Politics and International Relations BA(Hons)

Prepare for your career

In your career you’ll need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – which you’ll get from studying one of our politics courses. 

As a student on the politics programme you have the opportunity to develop wide-ranging subject knowledge throughout your studies and expertise in an area of your choice through your final year dissertation. 

You will be challenged and encouraged to become a skilled communicator, in writing and when speaking, confident in presenting work on your own and as a member of a group. 

You will be able to see beyond the obvious, to analyse and dig beneath the surface to the root of any problem.

You will leave with transferable skills including the ability to: 

• identify, analyse and present information from a wide range of sources 
• critically examine arguments and develop original responses 
• listen, present and debate effectively. 

In your final year, your dissertation tutor will discuss your career possibilities. Outside of the course you will have opportunities to get involved in subject-related conferences and events as part of our busy annual calendar of expert speakers, debates and events. 

What can I do with a politics degree?

The range of skills you’ll develop – knowledge, practice and project-based – will prepare you for work in fields such as:

• local, national and international politics
• policy-making
• quangos
• national and international non-governmental organisations
• public relations
• charities
• think tanks
• law
• academia and teaching
• media and journalism
• business management.

Studying politics also opens up a range of postgraduate study options. At Brighton, for example, you could progress on to:

• Globalisation: Politics, Conflict and Human Rights MA
• Journalism MA

You could also choose to complete your PhD at Brighton alongside our researchers.

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

• Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
• Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
• Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
• Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
• Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
• Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more about our Careers Service...