Skip to main content

Visit to apply

1st in London for Politics graduate jobs and further study (LEO 2024)

Politics and History BSc

Key Information

Course code

LVG1

LVF1 with placement

Start date

September

Placement available

Mode of study

3 years full-time

4 years full-time with placement

Fees

2024/25

UK £9,250

International £19,430

Scroll to #fees

Entry requirements

2024/25

ABB - BBC (A-level)

DMM (BTEC)

29 (IB)

Scroll to #entryRequirements

Overview

3rd in London, 11th in UK for Politics - National Student Survey 2024

If you’re interested in politics and history, you don’t have to substitute one for the other. Why not study both in a combined degree? You’ll find they complement each other in so many ways. What is modern politics anyway but a reflection of yesterday’s political decisions?

Politics and history at Brunel is a dynamic combination of high level study in both subjects. Your politics studies will help you address critical questions like: Who has political power? Why do they have it? And in whose interest do their exercise it? Meanwhile, your studies in history will take you back into the societies of the past in Britain, Europe and the wider world to help you understand contemporary issues all the more. Both subjects will help to demonstrate your intellectual acumen and understanding of world affairs, which will be an asset in so many fields of work.

Whether you’re studying modern Africa, imperialism or intelligence and security, you’ll not just learn about them – you’ll be analysing them using the tools of political science or craft of the historian to help deepen your understanding and critical thinking.

Opt for a placement year and you'll gain work experience that is highly valued by employers. Brunel students have secured placements in the Environmental Audit Committee, the House of Commons, Directorate of Gender Affairs, HM Treasury and the Competition Commission, to name only a few.

It’s a competitive world out there, so you’ll get plenty of support from your lecturers and the University’s Professional Development Centre to help prepare you for your placement year and the world of work.

Why not increase your career options with an accredited journalism course, a free modern language course, or a social media internship? You can even opt to study part of your degree abroad in one of our partner universities in Europe, or participate in an exchange programme to China or the USA.

It’s all available at Brunel to help you make a difference in the world – now and in the future.

Brunel politics and history graduates enter diverse careers. Many of our former students go into politics and the civil service and some are currently at GCHQ and military intelligence. Others work in the public and private sector like the NHS, international banks, business consultancy, law, NGOs and the media.

Course content

The course content is made up of a variety of subject area strands that can be studied across all three years of the programme. At every level, there are modules relating to each strand. After taking the compulsory modules in the first year, you can choose to study across a range of strands, or specialise in particular strands. Below is a list of the strands:

History (compulsory elements): This strand focuses on the history of Britain, Europe and the wider world. There will be a chance to explore the social, cultural and political dimensions to the formation and interaction of nations as well as important human phenomena such as exploration, migration and war. There will also be a chance to focus on what historians do and how they do it. You will look at debate, fake debate (e.g. Holocaust denial), controversy and primary sources and, in so doing, build up the skills for your dissertation.

History (elective elements): This strand builds on the strand above. You will be able to develop specialisms in the history of Africa and America or focus on diplomacy and war or study issues of race, gender and identity.

Politics (compulsory elements): This strand equips you with tools to understand contemporary politics at every level. It will focus on political thought as well the differences between diverse political systems (including Britain). You will also you develop the tools for sustained research in political science. This will include research design, qualitative methods, such as interview techniques, as well as quantitative analysis of, for example, polling data.

Politics (elective elements): This strand builds on the strand above. You will be able to study the policies and political systems of other countries, political behaviour and elections and issues of race, culture, identity and public policy.

Compulsory

  • Africa and the World

    Since 1918, Europe has experienced war, genocide, economic depression, ideological conflict and the loss of its colonial Empires, as well as wide-ranging and unprecedented social, economic, political and cultural change. This module examines this history, exploring the events that enveloped the continent, considering Europe’s interactions with the wider world, and examining the experiences of Europeans who lived through these changes. 

  • From Bolshevism to Brexit. People and Power in Europe

    Since 1918, Europe has experienced war, genocide, economic depression, ideological conflict and the loss of its colonial Empires, as well as wide-ranging and unprecedented social, economic, political and cultural change. This module examines this history, exploring the events that enveloped the continent, considering Europe’s interactions with the wider world, and examining the experiences of Europeans who lived through these changes. 

  • Race, Multiculturalism and British Politics: Concepts and Debates

    This module delves into the politics of race and multiculturalism in contemporary Britain by focusing on a number of concepts such as racism, islamophobia, integration, and national identity. Through examining key scholarly texts and debates, students will develop essential skills in critical reading and analysis.

  • Reason, Unreason, and the People: Political Thought from Hobbes to Freud

    This module introduces students to the main thinkers in political thought through the idea of reason and unreason, and asks: who are the people?

