MA International Relations

The MA International Relations at Tallinn University is a full-time postgraduate programme designed to provide a critical and comprehensive understanding of global politics, international power relations, security, identity, digital governance, geopolitical competition, climate crisis, inequality, and conflict. The programme is based in Tallinn, Estonia, a digitally advanced “Global East” frontline NATO state, providing a contextual setting for examining how international political and security issues affect societies and everyday life.

A Critical Approach to International Relations

Unlike many International Relations programmes that approach global politics primarily through narrow or Western-centred frameworks, this programme examines international affairs from multiple perspectives. Students explore how power and security operate at the peripheries of the international system, where global tensions and inequalities are often experienced most directly.

The curriculum incorporates relational, decolonial, feminist, and ethnographic approaches. Students are encouraged to examine questions that are often overlooked in mainstream International Relations, including whose voices shape international order, whose security is recognised, how climate crises and inequality are interconnected with conflict, and how global political narratives influence people’s everyday experiences.

Programme Structure and Study Environment

The programme is offered as a full-time postgraduate degree with a nominal duration of 2 years (120 ECTS) and leads to an MA qualification. The teaching language is English.

The programme is particularly suitable for students and professionals who want to develop a deeper understanding of global politics and reconsider conventional approaches to international relations. Evening classes from 16:30 to 20:00 provide an opportunity for working professionals to balance their studies with professional responsibilities in research, advocacy, civil society, or related areas.

Students study in small seminars of approximately 15–20 students, allowing for close academic interaction and supervision. The programme also includes a mandatory traineeship, connecting academic learning with professional practice.

Who Is This Programme For?

The programme is suitable for:

• Graduates in International Relations, Political Science, or related fields who want to move beyond mainstream Western approaches.
• Professionals working in diplomacy, NGOs, international companies, or policy-related roles who want analytical tools for understanding global change.
• Prospective researchers preparing for doctoral studies in areas such as critical security studies, relational or posthumanist approaches, feminist or decolonial International Relations, political anthropology, or planetary governance.
• Working professionals who require evening classes to combine higher education with their existing professional or civil-society roles.
• Students and professionals interested in the connections between climate crisis, inequality, digitalisation, geopolitical competition, and people’s everyday lives.

Academic and Research Context

Tallinn provides a setting in which major international debates can be examined through both theory and lived experience. The programme addresses issues connected with digital governance, hybrid threats, post-imperial transitions, European security, and environmental pressures affecting the region.

Students have the opportunity to learn from international scholars involved in research through the Central and Eastern European Security Hub (CEEShub). The programme’s academic environment connects research on security, sovereignty, and global justice with practical questions relevant to policymakers and international affairs.

Career Opportunities

Graduates can pursue professional opportunities in government structures, public service, diplomacy, European affairs, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations around the world. The programme can also provide a foundation for continuing an academic career through doctoral studies in Estonia or internationally.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree or corresponding qualification for admission to the master’s level programme. Applicants are expected to have achieved at least 60% of the possible maximum results.

Students who are in the final year of their Bachelor’s studies and do not yet have their final documents may submit a certificate showing their study results. The final diploma and transcript of records must be submitted no later than July 1.

Entry qualification documents are accepted in English or Estonian. Applicants must upload all required documents by the application deadline. Additional programme-specific requirements and assignments may also apply.

English Language Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate the required level of English proficiency unless they qualify for an exemption. Applicants who completed their previous education fully in English in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Switzerland, or EU/EEA countries may be exempt from submitting an international language test, provided they submit attested proof from their previous educational institution. Students who completed International Baccalaureate studies may also use their graduation documents as proof of English proficiency.

Accepted English-language tests and scores include:

• IELTS Academic: 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component.
• B2 First / B2 First for Schools: 169 overall.
• C1 Advanced: 169 overall.
• C2 Proficiency: 169 overall.
• PTE Academic: 59, with a minimum of 59 in each component.
• TOEFL iBT: For exams taken before January 21, a minimum total score of 72, with specified minimum section scores. For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026, the source specifies a minimum total score of 4 and a minimum score of 4 in each section.

Submitted language-test results must remain valid. Applicants from certain countries may have specific exemptions under the university’s language-proficiency rules.

Tuition and Application Fee

The tuition fee for the programme is €2,300 per semester. A €100 one-time application fee is also required.

Non-EU/EEA citizens are required to pay the first semester’s tuition fee before the beginning of their studies.

Application Information

Applicants must complete and sign the application themselves, as Tallinn University does not accept applications submitted by third parties. All required documents must be uploaded with the application by the applicable deadline.

The source currently states that the application period has ended.

Overall, the MA International Relations at Tallinn University offers a critical and interdisciplinary approach to understanding global politics, combining perspectives on security, power, inequality, digitalisation, climate change, geopolitical competition, and global justice with professional and research-oriented preparation.