Course summary

Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster. Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us. The Foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within your chosen field. Core modules accelerate your academic and professional development and you will also take modules from areas closely related to your chosen field, giving you the chance to develop a cross-disciplinary perspective on your course. On successful completion of the Foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the Politics and International Relations BA Honours degree. Our Politics and International Relations BA equips you to understand politics at the local, regional, national and global level. You'll study political ideas and institutions and explore the relationship between political theory and practice. You'll develop specialist knowledge of topics such as globalisation, international conflict, and the role of intergovernmental organisations and non-state actors. You’ll also gain the critical and analytical skills with which to understand major political events and emerging trends. We are in the centre of one of the world’s greatest cities and we use this vibrant, multicultural setting to ensure that our students discover innovative solutions to the problems facing our world. We take full advantage of our location to take you out of the classroom on visits to places such as the Houses of Parliament, government departments, NGOs, and museums. With excellent links to employers, you’ll advance your knowledge in an applied setting, gaining the transferable skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development. Our graduates go on to careers in various sectors, including the Civil Service, NGOs, international organisations, policy and research, teaching, and journalism. Our students can spend an optional year abroad, comprising a work or volunteering placement, year of study at a partner university, or a combination of the two. This is a valuable opportunity to boost your employability by developing language skills and international experience. The School hosts the world-renowned Centre for the Study of Democracy which undertakes research across a range of critical political challenges. It regularly hosts high-profile speakers at events on our central London campus. We also have an award-winning initiative called the Democratic Education Network, which facilitates dialogue between our students, international universities and diasporic communities in London.