  • Introduction to Comparative Politics

    The module introduces students to the study of comparative politics and examine how the design of political institutions reflects competing visions of democracy and the implications this has for the processes that link citizens and policymakers. Students will focus on various aspects of the political system such as the differences between parliamentary and presidential systems, federal and unitary systems, electoral rules, party systems.

  • Global London

    Through focusing on the concept of ‘Global London’, this module shows you how the social sciences can enable you to better understand their lived social environment. It introduces you to the techniques used by a range of disciplines within social science for gaining and validating knowledge of the social world and equips you with an academic skill base appropriate for university study. 

Compulsory

  • Explaining Politics: Quantitative Political Science in Practice

    This modules aims to provide students with the skills to analyse political data and introduce methods for gathering and understanding data. Students will be encouraged to critically engage with the use of existing statistical data in political discourse and demonstrate the importance of quantitative analysis in domestic and international politics.

  • From Student to Scholar: Successful Research in the Modern World

    Preparing students for their final year dissertation begins in the second year in From Student to Scholar: Successful Research in the Modern World. This module introduces students to a variety of analytical perspectives, research methods and techniques used in designing a research project in politics, international relations and international politics.

  • The First World War: Causes, Course, Consequences

    This module aims to introduce the main areas of debate surrounding the origins, course and consequences of the First World War and to introduce the range of different interpretative and historiographical tools used by historians in categorizing and understanding the First World War.

  • Historians and their Craft

    This module prepares students for the Dissertation by introducing them to some methodological and theoretical issues that historians encounter in the practice of history. Students are introduced to ways in which historians have engaged with other disciplines. They reflect upon public history and why history matters in today’s society by tracing developments in historical method and examining different approaches to history.

  • Elections, Parties & Voters in the UK

    The aim of this module is to examine and evaluate the major issues and controversies in the study of elections, voting behaviour and political parties in Britain, and to provide a basis for comparative analysis. It seeks to provide a sophisticated examination of changing election outcomes, changing electoral behaviour, party ideology, party organisation and party systems. 

Optional

  • Australia and The Modern World

    The module focuses on Australia’s connections with the wider world from the European maritime voyages to the Pacific in the eighteenth century up to contemporary times. Major themes dealing with varied aspects of Australia’s role in the modern world have been selected for study.

  • Climate Politics

    This module aims to enable students to attain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts and theories in the politics and political economy of climate change. It will provide students with resources to assist them in making informed judgments on a range of questions and debates.  

  • Colonialism and Decolonization in Africa

    Africa is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented regions of the modern world. More often than not, its history is presented as a long series of human disasters, conflict, and disorder. However, Africa’s modern history is also one of resistance, and dynamic and creative responses to changing circumstances. This module examines Africa’s multifaceted history since about 1800.

  • Colonialism, Migration and Global Racism

    This module explores the concept, meaning and practices of ‘race’, ethnicity, racialization, and global racisms. It identifies how ‘race’ and racism have evolved over time, and in different contexts - both nationally in the contemporary UK as well as in other parts of the world. 

  • Comparative Electoral Systems

    This module aims to provide students with an understanding of political institutions and their impact through institutional analysis and modern institutional theory and explores single case studies, cross-case and cross-temporal comparisons. The module is divided in three parts; part one covers the theoretical approaches in new institutionalism, part two covers specific institutions and part three covers the influence of institutions on policy.

  • History of the Women’s Movement in the West, c. 1790-1930

    In this module students will explore the rise and progress of the ‘first wave’ women’s movement in Britain, America and Europe, from c.1790 – 1920 and develop an understanding of the ideological foundations of the women’s movement and campaign for suffrage. It will identify the relationship between the British, American and European campaigns for suffrage, and examine the campaigning strategies and networks developed by women activists.

  • Issues in American Politics

    This module familiarises students with contemporary issues on the American political agenda and demonstrates how politicians adapt policy stances and organisational and electoral strategies to accommodate change in political debate. Students are encouraged to adopt a more interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to learning about American politics by examining social, moral, cultural and economic issues through a partisan political perspective.

  • National Security Intelligence

    This module furnishes students with an overview to the field of national security intelligence. It also examines in greater detail intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence, covert action, and other selected topics.

  • Plato’s Republic

    This module involves a close reading of the foundatonal text in political thought: Plato's Republic.

  • Social Welfare: Politics and Policy

    This module examines the way our society provides safety nets for people in poverty, how these policies are changing, and how well they work. Using policy case studies from the UK, US and Europe, we look at a range of evidence to understand how well modern welfare states work, attitudes towards welfare programmes and recipients, and future policy challenges.

