Politics
Durham University
UCAS Code: L200 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Grade A in at least one accepted social science or humanities subject. Specific subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking. Information: Please see the website for a list of accepted social science and humanities subjects. Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.
Access to HE Diploma
We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Applicants may be required to meet additional subject-specific requirements for particular courses at Durham. General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Sufficient credits in at least one accepted social science or humanities subject. Due to the range of qualifications available we are unable to specify a specific amount of credits to meet this requirement, however if you would like more information please contact us with your application ID, or module list, so that we may advise appropriately.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Grade D3 in an accepted social science or humanities subject.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: To include 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level, including grade 6 in a Higher Level accepted social science or humanities subject.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Grade H2 at Higher Level in an accepted social science or humanities subject.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
Distinction in at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Distinction in at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Scottish Advanced Higher
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Grade A at AH level in an accepted social science or humanities subject.
Scottish Higher
Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis. General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Grade A at AH level in an accepted social science or humanities subject.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Teaching is at the centre of the activities of the School of Government and International Affairs, where you will enjoy a vibrant and challenging intellectual environment. The School places great importance on research-led teaching, which integrates new and cutting-edge research into the curriculum and will introduce you to a variety of research-oriented skills and research-based projects. Teaching takes the form of lectures and small group seminars, with an emphasis on encouraging our students to become independent thinkers, able to locate, analyse, and question subject material with the skills learned in the course of their studies.
Students on this degree learn through a diversity of assessment methods, including but not limited to examinations and unseen essay questions, essays, group projects, and a dissertation. Modules are assessed during the year of study, with each module offering multiple chances for assessment and feedback on student work. In your final year, you will submit a dissertation, which allows you to explore in depth a topic of your choice. You will be assigned a supervisor to assist you in the design and production of your dissertation.
All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars provide the opportunity for students to engage in discussion of a particular topic and/or to explore it in more detail than might be covered in a lecture. Student participation is an important part of seminars. This emphasis on small-group teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the number of formal sessions.
Small-group teaching and one-to-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the degree) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a dissertation – supported by one-on-one supervision – that makes up a third of final year credits.
In this way, the degree systematically transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by "drop-in" surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin in the week before the start of the course and continue at key times throughout each year of the degree.
Our degree, through the diversity of assessments, simulations, independent learning, and various classroom based activities aim to provide students with multiple opportunities to develop a range of important transferable and employability skills including: complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating work others, time management, judgment and decision making, and cognitive flexibility.
As a student in the School of Government and International Affairs, you can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff, guest speakers, and visiting scholars present their cutting edge research.
Modules
Description
Taught by expert staff, undergraduate education in Politics at Durham is structured around three main streams: Political Thought, Political Institutions, and International Relations. In addition to learning research skills, the degree includes the opportunity to study the politics and international relations of specific regions, as well as theoretical examinations that help us to understand how we make sense of a complex and inter-connected world. You will move from general study in these areas in your early years to more specialised options in Years 2 and 3.
Modules in the second and third years reflect the research expertise of the School’s academic staff. Such areas include, but are not limited to: European Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Thought and Political Theory, Middle East Politics, the Politics of East Asia, International Relations, and International Political Theory.
The School places great importance on research-led teaching, which integrates new and cutting-edge research into the curriculum and introduces you to a variety of research-oriented skills and research-based projects.
Year 1
Compulsory modules:
Political Theory
Democratic Political Systems
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Researching Politics and International Relations.
Plus two of the following:
International Security, Interdependence and Organisation
Global Regions in International Relations
Introduction to International Relations OR ONE module offered by another department OR ONE module offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Study.
Year 2
Compulsory modules:
Research Project
EITHER Foundations of Western Political Thought OR Analytical Politics
Plus FOUR of the following modules which can include the one above not chosen previously. These may vary annually but in the past have included:
International Theory
The Politics of Pacific Asia
Foundations of Western Political Thought
German Politics and Society
International Organisations
Sovereignty, State and Empire
Global Political Economy
Middle East in the International System
Democratic Theory
Politics and Identity in Contemporary Germany
Class, Nation and British Politics
Analytical Politics
Crises and Conflict in European Studies
One module offered by another department OR one module offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Study.
Year 3
Compulsory module:
Dissertation (Double).
Examples of Optional modules:
Muslims and Politics in the Modern World
Parties, MPs, and Parliamentary Politics in Britain
Origins of Political Institutions
Women and PoliticsOne module offered by another department OR one module offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Study.
Placement Year
You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more on our website
Tuition fees
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The Uni
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School of Government and International Affairs
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?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Politics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
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.
£25k
£35k
£41k
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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This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
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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