Politics and Economics
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
GCSE requirements – English grade C (numeric grade 4) and Mathematics grade A (numeric grade 7).
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE requirements: English grade 4/C and Mathematics grade 7/A.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Considered on a case-by-case basis.
Considered on a case-by-case basis.
Considered on a case-by-case basis.
Please contact the school for further information.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Highers at AAABB are also required
Scottish Higher
Scottish Advanced Highers at AA are also required
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
A Levels a AA are also required
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
How do political systems influence economic decision-making? Who decides what is fair? What can be done to tackle political and economic inequality?
On our BA Politics and Economics, you’ll answer these questions through the study of global and comparative politics, as well as an introduction to micro and macroeconomics. This will give you an understanding of the choices we make as individuals, as well as the decisions that are made on our behalf by governments. You’ll learn about the complex political and economic processes that impact us on a local, national and global scale.
You can tailor your studies to your career aspirations through optional modules that allow you to specialise in areas such as international trade and global security. You can also enhance your CV by studying abroad in locations like China, Europe and the USA.
You will graduate with all the knowledge, practical skills and confidence you need to stand out to employers as you start your career.
Modules
In year one, you will take modules in political theory, global politics and comparative politics. You will compare political institutions and behaviour in states around the world and gain a thorough understanding of the history of political ideas.
You will also be introduced to the foundations of economics, and understand the role of government in macroeconomic management, such as fiscal and monetary policy.
In your second year, in politics you will choose one or two core modules and will then have free choice of one or two additional modules so that you can begin to tailor your degree to your interests. In economics you will study principles of macroeconomics and microeconomics.
In your final year, you may complete a politics dissertation supervised by an academic. You will also choose modules in politics and economics from the full range of options offered by both schools.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University Park Campus
School of Politics and International Relations
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.
£29k
£38k
£51k
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.
£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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here