  • The State and Revolution

    This module provides students with an understanding of the historical emergence of two of the central concepts of modern political thought: the state and revolution, or the constitution of political order and the process of fundamental political transformation. We study the development of these concepts in some of the major events of political modernity, from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

  • Unity and Cultural Diversity

    In this module students will gain an understanding of the texts of political theorists who focus on the issue of fostering unity among the culturally diverse citizens of a modern polity. Students will also gain an understanding of case studies that help to illuminate the difficulties of fostering unity among the culturally diverse citizens of a modern polity.

  • The African American Struggle for Civil Rights, 1941-1992

    This module aims to examine the tactics and strategies employed by African Americans during the period 1941 to 1992, thereby helping students to gain a critical understanding of the roles of various groups within African American society in the pursuit of civil rights. 

  • Gender, Sexuality and Feminism

    This module will introduce students to core ideas in feminism via the key concepts of gender and sexuality. It will develop students’ understandings of social structures, human cultures, and economic inequalities and political relationships. The course will offer theoretical tools and historical insights into gendered, feminised, and sexualised socio-cultural worlds.

Compulsory

  • Politics and History Dissertation

    The final year dissertation provides undergraduates with the opportunity to provide evidence of abilities not usually measured by the written papers and assessments through their degree - notably the ability to work independently in a subject area of the student’s choice.

  • Advanced Research Skills for Politics and International Politics
  • Advanced Research Skills for History

Optional

  • Advanced Applied Quantitative Methods

    This module will introduce methods suited to analysing complex political data as well as encouraging students to engage with and communicate the use of existing statistical data in the study of political science and in practical application in the political world.

  • Apocalypse! Crisis and Society

    Explore the social & political significance of representations of national and global crises, and public perceptions of controversies. Students analyse dystopian popular and scientific discourses that dwell on disorder and catastrophe. Indicative content includes risk, uncertainty, globalisation, the environment, disease, capitalism. Public understanding, perception and engagement with popular and scientific controversies and notions of crisis.

  • Borders, Nations and Belonging in Modern Europe

    From Brexit to the wall between the USA and Mexico, borders are an important part of contemporary political debate. But where do our ideas about borders come from? Why do borders represent such powerful symbols? And who makes decisions about who can and cannot cross? This module explores these questions (and others) through the history of borders in modern Europe.

  • Crisis and Critique

    The main aim of the module is to provide students with an understanding of some of the major socio-political crises in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the ways in which they have been understood by political theorists.

  • European Union Politics: Problems and Prospects

    In this module students will discuss the development and functioning of the EU from its inception to the present day and be introduced to and learn to evaluate a range of theoretical perspectives on the EU’s creation, development and functioning. Students will examine a range of political problems in the European integration process, such as legitimacy, domestic and social impact, institutional and policy reform, enlargement, and future directions.

  • Fascist Italy, 1919-1945: Revolution, Conflict and Collapse

    This module explores the rise and fall of Fascist Italy through political, socio-cultural, economic and military perspectives, among others.

  • Marx and the Critique of Political Economy

    This module involves reading several key works by Marx, culminating in several weeks on Das Kapital

  • Lawyers, Guns and Money: Making the modern world-system

    This module will explore issues raised by historical and political sociology regarding the development of the modern world-system. In particular the course will focus upon the rise to dominance of Europe in the building of the modern world-system and the explanations offered for this.

  • Long Walk to Freedom: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid in South Africa

    Encouraging students to consider the extent to which the current situation in South Africa is a product of the colonial era, postcolonial circumstance, or Africa’s deeper past. It will familiarise students with the main developments in Africanist and South Africanist historiography and encourage students to study South African history from both an Afro-centric and European perspective.

  • Making the Social

    An introduction to core concepts in social theory. The emphasis is on concepts through which students can relate to the worlds they inhabit and the lives they live, connecting these to a broad canvas: the diversity of social existence and the sweep of human history. The focus is on basic building blocks of social existence.

  • Media, Politics & Power in America

    This module seeks to familiarise students with the contemporary issues agenda in American politics. It seeks to demonstrate the ways in which politicians and institutions adapt policy stances and organisational strategies to accommodate changes in the nature, content and direction of political debate.

  • Psychogeography

    In this module you will study the relationship between the individual and their environment, both in situ and in movement, to reconsider habitual understandings of how we live in and move through our environment. 

  • Public Policy Analysis

    How do governments make public policy? Why do public policies vary across countries? How can public policy be analysed? These are the questions that will be explored in this module. The module will provide the participants with a strong theoretical foundation for analysing public policy and skills to communicate the analyses to non-academic stakeholders in public policy.

  • Religion and Power in South Asian History

    What is the relationship between religious identity and social, political, military, or economic power? In this module, we examine the role that religious practice and belief has played in South Asian societies from the early modern through the contemporary era. We introduce the intersecting histories of major South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and Buddhism, among others. 

