BASS in Philosophy and Politics
Manchester, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 27,800 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
* international students fee
Key Summary
About: A flexible degree exploring ethics and politics. You'll develop independent thinking, critical analysis, and debate real-world issues through interdisciplinary units, optional study abroad or professional placement on a four-year route, and extracurricular initiatives like Ethical Grand Challenges and the University Living Lab to tackle sustainability and social responsibility.
Career Outcomes: Manchester graduates enter journalism, media, charities, consultancy, civil service, finance, marketing, PR, social work, teaching and law. Recent employers include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Google, United Nations and TeachFirst. Careers Service supports you during study and for two years after graduation; courses also embed career opportunities and networking.
A flexible degree that examines the relationship between ethics and politics.
Course overview
- Research answers to the fundamental questions in life, developing strong independent thinking and analysis skills.
- Debate difficult and delicate issues, ethics and morals, and discuss engaging, real-world research.
- Study at a UK Top 10 university for Politics and International Studies (including Development Studies), and History, Philosophy and Theology (Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2025).
- Enjoy studying abroad or a professional placement on a four-year optional course.
A study experience that makes a difference
We place social responsibility at the heart of your learning which means you can take advantage of unique ways to make a difference while studying with us, through your course or through extra-curricular activities.
- Complete our Ethical Grand Challenges to learn how you can create a better world and become more socially responsible.
- Work with an external organisation to tackle real-world sustainability problems through our University Living Lab.
- Discover subjects that broaden your horizon with our interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
Our BA in Philosophy and Politics course is one of the pathways within the BA Social Sciences degree.
It is ideal if you want to keep your options open or study specific topics, such as race, class, crime or religion, from a variety of different perspectives.
This flexible degree lets you study at least three subjects in the first year, and in the second and third year deepen your understanding of the subjects you feel passionate about.
The six main subject areas are:
- Criminology - The study of the causes and consequences of crime.
- Philosophy - The study of the nature of knowledge, truth and values. It encourages greater consideration of our reasoning, judgement and ethics.
- Politics - The study of human organisation, government and power, political systems and institutions.
- Data Analytics - The study of data and analysis to understand the social world.
- Social Anthropology - The study of societies and cultures across the globe in a comparative perspective.
- Sociology - The study of society and examines issues such as social inequalities and forms of everyday life.
You are not tied to the course code you apply to on UCAS and have the option to change after Year 1.
Special features
Professional Experience Year Opportunity
You apply in year 1 to boost your employability through a paid Professional Experience Year.
If you meet the criteria, the Professional Experience Team and Careers Service will work with you to find a suitable placement in your 2nd year.
You will then complete your Professional Experience Year in the 3rd year extending your degree to four years, before returning to University to finish your final year.
Your degree title will be extended to include 'with Professional Experience', giving you the added advantage of relevant work experience when entering the competitive graduate jobs market.
Paid placement opportunity
You can apply for a paid Q-Step internship between Years 2 and 3.
Study abroad
If you would like to broaden your horizons and your degree, you can apply to study overseas for a year at one of our partner universities. You apply in Year 2 to spend a year abroad in Year 3. If successful, you will put together a programme of study at the host university in consultation with your Academic Exchange Advisor, to complement your studies at Manchester. You will then come back to Manchester to study for a fourth year and graduate with a degree title including 'with International Study'. See The University of Manchester Study Abroad pages for more information, including eligibility criteria, destinations, costs and funding.
Coursework and assessment
The way that you study and are assessed will depend on which course units you choose. Our methods are designed to promote in-depth learning and understanding, including:
- essays, coursework, and other mid-term evaluations;
- dissertations;
- presentations;
- group projects;
- exams.
Course content for year 1
Year 1 provides you with a grounding in philosophical traditions, themes and problems.
Course content for year 2
In Year 2, you begin to specialise. You take between 60-80 credits to specialise in one subject or at least 40 credits if specialising in two subjects.
Course content for year 3
In Year 3, you pick your final areas of specialisation. You will take between 60-80 credits if specialising in one subject or at least 40 credits in each if specialising in two subjects.
Course content for year 4
If completing a year professional placement, you will take the Year 3 course content in Year 4.
Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary, are available to eligible home/EU students.
Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.
You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.
The University of Manchester has an excellent reputation for employability. For the past 5 years, we have been in the UK's Top Two most targeted universities by the UK's top 100 employers (High Fliers Graduate Market Report, 2020-2024).
Our graduates pursue a variety of careers including journalism and the media, charities, consultancy, civil service, finance, marketing and PR, social work, teaching, the law and postgraduate study.
Recent graduates have gone on to work at:
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office;
- Royal Bank of Scotland;
- the Houses of Parliament and the Ministry of Justice;
- Palgrave MacMillan;
- Google;
- Lloyds TSB;
- Siemens;
- Manchester City Council;
- the United Nations;
- TeachFirst.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.
We work with students and the Careers Service to embed employability into our courses through careers and networking events.
You can also boost your employability by choosing course units in Year 2 from the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning.