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Philosophy and Politics

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A-A,B,B

Standard offer: AAA including an essay-based subject. Contextual offer: ABB including an essay-based subject. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Access to HE Diploma in Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or History (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include: at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above; and at least 12 credits (with 9 at Distinction) in a single essay-based subject. Mature students can contact [email protected] to check the suitability of their Access course.

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B, and M3 is C.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants must also meet these GCSE profile requirements: standard numeracy requirement (4 or C in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent). For more information: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/gcse/

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-36

Standard offer: 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, including 6 at Higher Level in an essay-based subject. Contextual offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level, including 5 at Higher Level in an essay-based subject. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

DDD in any essay-based Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A

Advanced Higher: AA including an essay-based subject.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,B

Standard Higher: AAAAB.

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

UCAS Tariff

112-159

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Philosophy

Politics

This course combines philosophy with the study of politics and international relations. This provides a valuable skill set ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

For Philosophy you will study units including Introduction to Philosophy, Logic and Critical Thinking and Realism and Normativity, and may write an extended essay.

In Politics you will study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between them, communities and individuals. You will become familiar with many different views and methods and learn to analyse and evaluate them.

Politics is organised around three themes:

- political theory

- comparative and national politics

- international relations.

The first year includes compulsory units to ensure you have a solid grounding in the discipline and you will have greater choice as you progress through the course.

In your final year you will choose from a range of units closely linked to staff research interests, which are unique to Bristol. Units cover subjects such as political theory, international relations, political economy, UK politics, US politics, gender, security and conflict. There is a strong emphasis on research skills, with a compulsory unit in the first year and the possibility to complete a dissertation in the final year.

You will also have the opportunity to apply to spend half a year studying abroad at a partner university. To find out more about studying abroad, visit Global Opportunities: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/global-opportunities/go-abroad/

Both schools encourage synergy between research and teaching, resulting in a vibrant learning environment. This course combination offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£23,900
per year
International
£23,900
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Bristol

Department:

Politics

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.

67%
Philosophy
69%
Politics

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.

Philosophy

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
49%
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

65%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
65%
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
50%
Male students
50%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A*

Politics

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
77%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
59%
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

62%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
74%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
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?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
42%
Male students
58%
Female students
97%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

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.

Philosophy

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.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
83%
low
Employed or in further education
66%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
13%
Teaching and educational professionals
8%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.

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.

£24,000
high
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
74%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

26%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Media professionals
10%
Business, research and administrative professionals

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.

Philosophy

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£21k

£21k

£26k

£26k

£35k

£35k

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.

£22k

£22k

£30k

£30k

£40k

£40k

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...

Higher entry requirements
Durham University | Durham
Philosophy, Politics and Economics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 152-168
Nearby University
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Politics and Philosophy
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-128
Same University
University of Bristol | Bristol
Politics and Sociology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-153

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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