BA Philosophy and Politics
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Politics, a politics and international relations and philosophy degree examining fundamental questions of governance, ethics, and political theory. Core topics include Research Methods, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. Students complete compulsory study across both disciplines and can choose to undertake an independent dissertation in either philosophy or politics during their final year. The first year covers foundational concepts through Comparative Politics, Engaging Political Ideas, Ethics, Introduction to International Relations, Reason and Argument, and Truth, Knowledge, and Objectivity. The second year continues with specialized core modules including Rationality, Preference, Wellbeing, and Fairness: Concepts in the Philosophy of Politics and Economics and The Struggle for Democracy. Optional modules across the course allow students to explore diverse areas such as Business, Morality, and Markets, Chinese Philosophy, Crime and Punishment, and Political Philosophy. Final-year students may also choose between a Dissertation in Politics & International Relations and a Philosophy Dissertation to complete their studies.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level
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What students say
Based on about 13 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 82%
- Learning opportunities: 71%
- Assessment and feedback: 80%
- Academic support: 86%
- Organisation and management: 78%
- Learning resources: 83%
- Student voice: 74%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
What graduates do next
Based on about 5 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 80%
- Further study: 10%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Media Professionals: 10%
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 85%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 55%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 40%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 70 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 1%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 4%
- London: 38%
- South East: 38%
- South West: 10%
- Wales: 3%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 95%
- Foundation course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Comparative Politics
- Engaging Political Ideas
- Ethics
- Introduction to International Relations
- Reason and Argument
- Truth, Knowledge, and Objectivity
- A (Dis) United Kingdom? An introduction to British Politics
- Applied Ethics
- Faith and Reason
- Foundations of Modern Politics
- Freedom and Responsibility
- Global Dilemmas: Reading Contemporary Politics
- Philosophy of Race
- Primary and Secondary Education: Critical Observations
- Puzzles about Art and Literature
- Rationality, Preference, Wellbeing, and Fairness: Concepts in the Philosophy of Politics and Economics
- The Struggle for Democracy
- AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis
- Animal Ethics, Animal Minds
- Children and Human Rights
- Cognitive Psychology in Education
- Comparative Party Politics
- Contemporary Theories of Justice
- Data, Culture, and Justice
- Democratic Theory
- Digital Futures of the Past: Power, Ethics, and Representation
- Education Policy and Reforms: Global Experiences and Local Contexts
- Epistemology: Knowledge and Evidence
- Ethics of Global Poverty
- Ethics of War
- European Power and the Geopolitics of Europe and Asia
- Gender, Power and Politics
- Global Justice: Poverty, Inequality and the Environment
- Globalisation and World Politics
- Green Political Thought: Humans and other stories
- Humanities and Professional Practice
- Introduction to Experiments in Social Science
- Kant’s Copernican Revolution in Philosophy
- Migration, Borders, Refuge: Political Ethics in an Age of Mobility
- Mind and World in the History of Philosophy
- Moral Philosophy
- Philosophy of Race
- Philosophy of Religion
- Political Philosophy
- Political Thinking
- Politics and Protest
- Public Opinion in Action: What we know and how we know it
- Qualitative Research in Politics & International Relations
- Reinventing Democracy: Innovation, Participation and Power
- Self and Agency in the History of Philosophy
- Self, society, nature, and normativity
- The Government Lab
- The Mind, The Brain, and Consciousness
- Business, Morality, and Markets
- Children and Human Rights
- Chinese Politics
- Classical Chinese Philosophy
- Classical Indian Philosophy: Self, Knowledge, and Liberation
- Comparative Party Politics
- Contemporary Theories of Justice
- Crime and Punishment
- Democratic Theory
- Dissertation in Politics & International Relations
- Education Policy and Reforms: Global Experiences and Local Contexts
- European Power and the Geopolitics of Europe and Asia
- Exploring the Hidden Assumptions in Education
- Gender, Power and Politics
- Global Justice: Poverty, Inequality and the Environment
- Globalisation and World Politics
- Green Political Thought: Humans and other stories
- Happiness and Wellbeing
- Introduction to Experiments in Social Science
- Islamic Philosophy
- Migration, Borders, Refuge: Political Ethics in an Age of Mobility
- Partisans, Public Opinion and Elections: Understanding the Political Mind
- Philosophical Pessimism
- Philosophy Dissertation
- Philosophy and Ethics in Psychology and AI
- Philosophy of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
- Political Philosophy
- Politics and Protest
- Public Opinion in Action: What we know and how we know it
- Reinventing Democracy: Innovation, Participation and Power
- The Ethics of Belief: Evidence, Truth, and Ideology
- The Ethics of Climate Change
- The Government Lab
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Philosophy and Politics at University of Southampton earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £26,000 after 3 years, £32,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,000 and £42,500. The £32,000 median after five years is £2,000 less than the UK median for Politics.
What do graduates of BA Philosophy and Politics at University of Southampton do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Philosophy and Politics at University of Southampton?
82% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Philosophy and Politics at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 120 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Philosophy and Politics at University of Southampton?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.