Philosophy and Politics (BA)

Subject areas: Philosophy, Politics and international relations
UCAS code: LV26
Next intake: September 2025
Duration: 3 years
Mode: Full time

Politics and International Relations student

Why study this course

Follow your interests

Choose from modules across a range of philosophical and political topics, trace connections to other disciplines, and engage with new research.

Think for yourself

Critically and creatively engage with difficult problems in an independent and open-minded way.

Shape the future

Apply research to develop policies or strategies aimed at solving real-world social problems.

Connect with political institutions

Benefit from excellent links with the Welsh Government and Senedd Cymru, Westminster, the EU, and NATO.

Communicate effectively

Develop skills and experience in shaping and presenting your ideas and arguments.

How should you live your life and relate to others? What is the theoretical basis of different political and governance systems? How do they work in practice, and how should they work? What are today’s big ethical, social, and political challenges and how should we approach them? How should characteristics like gender and race be taken into account in theoretical inquiry and social decision-making? With our Philosophy and Politics (BA) programme, you’ll investigate important questions at the intersection of philosophy and politics, along with other topics from each of these disciplines.

Our priority lies in developing your skills as a global citizen and a thinker in your own right. Throughout the programme, you’ll be supported in engaging critically and creatively with difficult problems in an open-minded way, including on sensitive and controversial topics.

During your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a broad range of philosophical and political topics and traditions. You’ll develop a solid grounding in moral philosophy, will also study epistemology, philosophy of mind, and political philosophy, and will have the opportunity to study areas such as aesthetics, feminist philosophy, and phenomenology. In Politics, you can explore how parliaments and governments function, investigate how politics works in Wales, the UK, Europe, and across the globe, and evaluate key political ideas such as power, freedom, rights, conflict, accountability, democracy, and legitimacy.

Our modules provide you with opportunities to connect theory with practice in applied modules in both philosophy and politics. In addition to opportunities to explore public policy from a political perspective, in the final year you’ll take part in a project to apply philosophical research to develop policies or strategies aimed at solving a real-world ethical or social problem.

You will graduate with a range of valuable professional skills, including collaboration, effective communication, and independent critical thinking. You’ll have a deep appreciation of the ethical and social challenges that face contemporary society and industry, and have the ideas and confidence required to solve them. From here, you’ll be ideally placed to progress into a range of exciting careers.

Subject area: Philosophy

School of English, Communication and Philosophy
Get in touch
+44 (0)29 2087 4243
Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU

Subject area: Politics and international relations

School of Law and Politics
Get in touch
+44 (0)29 2087 6102
Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX

Entry requirements

We accept a combination of A-levels and other qualifications, as well as equivalent international qualifications subject to entry requirements. Typical offers are as follows:

A level

AAB-BBB

Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.

Our grade range covers our standard offer and contextual offer. We carefully consider the circumstances in which you've been studying (your contextual data) upon application. Eligible students will be given an offer that is lower than the standard offer (usually the middle or lower end of the advertised grade range).
Where there is no grade range advertised and/or where there are selection processes in place (like an interview) you may receive additional consideration in the selection process.

Learn about eligible courses and how contextual data is applied.

International Baccalaureate

34-31 overall or 666-665 in 3 HL subjects.

Baccalaureate Wales

From September 2023, there will be a new qualification called the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (level 3). This qualification will replace the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (Welsh Baccalaureate). The qualification will continue to be accepted in lieu of one A-Level (at the grades listed above), excluding any specified subjects.

Other essential requirements

You must have or be working towards:
- English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade B/6 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements.

We do not accept Critical Thinking, General Studies, Citizenship Studies, or other similar equivalent subjects.
We will accept a combination of BTEC subjects, A-levels, and other qualifications, subject to the course specific grade and subject requirements.

English language requirements

GCSE

Grade B or grade 6 in GCSE English Language.

IELTS (academic)

At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and a minimum of 6.0 in all other subskills.

TOEFL iBT

At least 90 overall with a minimum of 22 for writing and 20 in all other subskills.

PTE Academic

At least 69 overall with a minimum of 69 in writing and a minimum of 62 in all other communicative skills.

