences enhance her teaching and lecturing, providing students with deeper understanding of communication practices through bridging theory with real case studies.

Darren is Professor of Political Communication and leads the Centre for Comparative Politics and Media Research. He is also Chair of the Political Communication Research Committee of the International Political Studies Association, a member of the UK Political Studies Association and the European Communication Research and Education Association. Professor Lilleker's research concerns both the professionalization, marketization and strategic development of political communication and the impacts upon citizen engagement. His research has covered local election campaigning and the impact upon voter choices; and party, candidate and MP's usage of the Internet, from websites to social media, and correlations between usage and gaining support.