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Undergraduate
UCAS code:LV25
Department of Government

BSc Politics and Philosophy

Delve into the key political issues and philosophical questions confronting the world today on this joint honours programme.

Overview

Introduction

You’ll explore how government policies and decisions are formed and look at challenging philosophical questions on ethics, human rights, justice and many other topics.

You won’t simply study politics and philosophy side by side. You’ll see how each subject helps us understand political practices and behaviour and the development of political ideals. This includes examining public policies from the perspective of moral and political philosophy.

This degree helps you develop your creative thinking, communication and data analysis skills – preparing you for a rewarding career in areas such as government, the public sector, financial services, education, research or teaching.

Politics and Philosophy are ranked 4th and 3rd respectively in the QS World University Rankings – the highest ranking of any UK-based philosophy department.

Entry requirements

Here, you can check our entry requirements for GCSEs, A-levels (please read them alongside our information about subject combinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We also consider applications from students with a range of other UK qualifications and from overseas. Please select the overseas button below and choose your country from the dropdown list to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification.

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We welcome students from all walks of life at LSE. We want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation. So, whatever your background, please do apply. Get all the details on our general entry requirements.

Competition for places at LSE is high. We cannot guarantee you an offer of a place even if you’re predicted or achieve our standard entry requirements.

Our standard offer requirements are intended only as a guide and, in some cases, you’ll be asked for different grades.

Programme content

Your time will be divided equally between Politics and Philosophy and you can tailor your studies to your interest and career aspirations.

On this programme, you’ll study 12 units over three years, plus LSE100.

Year 1

You’ll take compulsory philosophy courses to the value of two units, compulsory politics courses to the value of two units, and LSE100.

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

The Department of Government is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research on politics and government.

Within our department, we have 850 undergraduates, postgraduates and research students and more than 40 faculty staff – who come from 80 countries.

Our research focuses on six main areas:

  • comparative politics
  • conflict studies
  • political behaviour and political psychology
  • political economy and institutional analysis
  • political theory
  • public policy and public administration.

The department’s work covers national, sub-national and global politics – with a strong emphasis on public-facing research.

Teaching within the department draws on these strengths and our central role in a prestigious social science institution. As a student, you’ll learn from internationally renowned academics and study in the heart of London, close to the UK’s political heartland in Westminster and the Houses of Parliament.

Our students gain the knowledge and skills to become sharp-minded critical thinkers who apply diverse analytical perspectives to political issues and conflicts around the globe. We encourage students to reflect on what it means to be responsible for addressing urgent public problems and engage in these issues in practical ways to prepare for their future careers. Our graduates find fulfilling roles in government, financial and professional services, teaching and research.

Learn more about our programmes, research, public events and people.

Your application

Overview

We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form, such as:

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although this is not needed at the application stage. See our English language requirements page.

324
Applications
38
Intake
9:1
2022 Ratio

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for each year of your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

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£9,250

Home student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025/26 tuition fee. The home student undergraduate fee may rise in line with inflation in subsequent years.

Learning and assessment

How you learn

Graduate destinations

Overview

Politics graduates have a range of skills and can fit into a variety of positions in modern life. Our former students have followed careers in business and banking, in law, in central and local government, in teaching and research, in public and university administration, and in journalism and television.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Median salary of our undergraduate students 15 months after graduating:

£38,000

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

Financial and Professional Services
Consultancy
Information, Digital Technology and Data
Advertising, Marketing, PR, Media, Entertainment, Publishing and Journalism
NGOs and Charities
This data is drawn from the 2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey, run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Median salaries are calculated for respondents who are paid in UK pounds sterling and in full-time employment.

Discover Uni

Every undergraduate programme of more than one year duration will have Discover Uni data. The data allows you to compare information about individual programmes at different higher education institutions.

Programmes offered by different institutions with similar names can vary quite significantly. We recommend researching the programmes you're interested in and taking into account the programme structure, teaching and assessment methods, and support services available.

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