Politics (Placement Year)

BA Hons

  • UCAS code L202
  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • A level requirements ABB
  • Duration Full time 4 years
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We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Study abroad and placement opportunities

  • Connect with experts in global politics

  • 2nd in the UK for Research Power in Politics (REF2021)

Politics affects all our lives. In this course we explore the many ways this happens. From social injustice, culture wars and climate change, to migration, crime, and declining trust in democracy. Our expert lecturers put problem-solving at the heart of your learning as you analyse the dynamics of power in modern societies. This is your call to get informed and prepare to make your mark as a future political innovator.

Why Lancaster?

  • Benefit from expert-led teaching by academics who regularly collaborate with government bodies such as UK Parliament, on important issues such as racial injustice, voter rights, and migration
  • Explore key themes from power and the state to domestic and comparative politics and policy making
  • Network with external partners, policymakers, and guest speakers who can provide valuable insights into the key political issues of the moment
  • Engage with local issues and politicians, find out what strategies and campaigns really work
  • