BA (Hons) Philosophy and Politics with a Placement Year
Course options
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- UCAS Course Code
- LV5P
- Typical Offer
- BBB
- Contextual Offer
- BCC
- Course Length
- 4 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
Course Overview
The big questions facing society are both political and philosophical. Is democracy broken? Can we achieve environmental justice? Should the media be under tighter control?
Because the political arena is guided by big ideas, bringing the rigour of philosophical thinking to your political engagements and actions will have great benefits for you and your community. At UEA, you’ll work with world experts in both politics and philosophy to become a more informed citizen, or perhaps even a future politician campaigning for office, or an activist trying to change the terms of a socially important debate.
UEA’s Philosophy and Politics with a Placement Year degree is designed to allow you to engage equally with both disciplines. You can also shape your studies in the direction of your core interests which might align more to one or the other subject. You’ll also spend 9-12 months of your third year in a placement, gaining invaluable work experience and specialised employability skills in a relevant area of your choice.
You’ll thought-provoking lectures and seminars where you’ll have the chance to present and defend your own ideas and visions for a better world. You’ll be invited to student organised events like the Politics on Wednesday (POW) series, or contribute to our Eastminster politics blog. There will also be opportunities to get involved in the debates and social events organized by our vibrant Philosophy and Politics student societies and discover like-minded friends who are ready to change the world.
You’ll graduate from your Philospohy and Politics degree with a rich and flexible skillset that will be highly valued by employers in a wide range of sectors including government, the Civil Service, consultancy, NGOs and PR.
Placement Year and Study Abroad
Want to graduate with professional experience? On this course, you'll normally spend 9-12 months of your third year* in a placement, gaining invaluable work experience and employability skills in a relevant area of your choice. You'll be expected to seek your own work placement, and will be supported in doing so by UEA’s Career Central Service and your School. Support for you to find your placement will start early in the first year and will be tailored to the particular needs you'll have at various stages of the process.
The field in which you'll do your placement will depend on your own interests, and some of the preparatory workshops will help you have a clearer idea of what these are, what your values are, and which career they may lead to. Philosophy and Politics graduates go into a wide range of sectors, and so placements can be done in fields such as heritage, business, the public sector, creative industries and many more. We'll, however, require that the tasks you'll conduct as part of your placement meet the required learning outcomes and are complex enough to help you develop a range of skills that you'll be able to translate and use during the final year of your degree and your post-graduation career.
*Placements may be shorter on some occasions, or take place during different years of the degree, but this has to be agreed by the Placement Director and Learning and Teaching Services.
Have a business idea? If you’ve an idea you think would make a great business, you may be able to turn your Placement Year into a ‘Year in Enterprise’*. Your idea (business plan, budget etc.), motivation and academic record would have to be assessed by our team. Should you be given the go-ahead, you could use the year to start your business in a structured and supportive environment, accessing numerous training courses and extensive mentoring.
*Note that if you’re studying with us on a Student Visa, you can’t currently undertake a Year in Enterprise due to Visa rules.
This version of the degree gives you the opportunity and support to greatly enhance your employability by securing and undertaking a year-long placement in the third year of your degree. Find out more about this exciting opportunity on our 'Placement Years in Arts and Humanities' page.
Study and Modules
Structure
In your first year you’ll be guided to take a well-balanced mix of philosophy and politics modules.
In the first semester, you'll gain fundamental grounding in both your subjects. In Philosophy, you’ll discover how thinkers have approached one of the great questions, ‘What is the meaning of life?’. On the Politics side you’ll be introduced both to fundamental political theories and to the fast-changing world of contemporary politics.
In the second semester, you’ll discover how radical and bold ideas have shaped the social and political worlds we currently inhabit. You'll also be guided in making a meaningful choice of two other modules that will suit your interests. These can be chosen from the broad range of philosophy and politics modules. Alternatively, you can also select one or two modules outside your main subject areas from a wider range of complementary subjects.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Through engaging lectures, small seminars, skills workshops, and one-to-one support, you’ll explore a wide range of topics and approaches and cultivate your philosophical and political interests.
As part of supported independent learning, you’ll engage with diverse and fascinating texts, including both historical and contemporary works. Using individual feedback and guidance from your teachers, you’ll develop your ability to express your ideas clearly, both in writing and other formats.
Throughout your degree, we place great emphasis on working ideas through together. We encourage everyone to contribute, listen and respond appropriately in both large and small group settings. We seek out positive criticism, and polite and fruitful exchanges of views.
Each of your lecturers holds drop-in office hours, through which you’ll be able to gain one-to-one guidance.
You'll have an individual academic adviser throughout the course of your studies. They’ll provide academic and career guidance, and with the help of UEA’s specialised services they’ll also support your wellbeing.
During your time at UEA, you'll be taught by experts working at the forefront of their academic fields, who through their work are shaping the development of philosophy and political studies across the world.
How you’ll spend your time:
- 35% Teaching
- 65% Independent learning
Assessment
Assessments are at the module level and consist of a mixture of written assignments, creative projects, exams, and oral presentations. These assessments will not contribute to the classification of your degree.
You'll receive constructive feedback on both your formative and summative assessments to help you develop your understanding and skills.
