External Examiner A
MSc International Relations is an outstanding programme that combines theoretical, practical, and regional themes in highly meaningful ways, meeting the QAA Framework standards for Higher Education Qualifications. The curriculum is current, well-structured, and academically rigorous, serving as an excellent pathway to doctoral studies or preparing the students with appropriate skills for a range of relevant careers.
Based on reviewing student coursework across six courses, student performance matches or surpasses that of comparable programs nationally and internationally. Some of the coursework is outstandingly original and a pleasure to read and assess. Assessment methods align well with learning outcomes, the marking process is fair and consistent across the board, and the moderation process is robust and worked very well this year with clear indications of disagreements and how they have been reconciled. The feedback is generally detailed, balanced and constructively worded. While there are minor variations in feedback quality across courses, these do not detract from the program's overall excellence. The only anomaly is a dissertation that I examined on account of disagreement between internal markers, and to my surprise the second marking was more accurate and the feedback much more detailed and constructive than the first marker’s.
External examiner B
This course continues to be at the cutting edge of the discipline of International Relations, enabling students to access leading knowledge and research from across the breadth of the field.