What to do with a Politics degree

Influence how change is made and become a voice in your community. Explore the careers you might be interested in going into after studying a Politics degree.

Aubrey Allegretti presenting a lecture

What can you do with an undergraduate Politics degree?

Politics degrees give you critical and transferable skills that help equip you for the workplace. 

If you decide to study at Sussex, you can choose from a range of modules. Find out more about our courses and course content.

Already at Sussex? Visit our careers site.

What jobs can you get with an undergraduate Politics degree?

Jobs may include, but are not limited to:

  • broadcaster
  • civil servant
  • charity worker
  • consultant
  • campaigner
  • journalist
  • marketing executive
  • politics and international development
  • policy officer
  • social researcher
  • teacher.

If you haven’t studied a degree yet and you’re considering a Politics course, browse our:

What do our Politics graduates do?

Recent Politics graduates from Sussex have gone into careers including:

  • Chief Political Correspondent - The Times
  • Communications and Marketing Officer - Beyond the Streets
  • Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Council
  • Political Correspondent - ITV News. Read Kit's story.
  • Strategy Advisor - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Political Correspondent - Politics JOE.
I took a Sussex Politics internship at National Parks England in policy and public affairs. Thanks to the experiences I gained, I am now about to start a new job at Brighton and Hove City Council in their Net Zero Team.” Ed Cornew
2025 Sussex graduate in Politics

Skills

You may develop skills including:

  • attention to detail 
  • collaboration
  • critical thinking
  • project management
  • IT skills
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Quantitative analysis
  • written communication
  • self-confidence.

At Sussex, you can further develop your study skills by signing up for a range of workshops, tutorials and online resources.

Work experience and placements

You can gain work experience by doing a placement with an organisation. 

At Sussex, you can choose to apply for our undergraduate internships with Westminster MPs, NGOs, consultancies and private enterprises. Apply for one of the below: 

  • a professional placement
  • an integrated placement if it is a requirement for a course.

This may help you gain skills and work experience before you graduate. 

Students in previous years have worked with MPs in Westminster and taken placement years at the Home Office and Ministry of Justice as part of the Government's social research scheme.

 Find out more about placements and internships at Sussex. 

You may also want to look for work experience opportunities in your own time at organisations, such as:

  • local, national and international charities
  • global development bodies
  • human and civil rights organisations such as Amnesty International
  • political campaigns and political parties.
During my final term, I was given the opportunity to undertake an internship with an MP in Parliament. This opened doors that have shaped my career ever since, and I haven’t looked back!” HENRY CHAMBERLAIN
Media Monitoring Officer, Conservative Party HQ

What can you do with a Masters in Politics?

You might want to pursue a career in any of the above jobs. Or you could think about continuing your education further.

Explore our PhD degrees in Politics.

You may then be able to go into an academic career, including roles such as:

  • researcher
  • higher education lecturer
  • professor. 

For more information about careers after a Politics degree, see the Prospects website.

If you’re a current Sussex student, see more advice from our careers section.

What do you want to do next?