Trinity ISE II/III

II: a Distinction in Writing and at least one Distinction and two Merits in other components.
III: at least a Pass in all components.

Other accepted qualifications

Please visit our English Language requirements page for more information on our other accepted language qualifications.

Criminal convictions

You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.

If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:

access to computers or devices that can store images
use of internet and communication tools/devices
curfews
freedom of movement
contact with people related to Cardiff University.

Other qualifications from inside the UK

Qualifications from outside the UK

Please see our admissions policies for more information about the application process.

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.

Learn how we decide your fee status

Fees for home status

Year	Tuition fee	Deposit
Year one	£9,535	None
Year two ¹	£9,535	None
Year three ¹	£9,535	None

¹ The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable, we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2025/26 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.

Fees for island status

Learn more about the undergraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Fees for overseas status

Year	Tuition fee	Deposit
Year one	£23,700	None
Year two	£23,700	None
Year three	£23,700	None

Learn more about our tuition fees

Financial support

Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.

Additional costs

Course specific equipment

Any equipment required will be supplied by the School.

Accommodation

We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.

Living costs

We're based in one of the UK's most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.

Course structure

This is a 3-year full-time degree, with 120 credits of study in each year. You will study 60 credits per year in philosophy and 60 credits per year in politics.

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2025/2026 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2025.

Year one

The modules in year 1 introduce you to the key areas of philosophy and politics that feature throughout the degree.

In philosophy, this includes studying classic texts and current debates about morality, justice, knowledge, and belief, the nature of communication, and relationships between minds and bodies. In politics, you can choose from a range of modules in foundational areas. You’ll learn how to write to academic and professional standards, and practice and develop the skills that are essential to the degree.

Core modules for year one

Module title	Module code	Credits
Introduction to International Relations	PL9195	20 credits
Introduction to Political Thought	PL9196	20 credits
Introduction to Government	PL9199	20 credits
Moral and Political Philosophy	SE4103	20 credits

Optional modules for year one

Module title	Module code	Credits
Y Da, Drwg a'r Gwleidyddol: The Good, the Bad and the Political	PL9193	20 credits
Y Da, Drwg a'r Gwleidyddol	SE4106	20 credits

Year two

In year 2, you’ll explore connections across the degree in a core module on political philosophy. You’ll choose one or 2 modules in philosophy of mind, psychology, language and epistemology. This prepares you for modules in the final year that often combine different areas of philosophy. You can explore another area of philosophy through optional modules. In Politics, you’ll choose from a broad range of optional modules in politics and international relations.

You’ll further practice the key skills of communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, become more independent in your studies, and improve your ability to reflect on your own work in order to reach your potential.

Core modules for year two

Module title	Module code	Credits
Political Philosophy	SE4443	20 credits

Optional modules for year two

Module title	Module code	Credits
Gender, Sex and Death	PL9220	20 credits
International Relations of the Cold War	PL9221	20 credits
Modern Welsh Politics	PL9233	20 credits
Modern Political Thought: Machiavelli to Mill	PL9234	20 credits
The Barbarians are Coming!: Cross-cultural Political Theories	PL9240	20 credits
Ideas and Ideology in British Politics	PL9241	20 credits
Personality, prejudice, and polarisation: Political Psychology	PL9244	20 credits
Doing Political Research	PL9251	20 credits
British Politics since 1945	PL9287	20 credits
International Security: Concepts and Issues	PL9288	20 credits
Global Justice	PL9292	20 credits
International Law in a Changing World	PL9299	20 credits
Popular Culture and World Politics	PL9328	20 credits
Contemporary Ethics	SE4442	20 credits
Contemporary Epistemology	SE4444	20 credits
Minds, Bodies, Worlds	SE4445	20 credits
Aesthetics	SE4452	20 credits
Ancient Philosophy	SE4453	20 credits
Credoau'r Cymry	SE4454	20 credits
French Existentialism	SE4455	20 credits
Modern Moral Philosophy	SE4456	20 credits
Philosophy of Language	SE4457	20 credits
Philosophy of Psychology	SE4458	20 credits
Philosophy of Feminism	SE4459	20 credits

Year three

In your final year, you’ll be immersed in the research cultures of philosophy and politics to gain a deeper understanding of how current research can impact the world.

