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Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:21,M:24

Access to Humanities Course

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

GCSEs: English/Welsh Language Grade C

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

International students will also require a score of 4 at Higher Level English Language or Literature, or 5 at Standard Level English Language or Literature.

UCAS Tariff

120

Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Politics

Economic policy

Studying a Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree allows you to explore global power and influence, bringing together the critical methods of understanding the social and human world we inhabit. You will develop a broad perspective encompassing moral and political philosophy, ethics, justice and society, British politics and public policy, political economy and globalisation, as well as econometrics and European economic migration.

Teaching is delivered by specialist academics and members of parliament, while the competitive option of an internship at the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff may see you working closely with assembly ministers.

This intellectually demanding three-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 in the Top-10 for teaching experience (Times and Sunday Times 2018) Top-20 in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and Top-20 for career prospects (Guardian University Guide 2018). Some 91% of graduates from this subject area are employed or in further study 6 months after graduating (Destination of Leavers from HE survey 2015) and 74% of our students achieved a 1st class or 2.1 honours degree in 2017/18.

Your early studies will concentrate on fundamental questions of philosophy, micro-economics, and politics and the people. 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.

Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, 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 interests, and a substantial dissertation project. A number of work placement programmes are available to help you prepare for graduate life.

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.

"Studying PPE at Swansea has been an amazing experience. The subject matter is diverse and interesting and whilst the workload can be heavy at times, the different perspective each subject teaches is invaluable. The three subjects interact and combine to give a deeper and more complete understanding of issues. The National Assembly internship option is unique to Swansea and absolutely priceless for any student considering a career in politics." – Joe Wilson.

Graduates have advanced to careers in sectors such as education, politics, media and humanitarian services. Employers have included the Labour Party, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Westminster Forum Projects.

Please visit our course page for more information:
swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/artsandhumanities/politics-and-international-relations/ba-ppe-l0v0/

**We guarantee that you will be made a conditional offer for a course at Swansea University. Subject requirements will apply. Please come along to our next Open Day or get in touch for further information.**

Modules

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:

• Living Well and Doing Good – An Introduction to Ethics
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Political Philosophy

In your second and third year you will study a mixture of compulsory and choose optional modules from a vast selection.

Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:

• Philosophy and Enlightenment
• The State and Political Institutions
• Economic Development
• Politics and International Development
• The Family and Children: Ethics and Policy

Your final year will include an optional independent study 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-philosophy-politics-economics/

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, Philosophy and Economics 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-philosophy-politics-economics/or get in touch with us at [email protected]

The Uni


Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

Political and Cultural Studies

Read full university profile

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.

65%
Politics
90%
Economic policy

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

81%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
60%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

59%
Library resources
66%
IT resources
67%
Course specific equipment and facilities
50%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
69%
Male students
31%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

Economics

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
67%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
83%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
83%
Male students
17%
Female students
85%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
34%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
12%
Other administrative occupations
8%
Childcare and related personal services

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.

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.

£23,400
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
68%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

46%
Business, research and administrative professionals
29%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
12%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

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.

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

£19k

£24k

£24k

£25k

£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.

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.

£23k

£23k

£31k

£31k

£39k

£39k

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.

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.

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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