Philosophy, Politics and Economics with a Year in Industry
Swansea University
UCAS Code: L0V3 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Swansea University
UCAS Code: L0V3 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities Course D: 21 credits M: 24 credits
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.
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
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 degree helps to provide graduates with a wealth of inspiring career opportunities thanks to numerous transferable skills which are highly valued by employers.
Based on Singleton Campus, you will benefit from being part of a lively and diverse teaching and research environment.
Economics at Swansea is ranked:
**Top 20 for Student Satisfaction** (Complete University Guide 2025)
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*)
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)
Our unique internship scheme with the National Assembly for Wales gives you the valuable opportunity to spend a semester working one day a week for an Assembly Member.
We are one of just a handful of universities to offer modules in British Parliamentary Studies, taught by our specialist academic staff supported with sessions delivered by members of parliament and the House of Lords, and staff from the House of Commons.
During your third year, you will have the opportunity to study abroad for a year at one of our many partner institutions across the world, enhancing your 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, examinations, 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.
*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
*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
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.
This course offers you the opportunity to spend a Year In Industry, in the UK or overseas*, giving valuable workplace experience. The University advocates for only paid placements, which on average have a salary of over £20,000. Unpaid placements are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Although securing a placement is the responsibility of the student, we work with a number of organisations that provide a range of placement opportunities. Students are also supported throughout their application journey with advice, guidance and additional resources. If you are unable to secure a placement by the end of the second year of your studies, you will transfer onto the equivalent degree programme.
*Overseas locations are dependent on VISA restrictions per country
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.
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
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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.
Economics
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)
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.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
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.
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
£29k
£36k
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.
£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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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?
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