Philosophy and Politics with a Year Abroad
Swansea University
UCAS Code: LV8A | Bachelor of Arts - BA
Swansea University
UCAS Code: LV8A | Bachelor of Arts - BA
Entry requirements
A level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
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.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.
About this course
Some of the major issues of our time, such as the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit, the American presidency of Trump, climate change and Covid-19, have not only generated substantial interest in politics, but also prompted reflection on key philosophical concepts such as democracy, freedom, truth and justice. The BA Philosophy and Politics degree at Swansea University enables students to explore fundamental questions about the world around us and the kind of society that we want to live in. This includes what it means to be free, the most desirable form of democracy, the nature of the self and how to live a morally good life.
The BA Philosophy and Politics with a Year Abroad degree equips you with key intellectual skills that are much sought-after by many employers. These include critical thinking, problem-solving, open-mindedness and effective information analysis.
With teaching informed by the research expertise of members in our Department of Politics, Philosophy and International Relations, you will study modules at the intersection of philosophy and politics, allowing you to explore the ways that philosophy and politics connect and how they can be combined to understand and overcome the major social challenges that we face.
Philosophy at Swansea is ranked:
- 1st in the UK for Teaching on my Course (NSS 2024*)
- 1st in the UK for Student Voice (NSS 2024*)
Politics at Swansea is ranked:
- 4th in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
- 8th in the UK for Academic Support (NSS 2024*)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2024, when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 2024, when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 15 to 16 in the NSS 2024, when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
The degree programme provides a tailored suite of modules to ensure a focused and rich experience of philosophy and politics. This includes specialist modules that explore some key intersections of philosophy and politics. At the same time, there is sufficient variety and flexibility to ensure that you can shape the degree around your own interests.
Philosophy and Politics graduates can look at careers in human resources (HR), finance and marketing, public relations (PR) and sales. They are also well-equipped for the civil service and teaching.
You will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year.
Modules
In Year 1, you will typically study areas including:
Introduction to Politics
Political Philosophy
Living Well and Doing Good - An Introduction to Ethics
In Year 2, you will typically study areas including:
Global Justice and Human Rights
The History of Political Thought
Philosophy of the Enlightenment
America in Crisis: From the Tet Offensive to Trump
and others
In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to spend a year abroad, broadening your skills and experiencing different cultures. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year.
Your final year will include a compulsory independent dissertation project. You will also typically study areas including:
The Philosophy and Politics of Identity
Capitalism and Justice
Genocide
Reality and Cognition: Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Africa in International Relations
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 Philosophy and Politics degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
Extra funding
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/scholarships/
Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/academi-hywel-teifi/learn/scholarships/
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
College of Arts and Humanities
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score 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.
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)
Philosophy
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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.
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.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
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.
£16k
£25k
£30k
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.
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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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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?
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