Curriculum for the Master's Programme in International Relations, 2025

1: Preface

Pursuant to consolidation Act 391 of April 10, 2024 on Universities (the University Act), the following is established.

The programme also follows the Examination Policies and Procedures incl. the Joint Programme Regulations for Aalborg University.

2: Basis in Ministerial orders

The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 2285 of December 1, 2021 on Full-time University Programmes (the University Programme Order) with subsequent changes and Ministerial Order no. 2271 of December 1, 2021 on University Examinations (the Examination Order) with subsequent changes. Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 51 of January 14, 2024 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 1125 of July 4, 2022 (the Grading Scale Order

3: Campus

The programme is offered in Aalborg.

4: Faculty affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.

5: Study board affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of Politics and Society

6: Affiliation to corps of external examiners

The Master’s programme is associated with Politics, Society and Global Relations.

7: Admission requirements

Applicants with a legal claim to admission (retskrav):

• There are no applicants with a legal claim to admission

Applicants without a legal claim to admission:

• Bachelor's Programme in Language and International Studies, Aalborg Universitet 

• Bachelor's Programme in Political Science, Aarhus Universitet, Syddansk Universitet og Københavns Universitet 

• Bachelor's Programme in Politik og administration, Aalborg Universitet 

• as well as most bachelor's degrees in a social science discipline 

All applicants without a legal claim must prove that their English language qualifications is equivalent to level B (Danish level) in English.

Requirements to the qualifying bachelor’s degree programme

Admission to the master’s programme requires that the applicant has passed a relevant qualifying bachelor’s or professional bachelor’s degree programme. A bachelor’s or professional bachelor’s degree programme is considered relevant if it includes a minimum of 30 ECTS credits within one or more of the following subject areas: International relations, development studies, European studies, international political economy, area studies, migration studies, refugee studies, cultural studies, globalization studies, integration studies, international law or other central subjects of the International Relations program. 

8: The programme title in Danish and English

The Master’s programme in Aalborg entitles the graduate to the Danish designation: Kandidatuddannelsen (cand.soc.) i internationale forhold. The English designation is: Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences in International Relations .

9: Programme specifications in ECTS credits

The Master’s programme is a 2-year, research-based, full-time study programme. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.

10: Rules concerning credit transfer (merit), including the possibility for choice of modules that are part of another programme at a university in Denmark or abroad

The Study Board can approve that passed programme elements from other educational programmes at the same level replaces programme elements within this programme (credit transfer).

Furthermore, the Study Board can, upon application, approve that parts of this programme is completed at another university or a further education institution in Denmark or abroad (pre-approval of credit transfer).

The Study Board’s decisions regarding credit transfer are based on an academic assessment.

11: Exemptions

The Study Board’s possibilities to grant exemption, including exemption to further examination attempts and special examination conditions, are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published at this website: https://www.studyservice.aau.dk/rules

12: Rules for examinations

The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published at this website: https://www.studyservice.aau.dk/rules

13: Rules concerning written work, including the Master’s Thesis

The Study Board may determine whether, and to what extent, a student's language proficiency is included in the assessment of an individual exam.

Spelling and writing skills are always a part of the assessment of final exams (bachelor’s project, final project, and master’s thesis).

The evaluation is based on an overall assessment, meaning that the student's language proficiency in final exams is assessed both in the written project report and during the oral examination.

The Study Board may, in special cases (e.g., in cases of dyslexia or if the student's native language is not Danish), grant an exemption from the requirement that spelling and writing skills be included in the assessment, unless these skills are an essential part of the exam’s objectives.

The master’s thesis must include an English summary. If the project is written in English, the summary can be in Danish. The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.

14: Requirements regarding the reading of texts in a foreign language

The language of instruction in the Master’s Programme in International Relations is English, all set texts will be in English, and all examinations will be conducted in English. 

15: Competence profile on the diploma

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

16: Competence profile of the programme

The academic profile of the programme 

Programme objectives 

The objectives of the Master’s Programme in International Relations are that students will: 

• gain academic insight in international relations in the context of social science and history and knowledge of various social and cultural patterns and their development in relation to international relations 
• develop the academic knowledge and skills which they have acquired from their bachelor programme, and increase their theoretical and methodological qualifications and independence as compared to the bachelor level 
• acquire qualifications in identifying and analysing complex societal phenomena within international relations from an interdisciplinary perspective 
• be able to select and apply relevant elements of theory and method in the study of international relations in an independent and cross-disciplinary manner  
• master key concepts within the field of international relations, such as power, interests, institutions, norms and agency 
• qualify to participate in scientific development work, including research training (PhD programme) 
• qualify for specialised professional functions in the public and private sectors. 

