Who has political power? Why do they have it? To whom are they accountable? Is violent protest ever justified? If these questions evoke a response in you and raise more questions in turn, politics is the degree for you.
Politics is an exciting and dynamic subject, simulating debate and offering insight into how the ever-changing world around us works. It’s also a degree that can demonstrate your intellectual acumen and understanding of world affairs, which will be an asset in many fields of work.
The broad-based nature of the course at Brunel means you will be studying a wide breadth of modules from British politics to US foreign policy and political change. But you’ll not only be learning about politics – you’ll be analysing politics using the tools of political science to help deepen your understanding and critical thinking.
Opt for a placement year and you'll gain work experience that is highly valued by employers. Brunel students have secured placements in the Environmental Audit Committee, the House of Commons, Directorate of Gender Affairs, HM Treasury and the Competition Commission, to name only a few.
You can also opt to take part of your degree abroad in one of our partner universities in Europe, or participate in an exchange programme to China or the USA to study politics in a different part of the world whilst experiencing a new culture.
Brunel is a dynamic university choice for your politics course. You’ll be taught by politics experts who are often called on to comment on radio and television. The Brunel campus has hosted the filming of BBC’s Question Time and is a political hub during local and national elections.
Brunel politics graduates enter diverse careers. Many of our former students go into politics and the civil service and some are currently at GCHQ and military intelligence. Others work in the public and private sector like the NHS, international banks, business consultancy, law, NGOs and the media. Whichever route you chose, a politics degree with Brunel will set you up for a successful future.
Enrollment Cycles
September 2024
Entry Requirements
UK entry requirements
GCE A-level BBB.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM.
BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM with an A-level at grade B.
BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D with A-levels grade BC.
International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points. GCSE English equivalent Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4 and Mathematics Standard Level 4 or Higher Level 4
Obtain a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma course with 45 credits at Level 3
A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
TOEFL: 92 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)
The course content is made up of a variety of subject area strands that can be studied across all three years of the programme. At every level, there are modules relating to each strand. After taking the compulsory modules in the first year, you can choose to study across a range of strands, or specialise in particular strands. Below is a list of the strands:
American Politics: The United States is hugely influential both as a global power and as a political beacon. This strand assesses the nature of the American polity exploring across the three years the role of America’s political institutions, key issues facing the American political system and the role and function of the media in fashioning American government policy.
British Politics: The focus of this strand is the United Kingdom: what it looks like, how it operates and where it is going. Key topics will include the nature and working of the British state, the role and function of Parliament and how parties and voters interact.
Comparative Politics: The relationship between different polities is a key area of modern political science research. This strand engages with this by assessing in a comparative frame: different countries, their political systems and the actors engaging with the political systems. Comparisons across countries and/or across time are used to explore the differences and similarities between the systems to answer questions on who gets what, when and how in terms of allocation of resources within and between polities.
Methodology and Research Skills: This strand will help you develop the tools for sustained research in political science. This will include research design, qualitative methods, such as interview techniques, as well as quantitative analysis of, for example, polling data. There will be an opportunity to take this to an advanced level and develop key transferable research skills.
Political Ideology and Theory: This strand explores political thought across the ages from ancient times to the present. You will begin with a broad survey of major ideas in political theory, before being able to look in greater depth at particular ideologies, e.g. liberalism, Marxism, fascism and particular concepts such as multiculturalism and equality.
Public Policy and Public Administration: The focus of this strand is how government decisions, i.e. public policy, is developed, implemented and evaluated and by whom. This will include contentious areas of public policy, for instance welfare policy. It will also look at how public policy is assessed and analysed and the means by which its success (or failure) is judged and what tools can used to increase the success of implementing policy proposals.
Please see programme specification for the specific optional module combination choices that are available
This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.
Year 1 Compulsory
PP1600 - Research Design and Qualitative methods in Politics
PP1601 - Modern Political Thought
PP1068 - Modern British Politics
PP1069 - Introduction to World Politics
PP1070 - Introduction to American Politics
PP1602 - Introduction to Comparative Politics
Year 2 Compulsory
PP2600 - Comparative Political Institutions
PP2611 - Explaining Politics: Quantitative Political Science in Practice
Optional
PP2006 - Democracy and Democratisation
PP2030 - US Foreign Policy from World War 2 to the end of the Cold War
PP2061 Issues in American Politics
PP2604 - Theories of International Relations
PP2613 - National Security Intelligence
PP2614 - Ancient Greek Political Thought
PP2615 - Unity and Cultural Diversity
PX2004 - The Holocaust
PX2607 - The State and Revolution
PX2608 - The History of Political Cinema
Year 3 Compulsory
PP3003 - European Union Politics: Problems and Prospects
