Course summary

As a politics student, you'll look at the work of governments and their policies and study the behaviour of those who govern - and who they are governing - both at home and abroad. You'll also gain knowledge of domestic and international institutions and issues relating to conflict and cooperation. We cover diverse and relevant issues, such as international terrorism to the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. You'll benefit from award-winning international academics engaged in real-world research in various fields including elections and voting, public policy, political parties, comparative political systems, international relations and security studies. Politics graduates can go on to work in a number of areas, with many pursuing academic research careers in the UK, Europe and North America. Education is essential if you wish to study initial teacher education courses. We offer you the chance to develop knowledge of the education systems of Scotland and beyond, looking at issues including policy, social justice, equity, and inclusion. You'll have the opportunity to put theory into practice in a community placement and enhance your employability. Combining education with other subjects provides opportunities for those who wish to work in professions associated with education, but who don't wish necessarily to become teachers. Please note that this course doesn't allow you to qualify as a teacher, though joint honours Education graduates will be able to explore postgraduate routes into teaching careers (via the PGDE). Our BA degrees in Humanities & Social Sciences are initially broad-based. In Year 1, you'll study three subjects, including your chosen subject(s). Ranked Top 10 in the UK for Politics (The Times/Sunday Times University Ranking 2025); Ranked Top 10 in the UK for Education (Complete University Guide 2025) This course is part of our flexible BA Humanities and Social Science Degree programme. With our BA (Honours) degree you can choose from subjects in Humanities, Social Sciences and Business, with two of your three subject choices taught by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. The BA degree is a three year course and the Honours degree is normally a four year course. This allows you to try new subjects, develop your own ideas, develop a broad range of knowledge and enhance your employability. You should only enter one of the UCAS codes on your application form. Acceptance on one of these subject codes will enable you to study any combination of subjects. Only one application will be considered. This is lifted from page 50 of the prospectus. https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/undergraduate/flexiblebadegree/ Every one of our flexible BA options gives students the chance to gain valuable professional experience as part of a credit-bearing work placement class in their third or fourth year. Learn more about placements- https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/undergraduate/placements/