In the core module Philosophy in Practice, you’ll discover the valuable contribution that philosophical skills and philosophical knowledge can make in a range of professional organisations and roles. In this module you learn how to apply philosophical research currently undertaken at Cardiff University to generate workable policy recommendations in response to a contemporary concrete real-world problem.

In optional modules, you’ll further engage with the latest research in our areas of expertise. In philosophy, these modules often integrate different areas studied earlier in the degree, and frequently focus on problems of contemporary societal concern. The optional politics modules will challenge you to think more deeply about the nature of international relations and political developments. You’ll also have the opportunity to write a dissertation, supported by an academic supervisor.

Core modules for year three

Module title	Module code	Credits
Philosophy in Practice	SE4447	20 credits

Optional modules for year three

Module title	Module code	Credits
Business Applications	BS3547	20 credits
Econometrics	BS3551	20 credits
Financial Economics	BS3554	20 credits
International Finance	BS3555	20 credits
International Economic History	BS3556	20 credits
Labour Economics	BS3558	20 credits
Modern Business Enterprise	BS3561	20 credits
Macroeconomic Analysis	BS3565	20 credits
Microeconomic Analysis	BS3566	20 credits
International Trade	BS3568	20 credits
Applied Macroeconomics and Finance	BS3570	20 credits
Economics of Banking	BS3571	20 credits
Industrial Economics	BS3572	20 credits
Economic Statistics in Theory and Practice	BS3578	20 credits
Development Economics	BS3595	20 credits
Dissertation in Philosophy	SE4385	20 credits
Cyfiawnder Byd-eang	SE4394	20 credits
Hanes Athroniaeth yr 20fed Ganrif yng Nghymru	SE4396	20 credits
Belief & Irrationality	SE4419	20 credits
Ethics of Knowing	SE4422	20 credits
Beauty & Ethics	SE4425	20 credits
Moral Responsibility	SE4426	20 credits
A Sense of the Possible	SE4427	20 credits
Paradoxes of Democracy	SE4432	20 credits
Paradoxes of Democracy	SE4432	20 credits
Meaning Through Silence	SE4433	20 credits
Meaning Through Silence	SE4433	20 credits
Aesthetic Injustice	SE4434	20 credits
Aesthetic Injustice	SE4434	20 credits
Sociality Online	SE4435	20 credits
Reasons and Relationships	SE4438	20 credits
Disruptive Emotions	SE4440	20 credits
Speech Acts Online	SE4441	20 credits
Speech Acts Online	SE4441	20 credits
Ethics of Migration and Citizenship	SE4462	20 credits

The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.

Learning and assessment

Throughout the degree, our aim is to support you to become an independent, creative, and critical thinker.

First year teaching provides carefully structured support through lectures and seminar discussions to help you develop key skills and gain confidence. By the final year you’ll learn through guided independent reading and smaller interactive workshops and seminars, discussing new research with internationally recognised academics who are currently working in that area. You’ll have access to all course materials through our electronic learning environment.

In this supportive environment, you’ll develop your abilities to closely analyse texts and arguments, collaboratively work through problems, construct your own original arguments, and present your ideas clearly to others.

How will I be supported?

Your main sources of support are your module leaders and your Personal Tutors. You will have one Personal Tutor in Philosophy and one in Politics. Personal Tutors can advise you on academic matters, including study skills, careers, and your academic progress, as well as on pastoral matters and you’ll be invited to meet with your Personal Tutor regularly throughout the degree, Welsh-speaking students will be offered a Welsh-speaking personal tutor. Your module leaders have drop-in sessions during teaching weeks that you can attend if you have any questions about course materials or assessments.

The Writing Development Centre provides specialist support for academic writing across the programme. You can access online materials, workshops, and one-to-one meetings about any aspect of academic writing to support you with your assessments.

