Can an International Relations certificate offer a career boost?

Whether you're aspiring to take your career to the international arena or simply curious about key issues affecting global relations today, earning a postgraduate certificate in international relations is a strong move for most professionals. 

Due to globalisation and the internationalisation of various companies and organisations, the knowledge and skills you can gain from studying international relations are very broadly applicable. As such, your qualification could serve to be useful in a variety of careers across a number of disciplines. 

If you’re keen to learn more about how earning a postgraduate certificate in international relations can work for you, we’ve compiled three key reasons below. 

1. Study while furthering your career 

Investing in an online postgraduate certificate programme can offer you the flexiblity to further your education while honouring professional commitments and other responsibilities at the same time. This allows you to progress at your own pace and plan your study sessions to fit your schedule. 

With QMUL Online, we also allow you to choose which areas of international relations you would like to focus on. Thus, you not only have the opportunity to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills beneficial to a number of career paths, but also to acquire them in a way that best suits you. 

Plus, as you’re able to take on both your education and job concurrently, you have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from your course almost immediately to your work. This benefit also goes both ways, as having personal, real-world examples to pair with your learnings is often an extra aid to most people’s studies. 

2. Gain a vast array of knowledge 

The interconnectedness of today's globalised world means that the activities of many businesses and organisations depend on the state of relations around the globe. An array of matters like trade agreements, international law, sanctions, sharing of know-how, and conflict can all end up affecting day-to-day operations in a number of areas. 

For instance, security, politics, finance, sustainability management, and more can all be deeply affected by world affairs. Likewise, a significant event in one part of the world can have far-reaching consequences – a good example being the global financial crisis, which started in the United States in 2007 and affected finance and politics around the world. 

With a postgraduate certificate in international relations, you would know how to examine the ways these issues and events impact the wider world. Ranging from the development of foreign policy to the nature of global commodity chains and capital flows, the field offers a variety of perspectives that can allow international professionals to make informed decisions. 

3. Develop skills applicable across multiple companies 

Completing a qualification in international relations also allows you to develop a broadly applicable set of skills during your studies. 

International relations students learn how to assess information critically and objectively, as they cover a range of topics from various competing perspectives. In addition to this, rigorous debate with classmates and research assignments will enhance your argumentation skills, and your ability to compile well-evidenced papers and presentations.  

Students who have the opportunity to study with individuals from all around the world, as they do with Queen Mary’s online International Relations course, have the extra benefit of developing crucial cross-cultural communication skills which will be transferrable across a number of disciplines and settings. For example, they could be useful to both a global executive making a presentation to an international board and a human resources professional addressing the needs of multinational staff. 

If you’re interested in earning a PGCert in International Relations, our part-time, online courses provide masters-level content with excellent academic and practical support: