BA (Hons) Politics
University of Portsmouth
Key Information
Campus location
Southsea, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents | £16,200/year: international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Understand the political issues shaping – and dividing – societies worldwide, and discover the integral role politics plays in every aspect of people’s lives globally.
In this BA (Hons) Politics degree, you’ll tackle the major issues facing people and politicians today, including Brexit, the NHS, and life in a ‘post-truth’ world.
You’ll learn how the political world works and look at how our Parliament functions and how the law and our institutions interact. You’ll study the historical moments that have shaped our democracy – and learn the skills required to play your part in changing minds, shaping policy and fighting inequality.
Course highlights
- Learn from the staff at our Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), whose research directly impacts government policy.
- Tailor your degree by choosing optional modules that match your interests and career ambitions, from gender in politics to radicalisation and the rise of the far-right.
- Attend events and talks led by people working in local, national and international government (including current MPs and staff from the US Department of Defence) and political journalism.
- Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament.
- Take part in a simulated ‘academic conference’, where you’ll present a paper that will be discussed with your peers.
- Have the opportunity to organise your political campaign in your 2nd year on a political issue you care about.
- Have the chance to study abroad at one of our partner institutions – including Science Po Strasbourg (France), Maastricht University (Netherlands), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and Carleton University (Canada).
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules this year include:
- Analysing Politics: Britain and Beyond – 20 credits
- Global Development – 20 credits
- Key Themes in International Relations – 20 credits
- Political Thought – 20 credits
- Politics and International Relations: Academic Enrichment Programme – 0 credits
- Professional Practice: Skills for Academic and Professional Success – 40 credits
There are no optional modules this year.
Year 2
Core modules this year include:
- Bending the Truth a Little? Researching Politics and International Relations – 20 credits
- British Political Leadership – 20 credits
- Politics and International Relations: Academic Enrichment Programme – 0 credits
Optional modules this year include:
- A History of US Foreign Policy: From the Great War to 9/11 – 20 credits
- Campaigning in Action – 20 credits
- China and East Asian Economies – 20 credits
- Contemporary Populism: Friend or Foe of Democracy? – 20 credits
- Democracies Under Threat: Global Perspectives and Responses – 20 credits
- Development and Democracy in Latin America – 20 credits
- East Asian States and Societies – 20 credits
- Economics and Politics of Development – 20 credits
- Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa – 20 credits
- Gender and Social Justice – 20 credits
- Global Environmental Issues and Concerns – 20 credits
- Ideology and Politics – 20 credits
- Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language (Institution-wide Language Programme) – 20 credits
- People and Place: Understanding the Spaces we Inhabit – 20 credits
- People on the Move: Legacy, Integration and Development – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Russian and Eurasian Politics – 20 credits
- Soviet History and Politics – 20 credits
- Study Abroad – 60 credits
- US Politics – 20 credits
- The Rules That Structure The World: The Politics and Governance of Regulation – 20 credits
Optional placement year
In this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in the industry.
We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Year 3
Core modules this year include:
- Autocracy and Democracy – 20 credits
- Politics and International Relations: Academic Enrichment Programme – 0 credits
- Project – 20 credits
Optional modules this year include:
- Africa Revisited: Nation Building and 'state Fragility' in Post-colonial Africa – 20 credits
- Digital Media and Democracy – 20 credits
- France: The Making of a Republic – 20 credits
- France in the World: Global Actor or Global Maverick? – 20 credits
- Germany in the American Century – 20 credits
- Global Capitalism: Past, Present and Future – 20 credits
- Global Health – 20 credits
- Looking for Utopia, Finding Dystopia? Ideas and Ideologies in the New Millennium – 20 credits
- NGOs and Social Movements – 20 credits
- Politics and Culture of the Hispanic World in 20th Century Literature And Film – 20 credits
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Race, Rights and Development: Global Perspectives on Inequality and Social Justice – 20 credits
- Rethinking Nazi Germany: Politics, History, Society – 20 credits
- Revolution and Repression: Spain – 20 credits
- Security Challenges in the Twenty-first Century – 20 credits
- Strategic Management and Leadership – 20 credits
- Transitional Justice and Human Rights – 20 credits
Placement year (optional)
After your second year, you can do an optional work placement sandwich year to get valuable longer-term work experience in the industry.
Previous students have secured placements at:
- The Ministry of Defence
- The House of Commons
- National Museum of the Royal Navy
We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Career Opportunities
The knowledge you gain in this course, coupled with the communication, research, critical thinking and analysis skills you learn, means you'll have many career options when you graduate.
What sectors can you work in with a politics degree?
Many of our political graduates go into people-focused roles or in roles that allow them to do research, shape social policies or bring about social change.
Areas you could go into include:
- the local and central government
- consultancy and think tanks
- lobbying
- research and policy
- teaching and lecturing (with additional training or further study)
- community development
- charity work
- careers advice
- advertising
- marketing and media
What jobs can you do with a politics degree?
Previous graduates have gone on to work in jobs such as:
- political researcher, Houses of Parliament
- assistant to Member of Parliament
- civil servant, Department for the Cabinet Office
- senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- communications officer, House of Commons
- local government administrator, Government of Jersey
- public affairs consultant
- social researcher
- information officer
- conference producer
Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate
Get experience while you study with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities and work experience. Towards the end of your degree and after graduation, you'll get 1-to-1 support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to find your perfect role.
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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