Studying politics allows you to know what is happening today, how change is enacted, and how you can be a part of it. The principal focus of the degree is power relations between individuals, social groups and nations – so it is one of the most exciting ways to understand why things are the way they are. You’ll study a broad range of social and public policy areas and explore fundamental issues that affect communities in the UK and elsewhere, including: emancipatory political thought and theory, international politics, digital politics, and ‘issue’ politics such as environmentalism and climate change. The course is underpinned by both the research specialisms of the staff who will teach you and a wide variety of options mean you can pursue your own interests, depending on what you choose to specialise in – with things becoming increasingly flexible as you progress through the course. In the final year, you will engage more directly with current academic debates and contemporary political developments. We place a heavy emphasis on employability and offer practical skills training, including advanced analytical approaches, which many employers look for when offering placement opportunities. This, alongside the opportunity to study a foreign language or do an exchange abroad, means that a politics degree opens doors to a range of interesting and rewarding career possibilities, as well as providing you with a much better understanding of what is happening right now. You can also combine politics with another subject and broaden your outlook still further. In your third year, you may have the opportunity to take a placement year with an employer or study abroad, broadening your horizons and boosting your employability.

Career prospects

Graduates of politics possess a number of transferable skills that are highly valued in a wide range of employment sectors.

Previous graduates have gone into a variety of careers in the fast-track civil service, the armed forces intelligence corps, publishing, recruitment, journalism, media, charities, academic research and company management.

There is also the opportunity to engage in further study and professional training, for example some of our graduates go on to study MA International Relations and Global Communications and MSc Digital Society (with specialisms in Digital Sociology and Digital Politics), where we have a growing, innovative research cluster focusing on digital society and culture.