Optional profiles 

The Master’s programme offers the following optional profiles: EU Studies, Global Gender Studies and Global China Studies 

A graduate of the Master’s programme in International Relations will acquire the following competence profile: 

Knowledge

•  key aspects of international relations in an interdisciplinary perspective 
•  various theoretical approaches to the study of international relations 
•  the organisation of the international system and the social, cultural, political and economic dynamics that affect developments in international relations, both globally and in selected regions 
• understandings of basic principles of academic integrity and of dilemmas of research ethics within the relevant subject areas of the programme 

Skills

• apply scientific theories, methods and tools within the field of international relations in an independent manner 
• ability to critically and independently reflect on key aspects within the field of international relations on a scientific basis, as well as identifying scientific problem areas 
• evaluate and choose among scientific theories, methods and tools within the fields of international relations, as well as to develop appropriate analysis models and solutions based on scientific knowledge 
• synthesize and communicate research-based knowledge on international relations to peers and non-specialists in fluent and correct English. 
• Ability to use digital platforms for cooperation and communication in a professional setting 

Competencies

• cooperate on problem based cross-disciplinary projects with international and intercultural perspectives in professional contexts 
• master strategies for planning, initiating and undertaking a project based on an issue relevant to international relations taking professional responsibility for the process 
• manage complex situations and workflows and find relevant solutions to professional challenges 
• take independent responsibility for their own continued learning and competence development within the field of international relations 
• Reflect upon the impact of digital and online forms of interaction within the field of study programme 
• perform job functions in international institutions and organisations, diplomacy, public and private businesses, and to undertake doctoral studies within the field of international relations. 

The Master’s Programme in International Relations also provides each student the opportunity to create an individual competence profile through the choices of elective courses, cf. section 7, subsections 3-6. 

Problem Based Learning (PBL) 

The study program is committed to Aalborg University’s fundamental pedagogical principle of problem-based learning. The basic competencies achieved through PBL in the study programme are: 

• Problem oriented competencies: The ability to identify, delimit, formulate, and analyze actual problems. 
• Collaborative and organizational competencies: The ability to handle complex problems professionally while cooperating with people from diverse backgrounds on project organization and project management. 
• Reflexive competencies, the ability to develop personal competencies in a professional context (self-reflection). 

While the three competencies are trained during all four semesters, there is shift in emphasis across the four semesters: 

17: Structure and Contents of the programme

The master’s programme in International Relations is a two-year research-based full-time study programme. The study programme comprises 120 ECTS credits. The programme is divided into individual modules and organised as a problem-based study programme. A module is a subject element or a group of subject elements whose purpose is to provide the student with academic and professional qualifications within a stipulated period, and which is completed by one or several examinations according to an examination schedule defined in this curriculum. 60 ECTS credits correspond to one year of full-time study. 

The Master’s programme consists of constituent and elective modules. The Study Board will announce which electives from the curriculum are offered each semester before the beginning of the enrolment period.The Study Board may decide not to offer a certain elective module in case of too limited enrolment. In case an elective is not offered, the students will be provided with other alternatives. 

The modules will be offered over four semesters (semesters 1 to 4). The first and second semester include courses, exams and project work at Aalborg University. The third semester module consists of a project-oriented study (internship) in an external organisation, company or institution with activities related to international relations or a study stay abroad in the fields of international relations or similar programmes. The fourth semester will be dedicated to thesis writing. The programme is based on a combination of academic, problem oriented and interdisciplinary approaches and is structured as a mixture of the following study and evaluation forms combining skills and academic reflection: 

• lectures 
• seminars 
• classroom teaching 
• problem based project work 
• case work 
• discussion sessions 
• supervision and feedback from teaching staff 
• simulation games and/or solution camps (not offered every semester). 

Standard Page 

The maximum length of an assignment or a project is defined in standard pages. A standard page is equivalent to 2,400 keystrokes (including spaces). 
The stipulated number of pages for written assignments and projects includes notes, but does not include reference lists/bibliography, title page, table of contents, and summary. Appendices may be included in projects. Typically, an appendix is not the examinee’s own written work, but a presentation/reproduction of source material, and it will therefore not be included in the total number of pages; however, the volume of the appendix must be proportionate to the volume of the project. 

Oral Group Examination 

At oral group examinations, the examination must be conducted in such a way that individual assessment of each individual student’s performance is ensured. 

18: Overview of the programme

Master of International Relations

19: Additional information

20: Commencement and transitional rules

The curriculum is approved by the dean and enters into force as of September 2025.

The Study Board does not offer teaching after the previous curriculum from 2022 after the summer examination 2026.

The Study Board will offer examinations after the previous curriculum, if there are students who have used examination attempts in a module without passing. The number of examination attempts follows the rules in the Examination Order.

21: Amendments to the curriculum and regulations