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Politics and Economics

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

Overall: ABB Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction, 15 at Merit. Also A level Mathematics grade B. Required subjects: A level Mathematics grade B.

Extended Project

A

Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language at Grade C (4). Additionally, GCSE Mathematics at Grade A (7) (or equivalent) is usually required but applicants with GCSE Maths at Grade B (6) and GCSE Physics or Chemistry at grade A (7) are also encouraged to apply. Applicants with GCSE Maths B (6) and a Level 3 Core Maths qualification at grade B or A-level Economics A-level grade B (achieved or predicted) will also be considered. Applicants must have achieved the required GCSE grades at the time of making their application.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

33

Overall: 33 GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.

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

DDD

Overall: DDD

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B,B

Overall: ABB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths - Scottish National 5 - A Applicants must have achieved the Scottish national grades at the time of making their application.

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B,B

Overall: AABBB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths - Scottish National 5 - A Applicants must have achieved the Scottish national grades at the time of making their application.

Overall: Pass overall with ABB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.

UCAS Tariff

128-152

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Sandwich | 2024

Subjects

Economics

Politics

* Why choose this course*

Political choices fundamentally determine the economies within which we live and work; yet often economic reality seems to shape the limits of political possibility.

Our BSc Politics and Economics course focuses on how economic structures shape politics locally, nationally and internationally. Our course will introduce you to the most important economic policy questions in the UK, around Europe, and the world, and explore how those who make decisions impact on others.

Along the way you’ll be able to address important social questions behind the biggest debates in contemporary politics and economics.

This course received an overall satisfaction score of 100% in the National Student Survey 2022. The Department of Politics is ranked 9th in the UK in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, and 11th in the Complete University Guide 2023.

Our award-winning Professional Training placements prepare students for roles in industry.

We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

**What you will study**
Our BSc Politics and Economics course will provide you with an in-depth understanding of core political and economic concepts, theories and methodologies. You’ll then be able to specialise in a wide variety of areas, from political economy and financial markets through to international organisations and international trade.

Your time will be split equally between modules in politics and economics. This will allow you to draw links between the two both in the theoretical and applied fields of study.

You’ll be provided with the knowledge necessary to tackle some of the most pressing questions that confront us today, from the role of markets in civic life to the existence of rationality in decision making.

Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.

Extra funding

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

The Uni


Course location:

Stag Hill

Department:

FASS - Department of 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.

80%
Economics
87%
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.

Economics

Teaching and learning

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
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

83%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
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?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
C

Politics

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
91%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
87%
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

87%
Library resources
95%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
91%
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?

83%
UK students
17%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
75%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
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.

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.

£28,000
high
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
80%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
18%
Business, research and administrative professionals
11%
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.

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.

£27,000
high
Average annual salary
94%
low
Employed or in further education
66%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Business, research and administrative professionals
8%
Other elementary services occupations

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

£29k

£39k

£39k

£47k

£47k

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.

£23k

£23k

£29k

£29k

£31k

£31k

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