Politics with a Year Abroad

Politics isn’t just about governments, it’s about power, ideas, and change. Our undergraduate Politics degree gives you the tools to explore big questions: Who makes decisions? How do societies work? What can you do to make a difference?

Politics is deeply connected to economics, history, culture, and identity (gender, race, class, and nationality) as well as to questions of values within society. Through our BA (Hons) Politics degree you can explore issues of democratisation and democratic decline, of equality and human rights, of norms and values that shape societies and individuals, as well as of how public policies are developed in Wales, Britain and beyond.

The opportunity to intern with a Member of the Senedd in our Senedd/Welsh Parliament module provides a chance to learn how parliaments and parliamentarians work. You can also participate in the British Parliamentary Studies module, partly delivered by expert staff from the Houses of Parliament. Our BA (Hons) Politics degree can open up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop research and analytical skills, as well as working collaboratively towards shared goals and equipping you with the graduate attributes highly valued by employers.

Join a vibrant community of thinkers and changemakers, dive into real-world issues, and develop the skills to influence tomorrow. If you care about how we govern ourselves as a society, how we deal with diverse perspectives, and how we can respond to global challenges, our BA Politics offers an exciting starting point for your intellectual and professional journey.

Politics at Swansea is ranked:
• 7th in the UK for Student Voice (NSS 2025)*
•Top 15 in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2026)
• Top 20 in the UK for Academic Support (NSS 2025)*
• In the Top 250 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)

*based on the average positivity score per theme in the NSS 2025 when ranked against universities as featured in the Times Good University Guide.

Our stunning Singleton Park campus will keep you grounded and offer the perfect environment for taking a break in the park and enjoying the views across Swansea Bay on the edge of the beautiful Gower Peninsula.

As part of this programme, you will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us on study@swansea.ac.uk

In Year 1, you will typically have the option to study areas including: Politics and the People; Introduction to Politics; Disinformation, Ideology and Bias: Researching and examining political data; Europe of Extremes; Living Well and Doing Good - An Introduction to Ethics; Critical Reasoning; Fundamental Issues in Philosophy...

In year 2, you will typically have the option to study areas including: The State and Political Institutions; The History of Political Thought; British Politics and Public Policy; Disunited Kingdom? Class, Race, Gender and Social Division in Twentieth-Century Britain; The Global First World War; Philosophy of the Enlightenment; Anarchy and Order: Theories in International Relations...

As part of this programme, you will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us on study@swansea.ac.uk

In year 4, you will typically have the option to study areas including: Researching Politics; Senedd Cymru/The Welsh Parliament; The Russian Civil WarCapitalism and Justice; Digital Futures; Africa in International Relations. Your final year will include a compulsory independent dissertation project.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.