University of Oxford
The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) is a department of the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford in England.
The department was established in 2000. It has been said that a "distinctive institutional feature of Oxford over the [20th] century ... (and ... a feature considered detrimental by some authors) was its remarkably late 'departmentalization' of political science and international relations." [1] The Oxford Philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) degree had been offered since 1920, and in 1934 the sub-faculty of Politics was established within the faculty of social sciences.[1]
Notable people who have been awarded the PPE degree at Oxford include former UK prime ministers David Cameron, Edward Heath and Harold Wilson; non-UK prime ministers Benazir Bhutto, Bob Hawke, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Abhisit Vejjajiva; Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi; media personalities David Dimbleby, Robert Peston and Will Self. Bill Clinton studied politics at Oxford but did not take a degree.[2]
As of November 2021[update], the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranks Oxford first for politics and international studies (including development studies) overall, and for research, and fifth for teaching.[3]
The Academic Ranking of World Universities, as of November 2021[update], ranks Oxford as ninth in a worldwide listing of universities for the study of political sciences; the only higher-ranked UK institution was the London School of Economics.[4]
As of November 2021[update], Oxford is ranked in first place in the Complete University Guide listing for the study of politics in British universities.[5]