Structure
By the time you enter your second year of study, you’ll have discovered where your main strengths or interests lie, and you’ll be equipped to choose from a range of philosophy and politics modules.
Many of the modules, covering topics such as existential philosophies and western political thought, will allow you to explore the connections between philosophy and politics.
Also, during your second year, there is the option for you to take up to two modules from outside your chosen degree subjects.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Min Credits: 20, Max Credits: 60)Optional B Modules
(Min Credits: 20, Max Credits: 60)Optional C Modules
(Min Credits: 0, Max Credits: 40)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Lectures and seminars will help you delve into your chosen areas of study. The teaching methods on individual modules are tailored to support your development in the wide variety of political and philosophical topics. You'll continue to benefit from one-to-one support.
In your independent study, you’ll immerse yourself in your chosen areas. Using individual feedback and one-to-one support, you'll build your skills further as you develop into a self-motivated researcher and independent creative thinker.
How you’ll spend your time:
- 25% Teaching
- 75% Independent learning
Assessment
Module assessments will comprise of a mix of oral and written assignments, including short and long essays, journal entries, presentations to your peers, exams, and creative projects. All assessments will be preceded by formative work upon which you'll receive written feedback. This is meant to help you improve your performance in the summative tasks.
Structure
Your third year will be spent on your placement, providing you with the opportunity to experience the world of work while applying some of the skills and knowledge you’ve developed during your first two years of study.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll spend your third year on a placement. You'll be responsible for securing the placement, supported by UEA’s well-established connections throughout the UK and beyond. During your placement, you’ll be supported by a placement mentor, who will regularly monitor and review your progress with you, and you’ll have access to remote support from UEA, too, to make sure everything is going smoothly and that you’re getting the most out of your experience.
Assessment
You'll be asked to reflect on your placement by, for instance, offering a self-appraisal of what you’ve learnt and demonstrating your broader commercial awareness of your placement’s sector.
Structure
In your final year you’ll be encouraged to select some advanced modules from politics and from philosophy. You'll have the freedom to shift the balance towards one of your main subjects, or to select a complementary module from outside your main subjects. Final year modules involve a higher degree of independent study, allowing you to reach a deeper level of engagement and understanding with your preferred topic or area of study. You can choose to further progress in areas that you explored in your second year, explore new topics or try out a mixture of the two strategies.
You’ll have the opportunity to explore in more depth the connections between political and philosophical thinking about history, political order and individual action. Other modules that will draw on your skills in both fields will challenge you to think about climate justice, gender power relations and the liberal principles of Western societies.
In your final year, your research project will challenge you to write a dissertation with individual supervision, the subject of which could be philosophical or political or a combination of the two.
Optional A Modules
(Min Credits: 30, Max Credits: 90)Optional B Modules
(Min Credits: 30, Max Credits: 90)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
This is your chance to explore important and compelling subjects in depth, taught by subject specialists in lectures and seminars. You'll pursue a dissertation, working one-on-one with an expert on a project of your own design.
In your independent study, you’ll flourish as a creative and independent thinker as you master the fields of study that matter the most to you.
How you’ll spend your time:
- 20% Teaching
- 80% Independent learning
Assessment
Assessments will continue to be varied, including module essays, presentations, and creative projects. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic of your choosing of 8-9000 words under the close supervision of a member of faculty. Constructive feedback will be substantial throughout so that you can deliver your best work as part of your summative assessment.
Your final degree result is based on the marks for all your modules in the second and fourth years, weighted 40:60 so that more importance is attached to the fully mature work of your final year.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade C or grade 4
In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Contextual Offers
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
A levels
BBB
Contextual offer: BCC
BTEC
DDM
Contextual offer: DMM
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Diploma: DD plus B at A level.
Contextual: DD plus C at A level.
Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A level.
Contextual: D plus BC at A level.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Pathway. Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in 45 credits at Level 3.
T levels
Not accepted
Foundation Year Options:
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as BA (Hons) Politics (with a Foundation Year)
- Further Examples of Typical Entry Requirements
International Baccalaureate
31 points overall.
Irish Leaving Certificate
2 subjects at H2, 4 subjects at H3
Scottish Highers
AABBB or above.
A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
Scottish Advanced Highers
CCC or above.
A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade C or grade 4
In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
A levels
ABB.
International Baccalaureate
31 points overall.
We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.
- INTO UEA
If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:
- T Levels
- Obtain an overall Pass including a B in the core of the T Level and a Merit in the Occupational Specialism.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
Our Philosophy and Politics graduates go on to do great things in a wide range of professions. The reasoning and communication skills developed in this course will prepare you for many different roles, within and beyond politics. They include:
- Precise and effective communication skills
- The ability to analyse data and information
- Reasoning, problem solving and persuasion skills
- Listening carefully to others, with empathy and rigorous attention to detail
- Innovative and original ideas supported by reason
- A commitment to justice, fairness, integrity, and the desire to do things that are praiseworthy.
Careers
Examples of careers you could enter include:
- Politics
- Journalism
- Civil service
- Cultural industries
- Teaching or lecturing
- Charity and environmental work
Discover more on our Careers webpages.