Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Year Abroad

UCAS code: V5L2

Here's what University of Southampton says about its Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Year Abroad course.

About this course Discover how the world works on our BA Philosophy Politics and Economics degree. You’ll learn the quantitative skills, technical knowledge, and critical thinking skills required to rigorously analyse past and current socio-economic systems. Through a wide range of modules, you’ll develop the ability to properly frame and explore the questions which unite philosophy, politics, and economics, including issues of inequality, democracy, justice, happiness, work, and money. You'll be supported throughout the course to develop the skills which perfectly suit you a range of careers linked to politics, philosophy and the arts.

A degree in Philosophy cultivates a deep understanding of human existence, thought, morality, and the nature of reality. Graduates are equipped with impeccable analytical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills – valuable assets in virtually any profession. This is reflected in our Graduate Outcomes where 95% of our Philosophy graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduation" (Graduate Outcomes, 2022/2023, published 2025)

Key features of the course

• Customize your degree, with a wide range of optional modules, within Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and across other disciplines.

• Benefit from small group sizes and personalized attention from lecturers and tutors, with a chance to explore your ideas in depth.

• Career skills are embedded at every stage of our course

• Access to the Southampton Ethics centre, nurturing inter-disciplinary research and outreach, and the Hartley Library, home to the University Archives & Special Collections.

• Meet others with shared interests, with exciting activities and events organised by the PPE society.

• Study and research through cutting-edge technology at the Digital Humanities facilities, such as virtual reality, 3D scanners and printers, and a 360 degree fully immersive audio-visual centre.

• Spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions.

Student Support Our courses are taught by philosophy experts with an exceptional breadth of interests. We offer high number of contact hours on a wide range of programmes, with a focus on small-group teaching and one-on-one tuition. Beyond academics, you’ll have access to wellbeing resources, peer mentoring, and careers advice, all in a friendly, welcoming community.

Further information The BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Year Abroad is a four-year, full-time course at our Avenue Campus. For details, visit our course page.

The programme is designed to ensure that your learning is progressive. You will move from developing foundational skills in the first year, to pursuing your own self-directed research project in the final year.

Year 1: Develop foundational skills in critical thinking and economic analysis, through modules such as: Truth, Knowledge, and Objectivity, Engaging Political Ideas, and Principles of Macroeconomics. Year 2: Deepen your understanding of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with dedicated modules such as Rationality, Preference, Wellbeing and Fairness. Year 3: Year Abroad Year 4: Personalise your degree, choosing to specialise in two of the three subjects, or continue with all three. You will undertake a self-directed dissertation project on a topic of your choice, and will choose from a range of specialist modules, each led by active researchers in the field exploring cutting-edge topics.

For a full list of modules available please visit the course page.

On this course you will learn through a range of activities that may include lectures, classes and tutorials, coursework, individual and group projects, and independent learning (studying on your own).

You will be able to demonstrate what you have learnt through a variety of assessment methods, such as debates, essays, oral presentations, dissertations, individual and group projects, written exams.

You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor who will offer support and advice throughout your studies. You will also receive feedback throughout your course, enabling you to identify areas for improvement before your work is formally assessed.