Politics with a Foundation Year
Entry requirements
A level
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
We require a minimum of 5 passes at Grade A*-C, including Welsh/English Language
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University recognises the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as equivalent to one full A-Level.
About this course
Our BA (Hons) Politics degree with a foundation year can open up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop transferable skills, which are highly valued by employers.
The foundation year gives you an exciting introduction to higher education, exploring the humanities and social sciences before progressing to the full degree programme. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education or if you are returning to education after a gap.
Our four-year degree helps to provide graduates with a wealth of inspiring career opportunities thanks to numerous transferable skills which are highly valued by employers.
Politics at Swansea is ranked:
• Top 20 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2023)
Your early studies will concentrate on international relations, politics and people. But whether your true passion lies in American politics and society, theories of war, or ethics and justice, our generous range of modules has it covered. This range allows you to learn, discover and narrow your interests for the following years. As one of a select few UK universities, Swansea also offers prestigious modules in British Parliamentary Studies, which includes a visit to the House of Commons in London.
You will have the ability to tailor your degree according to your specific interests as you progress. The second year gives you a chance to study abroad for a semester in the USA, Hong Kong or Singapore, enriching the student experience and boosting your career prospects. Later studies are shaped by modules around your specific political interests, and a substantial dissertation project.
A number of work placement programmes are available to help you prepare for graduate life. Politics students typically develop oral and writing skills through presenting ideas in different formats, supported by strong research and rigorous analysis.
Assessment is conducted through essays, coursework, examination, presentations and a dissertation. Teaching is informed by a vibrant and supportive research environment that unites academics, postgraduates and visiting scholars around shared subject matter and international impact.
Graduates have advanced to careers in sectors such as education, heritage, business, media, politics and humanitarian services.
Modules
In your foundation year, you will explore what it means to be human – studying a range of humanities and social science topics to prepare you for the degree itself and you will complete a project supervised by an expert in the field of education.
Examples of modules include:
• Critical reflection and Problem Solving
• Introduction to Being Human
• Academic Writing and Skills Development
Your first year of study is made up of compulsory modules covering a range of themes. Compulsory modules are studied by all students on the programme, meaning you are automatically enrolled.
Examples of compulsory modules include:
• Introduction to Politics
• Political Philosophy
• Politics and the People
In your second and third year you will study a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, from an expansive range of subject areas.
Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:
• Contemporary Moral Controversies
• Freedom, Angst and the Embodied Self: Themes in Continental Philosophy
• Politics and International Development
• The Aftermaths of War
• Capitalism and Justice: Inequality, Power and Prosperity in Contemporary Economies
Your final year will include a compulsory independent dissertation project.
For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/politics-philosophy-international-relations/ba-politics/
Assessment methods
We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:
• Presentations
• Group Work
• Original Writing
Throughout your undergraduate Politics degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/social-sciences/politics-philosophy-international-relations/ba-politics/ or get in touch with us at [email protected]
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
College of Arts and Humanities
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.
£19k
£24k
£25k
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 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.
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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.
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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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