Politics
City, University of London
UCAS Code: L200 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
A Level General Studies, Critical Thinking and Citizenship Studies are not accepted.
Access to HE Diploma
A typical offer for an Access applicant would be: Pass 60 credits overall including at least 45 at Level 3, with no less than 27 Level 3 credits at distinction and all remaining Levels 3 credits no lower than merit.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
A minimum of 4/C in each of English language and mathematics.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
including a minimum of 5 in each of three Higher Level subjects. A minimum of 5 in SL Mathematics and English will be required.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Check with the department for acceptable subjects.
UCAS Tariff
120 tariff points from combination of acceptable level 3 qualifications (eg. BTEC diploma and BTEC extended certificate) equivalent to three full A Levels.
About this course
This bachelor's in Politics degree provides the analytical skills, and theoretical and methodological tools that will help you address the key questions that are central to understanding politics today.
You will learn to look beyond borders to develop an international understanding of politics in today’s increasingly interconnected world, as well as insight into central issues and trends that characterise twenty-first century politics.
Why are some countries becoming democratic while democracy is failing in others? How is political power distributed in different societies around the world? How has globalisation reshaped state and market institutions in different countries?
You will benefit from this degree in the following ways:
- Develop strong analytical skills, learning how to compare political phenomena taking place in different countries to improve your knowledge of contemporary politics
- Broaden your regional and country-level expertise with a range of modules on the politics of emerging powers
- Secure a micro-placement and work on a research project of your interest at a politics related institution such as an NGO, a think tank, parliament, a political risk consultancy, or the Civil Service
- Benefit from our location within a department with a strong international focus, and our exciting opportunities for work placement and studying abroad.
Modules
Year 1
Core Modules:
Introduction to Politics
Puzzles of Comparative Politics
Introduction to Political Theory
Emerging Powers in a Changing World
Introduction to Political and Economic Data Analysis
Studying Politics
Politics and Power in World History
Politics, Institutions, and Society: the Global South in Comparative Perspective
Year 2
International Politics Core Modules:
Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics
Practical Politics
International Politics Core Elective Modules:
Comparative Political Economy
Politics of the USA
Comparative Asian Politics
Political Risk Analysis
Political Psychology: Reason & Emotion in Politics
Authoritarianism and Democracy in the 21st Century
International Politics Elective Modules:
Transnational Social Movements
Advanced Theories of Global Politics
States and Markets in the Era of Globalization
Security Studies: Conceptual Approaches
Security Studies: Contemporary and Emerging Issues
Foreign Policy Analysis: Theories and Issues
Foreign Policy Analysis: Instruments and Practice
Religion and Politics in the Age of Global Change
Analysing Political and Economic Data in the Real World
Advanced Principles of Economics: Financial Markets and Corporate Systems
Theories of International Political Economy
The Global Political Economy of Development
History Elective Modules:
Fifty Shades of Red – Russia in the Twentieth Century
The American Century: The United States in the Twentieth Century
Cultures of Benevolence: Philanthropy and Civil Society from 1601 to the Present
The Making of Modern Japan
Slavery, Colonialism and Revolution in the Caribbean
Elective Modules from other departments:
New Media Challenges
Understanding Social Change
Contemporary Social Theory
Sociology of Race and Racism
Humanitarian Reporting
Micro-Placements
Year 3
Core Module: Final Year Dissertation Project
International Politics Elective Modules:
Advanced Topics in International Political Economy
Global Governance
American Foreign Policy
Political Change in Europe
Global Money and Finance
Global Ethics: Power and Principle in World Politics
The Theory and Practice of Conflict and Peace
Political Economy of Global Inequality
Ethnicity and Nationalism: Global Perspectives
Geopolitical Macroeconomy
The Multinational Corporation: Governance, Politics and Ethics
Sexuality and Gender in World Politics
Digital Politics
Global Health Policy
History Elective Modules:
Radicals and Reformers: Left-Wing Politics and Activism in Britain and the World since 1945
Revolution: Rebels and Riots in Modern History
Comparative Empires in the Modern Era
Genocide and the Holocaust in History and Memory
Disruptive Divas. Riot Grrrls and Bad Sistas: A History of Women in Popular Music
Sociology Elective Module:
Poverty: What Counts?
Journalism Elective Modules:
Reporting Conflict
Reporting Business
Elective Modules:
Micro-Placements
Industry Projects
Integrated Professional Training
Modules are subject to change.
Assessment methods
The assessment weighting for year one is 10%, year two is 30% and year three is 60%.
You will be assessed by:
• Coursework (assessed essays and assignments).
• Unseen exams.
• Oral presentations.
• Other types of assessment methods that are suitable to specific modules.
In addition, the Politics BSc (Hons) involves two research projects:
• A 10,000-word dissertation submitted at the end of your third year.
You will choose the topics for both research projects, in consultation with your module leaders and supervisors.
These two research exercises are designed to help you develop and advance your conceptual and analytical knowledge in the field of politics, as well as key transferable skills that will become an asset when entering the professional world or embarking in further studies
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
City, University of London
Department of International Politics
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Politics
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Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Politics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£29k
£36k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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