A very warm welcome to the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS).

Congratulations on securing your place at one of the world’s leading Politics and International Studies Departments! We're really pleased that you chose Warwick and PAIS. We're here to support you!

We are a diverse cohort of lively, questioning, and curious minds who are studying and researching some of the most pressing issues in global politics today.

Excellence in teaching and research are the long-standing hallmarks of PAIS, but our supportive and inclusive ethos is to equip every member of the Department to develop their own voice. To a large extent, studying for a degree in PAIS involves pursuing your own interests in politics and global affairs, and reflecting on and delivering your own interpretation and evaluation of political arrangements in the light of the best scholarship available. PAIS will offer you opportunities to enhance your knowledge of Politics and International Studies, to develop your academic and professional skills, and to help prepare you for the next step of your career and/or further study.

Ranked 1st in the UK for research environment and 4th for research power in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and 1st among our Russell Group peers in every category of the 2022 National Student Survey (NSS), we are very proud of PAIS and we hope that you will share this pride as you join our learning community.

As one of the largest, most dynamic, and highly ranked Politics and International Studies Departments in the UK and Europe, we offer a wide-ranging choice of research-led modules on almost every aspect of Politics – spanning across our pathways in Political Theory, International Relations and Security, International Political Economy, and Comparative Politics and Quantitative Methods.

Intellectually, PAIS modules enable you to analyse cross-cutting contemporary themes of crucial policy importance in a global context – themes such as Brexit, climate change, migration, poverty, race, gender conflict and war, to name only a few. All of our academic staff are research-active and many are internationally recognised in their respective fields. This means that they can bring to the classroom the most advanced and exciting political knowledge and experience. It also means that your reading lists will be full of books and articles written by the people who teach you.

Over the past few years, PAIS has added new modules to the curriculum in quantitative methods, climate change, and war studies. We are working hard to liberate and decolonise the curriculum and to diversify reading lists in order that they are inclusive of a wide range of stand points and experiences.

But a PAIS degree is so much more than just gaining expertise in the fascinating discipline of Politics and International Studies. We make sure that you have plenty of opportunities for personal and professional development, including study abroad, enabling you to acquire transferable skills to enhance your employability; you can also apply for the opportunity to work alongside academic staff on a research project in order to hone your analytical skills. We also have a thriving student-run Politics Society.

In PAIS, all teaching, research, and professional services colleagues are here to offer you strong academic support in your study choices and through personal tutoring. We listen carefully to the student voice – not only via the NSS, but also the Warwick Student Survey, PAIS module evaluation surveys, and the Student-Staff Liaison Committees.

A PAIS degree will set you on the path to achieving your career ambitions. Whether you are looking to move into a wide array of professions or into further study at Masters or Doctoral level, you will find that PAIS alumni are in extremely high demand. We are consistently in the top 10 across all the major league tables in terms of graduate prospects and careers.

All of my colleagues and I look forward to seeing you develop academically in the Department, and we will be proud to see you successfully graduate in three or four years’ time.

I really hope that you enjoy your time in PAIS.

Matthew Clayton, Head of Department

Welcome WeekLink opens in a new window

Activities and events designed to provide you with the best start to life at Warwick.

Module ChoicesLink opens in a new window

More about modules on offer and how to register.

FAQsLink opens in a new window

Questions you may have before joining Warwick.