Newcastle University
UCAS Code: LL21 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
AAB. A or AS level Mathematics and/or Economics is desirable but not essential. GCSE Mathematics (minimum grade A/7) required if not offered at a higher level. At least one A level from a social science or humanities subject such as History, Government and Politics, Geography, English, Economics or Philosophy is preferred but not essential. General Studies is accepted. A level subject combinations are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Access to HE Diploma
30 level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 level 3 at Merit. A mathematic unit is required with Distinction if evidence of mathematical ability is not demonstrated by previous qualifications (minimum GCSE level grade A/7).
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
D3, D3, M2 in Principal Subjects. Mathematics is desirable but not essential. At least one from a social science or humanities subject such as History, Geography, English, Economics or Philosophy is preferred but not essential. GCSE Mathematics (minimum grade A or 7) required if not offered at a higher level. Combinations are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
We welcome applications from students offering an Extended Project and value the skills of research and independent learning that it is designed to develop. If you offer an Extended Project, it will be taken into account as part of your application profile, but we will not usually include it in offer conditions for this degree programme.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
34 points. Higher Level Mathematics desirable at grade 5 or above. Standard Level Mathematics or Mathematical Studies required at grade 6 if not offered at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Mathematics desirable but not essential. Grade O2 Mathematics required at Ordinary Level if not offered at Higher Level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
GCSE Mathematics (minimum grade A/7) required if not offered at a higher level.
Scottish Higher
AAAAA-AABBB at Higher Grade. Mathematics desirable but not essential. Combinations of Highers and Advanced Highers accepted. Mathematics at National 5, minimum grade A (or grade 1 Standard Grade or Intermediate 2 equivalent) required if not offered at Higher Grade. Where a candidate bypasses the assessment for National 5 qualifications, a minimum of grade B in the Higher in Mathematics is required. Scottish qualifications can be taken in more than one sitting.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This flexible degree is delivered jointly by Politics and Newcastle University Business School. It offers the exciting intellectual challenge of exploring two contrasting disciplines of central importance to the contemporary world. In Politics, you study international politics, political thought and political systems from around the world. In Economics you study mathematically focused modules in topics such as economic analysis, political economy, and analysing economic data. An optional year abroad is available, adding an international dimension to your study experience.
The Uni
Main Site (Newcastle)
School of Geography, Politics and Sociology
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.
Economics
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)
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.
Economics
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
This is a degree in demand, as business increasingly needs workers who can examine and explain complex data. And yet the number of economics graduates fell by nearly 10% last year, which means demand is even greater. As so many economic grads go into banking and finance, it's not surprising that over half of all 2015's economics graduates who did go into work were working in London. And don't think it's just the finance industry that's interested in these graduates - there's a significant number who enter the IT industry to work with data as analysts and consultants. It's quite common for economics graduates to go into jobs such as accountancy and management consultancy which may require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications - so don’t assume you won’t have to take any more exams once you leave uni. And the incentive to take them, of course, is better pay, which will be on top of an already healthy average starting salary of over £30,000 for graduates working in the capital.
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.
Economics
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
£33k
£44k
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.
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.
£20k
£30k
£31k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here