  • Slavery and Abolition in the Atlantic World
  • Terrorism and Counterterrorism

    This module aims to address a series of empirical questions regarding the causes, conduct, and consequences of campaigns of terrorism in the modern world. It provides students with an understanding of a series of key debates in the social science literature.

  • The Arab-Israeli Conflict

    We survey the Arab-Israeli conflict, covering three overarching themes: 1) Origins of the Conflict; 2) Evolution of the Conflict; and 3) Peace and its Limits. The module covers the origins of both national movements, the development of the conflict under British rule, the major Arab-Israeli wars, peace agreements, and it ends with recent events. 

  • The British Maritime World, 1660-1815

    The module focuses on the British Maritime World in a period that witnessed significant advances in oceanic exploration, trade and shipping and increased naval protection and supremacy. Students will cover both a broad overview of selected important topics and closer focus on varied types of primary source material.

  • The Creation of the Western Alliance, 1945-1955

    Students will examine from an international history perspective the process by which the NATO alliance was formed in the years following the Second World War. They will analyse and evaluate the historical evidence underpinning competing theories concerning the growth of confrontation between Britain, Western Europe, and the United States on the one hand and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the other.

  • The Second World War

    This module explores the military, political and socio-economic events and developments of the Second World War. Students will focus on the historiography and cultural significance of the war up to the present day and will adopt an “international history” approach by building its analysis around the interaction of states and peoples in this global conflict.

  • Violence and Conflict in Eastern Africa

    In this module students will explore the role of violence and conflict in the course of eastern Africa’s modern history. Students will gain an in depth understanding of the ways in which violence and conflict have influenced economy, society and polity in the modern era, through a consideration of broad themes, such as age, ethnicity, and resources, as well as specific case studies taken from across the region.


This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.


Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Careers and your future

A major attraction of our courses is the wide variety of career opportunities to which they can lead. Some go into Politics and the civil service and have worked for Members of the Parliament such as John McDonnell MP, or former Labour party general secretary Baroness McDonagh. Other graduates have joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office, GCHQ and military intelligence.

Many have gone on to work in public and private sector organisations, such as Chase Manhattan, Marks and Spencer, British Airways, Coca Cola Schweppes, HSBC, and the NHS Confederation.

Significant numbers have taken further training to pursue careers in broadcasting, journalism, law, and teaching at every level.

A degree in history equips you for work as a researcher, teacher or librarian, as well as for careers in the museum and heritage sectors, in NGOs and government agencies, the civil service etc. Past students have also gained employment in company management, business, consultancy and law practice.

UK entry requirements

2024/25 entry

  • GCE A-level ABB-BBC.
  • BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DMM.
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM with an A-level at grade C.
  • BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma Merit with A-levels grade BB.
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma 29 points. GCSE English equivalent Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4 and Mathematics Standard Level 4 or Higher Level 4
  • Obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points in the  Access to HE Diploma .
  • T levels : Merit overall

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.

Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

EU and International entry requirements

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)  

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£9,250 full-time

£1,385 placement year

International

£19,430 full-time

£1,385 placement year

Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.

Teaching and learning

You'll be taught by world leading experts in your field of study, and have the opportunity to interact with fellow students on London’s leading campus University.

Your programme will consist of various learning and studying activities, including lectures, seminars and discussions. Students will study six modules during two terms across the academic year (4 modules and a dissertation in the third year). Each module will have on average two-to-three hours in person contact time per week in lectures, seminars and workshops in the teaching terms. There will also be the opportunity for a further six hours per week to seek guidance during module lecturers’ feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels. Field trips and excursions to support students’ learning will be organised throughout the year.

All lectures, seminars, cohort meetings and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience. Online provision of some activities will be made available when it is appropriate to the learning outcomes of your programme.

Students are strongly advised to purchase core texts from module reading lists, although copies are also available via Brunel Library.

Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.

We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.

As a student of Politics and History BSc you'll have the convenience of studying within the joint subject area of the Department of Politics and History where your lecturers are all part of the same friendly team who understand the interconnectedness of the two subjects.

You’ll learn in lectures (main classes) and seminars (smaller classes focused on exchanging ideas) by academic staff who are internationally known for publishing and presenting papers worldwide and may even have written some of the books you studied at school or college.

Several are paid consultants to government departments including the Cabinet Office and the Home Office in the UK, the Council of Europe and the Georgian Ministry of Defence. Others like the historian, Professor Matthew Hughes, are internationally known for their research in military or modern history.

Also, the closeness of the Brunel campus to central London’s world-class research facilities like the British Library, Westminster, Whitehall and Chatham House means you’re never too far from a great learning day out or rare archive material for your dissertation.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Assessment and feedback

You’ll be assessed by a combination of coursework and exams, but most of your time will be spent in private study and reading. In your final year you will produce a final dissertation on a politics or history subject of your choice under the guidance of a dissertation supervisor.