Our Undergraduate Teams provide academic and student support and are there to help you with information and guidance if you have any queries. In addition, the University offers a range of support services and events to help you plan your career, manage your emotional, mental and physical health, support you with financial issues, and provide assistance for students with disabilities. These services are located at the University’s Centre for Student Life. Libraries, study spaces and other resource centres will all be available to you.

Feedback

You will regularly receive feedback on your progress. Oral feedback in lectures, workshops and seminars will help you assess your understanding of the course material and your critical responses to it. You’ll receive formative comments on essay ideas, and detailed feedback on all marked coursework. If you undertake a dissertation module, you will receive regular feedback on your project from your supervisor.

How will I be assessed?

Your assessments are designed to cumulatively develop key skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking and reflection. These include critical analyses of texts, essays, exams, quizzes, presentations, group discussion assessments, and reflective assessment of your own skills. In the final year, you’ll take part in a large collaborative project that involves writing and presenting for a professional audience. Optional modules can offer a wider variety of assessments, including writing for a public audience, or commenting on an artwork or a media piece.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme describe what you will achieve by the end of your programme at Cardiff University and identify the knowledge and skills that you will develop. They will also help you to understand what is expected of you.

On successful completion of your Programme you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:

Critically evaluate some of the central theories and arguments, and their applications, in moral, social, or political philosophy.
Critically evaluate some of the central theories and arguments, and their applications, in epistemology, philosophy of language, or philosophy of mind.
Critically analyse theories and arguments from contemporary philosophical work, including intersections of different areas of philosophy or interdisciplinary research.
Apply philosophical research by drafting policy or strategy documents, or action recommendations, in response to a real-world ethical or social problem of contemporary societal concern.
Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of fundamental political concepts and institutions.
Critically examine work of key thinkers from political theory, political science or international relations.
Critically analyse contemporary themes and debates across a range of subject areas within Politics and International Relations.

Intellectual Skills:

Explain complex and specialised philosophical and political claims and arguments.
Construct arguments that support a claim in response to philosophical or political questions.
Apply standard techniques of critical analysis to evaluate philosophical or political claims and arguments.
Employ relevant and effective research techniques.

Professional Practical Skills:

Communicate complex information and arguments in different formats appropriate to different purposes.
Use digital media effectively as a source of information, a means of communication, and an aid to learning.
Contribute in a collaborative manner to discussions and team projects.
Articulate and evaluate your own academic and professional skills.

Transferable/Key Skills:

Respond to problems creatively, critically and independently.
Implement task instructions and manage workload effectively to meet deadlines.
Deliver and act on constructive feedback.

Careers and placements

Career prospects

Graduates from this programme possess a range of transferable skills and areas of knowledge that are sought after by many employers.

These include the ability to independently analyse complex problems and identify workable and innovative solutions, to work effectively with others on large projects, to communicate effectively with different audiences, and to use reflection and feedback to further develop your skills. You’ll also acquire a broad knowledge base enabling you to understand and respond to a range of contemporary ethical, social, and political problems. During your degree, you’ll gain experience of professional research, strategy, and policy roles by working on a large collaborative project. This project showcases to employers how not only your philosophical skills but also your philosophical knowledge can be of enormous value in the workplace.

University services and schemes are also available to you, providing additional ways to increase your professional skills and confidence. The Cardiff Award provides a framework through which to develop your employability further, and Student Futures is on hand to provide career advice and support in gaining placements specific to your degree. You can also take advantage of programmes like Languages for All and Welsh for All to improve your language skills, while support from the Enterprise and Start Up team can help to bring your ideas to life.

Due to the depth and breadth of their skills and knowledge, our graduates can be found in a variety of sectors, including the civil service, local government, charitable organisations, small businesses, consultancy firms, and schools and colleges. They work in journalism, law, teaching, finance, marketing, human resources, public relations, and many other professions.

Placements

In Politics, you have the opportunity to take a module that includes a work placement in an organisation that plays a key role in governance and politics. We also encourage you to undertake further placements through Student Futures in order to further enhance your employability.

Studying in Welsh

Up to 33% of this course is available through the medium of Welsh. Please contact the Admissions tutor for more information.

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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.