Politics BA (Hons)

Key information

Duration:
3 years full time
UCAS code:
L200
Start date:
September 2025

While studying politics at Sussex, you will learn about ideas, issues and institutions.

You’ll analyse how people defend their interests and how those in power make policy, but are also held to account for their decisions. Working with our UK and international experts, you will study UK politics and compare it with politics in other countries.

Brighton is one of the UK’s most politically diverse cities. Our award-winning Politics Society welcomes figures from across the political spectrum to talk to you, including current UK politicians such as Caroline Lucas and former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine.

There’s no substitute for visiting a country and experiencing first-hand how it operates politically. Our four-day Berlin trip allows you to meet politicians in the German Bundestag and discuss politics with German students. 

From philosophy to law and modern languages, you take electives from other subjects to open your mind to other disciplines and tailor your degree to your interests.

Internship

As a final-year student, you can apply for a competitive internship with a Westminster MP.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Which different political systems does politics at Sussex cover? – Jack Stapleton, Politics student

Open Days and virtual visits

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Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are currently under review – please check back in early March 2024.

Modules

This is a single-honours course, allowing you to focus in depth on your core subject.

Find out about our types of undergraduate degrees, their structure, modules and credits

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Explore modules from other subjects as part of your course

At Sussex, you can choose to customise your course to build the sort of degree that will give you the knowledge, skills and experience that could take you in any direction you choose.

As part of this degree, you explore subjects that are different to your course through electives and pathways that complement your main subject. Exploring different disciplines in four electives across Years 1 and 2 helps enrich your learning experience.

Discover our electives and pathways

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Trips abroad

We organise trips to Germany and France so you can learn more about the current political scene and meet with politicians and academics there.

If you study German politics, you can go on a trip to Berlin to visit the German parliament for discussions with politicians from all major parties.

You also visit other prominent historical landmarks such as the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall.

Explore modules from other subjects as part of your course

At Sussex, you can choose to customise your course to build the sort of degree that will give you the knowledge, skills and experience that could take you in any direction you choose.

As part of this degree, you explore subjects that are different to your course through electives and pathways that complement your main subject. Exploring different disciplines in four electives across Years 1 and 2 helps enrich your learning experience.

Discover our electives and pathways

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Study abroad (optional)

Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career. Find out where your course could take you

If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at Sussex and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a Sussex student

Being able to study in Canada has allowed me to appreciate just how different countries’ politics can be.William Saunders
Politics BA
Studied abroad at University of Waterloo, Ontario

Placement (optional)

To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.

Find out more about placements and internships

I’ve developed my interests via an internship with BBC News and with a political party. My degree has thoroughly prepared me to enter a globally competitive job market.”Patrick Scott
Politics BA

Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid

Options

You choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Writer-in-Residence Scheme

Stephen Bush, the award-winning journalist, and columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times, is our Political Writer in Residence.  

In this role, he’ll deliver a number of writing workshops for first-year Politics students. This gives you the opportunity to develop your skills as a political writer and to become an outstanding political communicator. Stephen will also provide personalised feedback on student blogs.

Working with students challenges me to think about how I write day to day. And with our archive right here at Sussex it couldn’t be a better fit.”Stephen Bush
Columnist and Associate Editor, Financial Times 
TEF 2023 silver

Silver

The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
This rating was awarded in 2023, for four years.
(Teaching Excellence Framework 2023)

Find out more about our approach to teaching and supporting you to thrive

Our staff

Fees

Fees are not yet set for the academic year 2025/26 – please check back in September 2024. Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis.

 

Find out about typical living costs for studying at Sussex

Find out about our terms and conditions

Scholarships

Details of our scholarships are not yet set for entry in the academic year 2025/26.

Careers

You’ll gain the knowledge, analytical and practical skills to go on to jobs in the UK, EU and UN civil services, pressure groups or non-governmental organisations. We also offer sessions to help you apply for graduate schemes and jobs in the public, private, and charity and voluntary sectors.

Graduate destinations

Recent Department of Politics graduates have gone on to jobs such as:

  • UK anti-corruption policy team lead, Home Office
  • campaign management, The Diana Award
  • journalists, BBC and Sky News.

(Department of Politics careers database)

Working while you study

Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work

What kind of careers can you go into with a Politics degree? – Jack Stapleton, Politics student

The freedom to explore, debate ideas and scrutinise data at a high level has helped me flourish in the UK Parliament where, two years from graduating, I’m now a senior researcher working on writing primary legislation, which will change people’s lives.”Paul Millar
Researcher for the Parliamentary Labour Party 
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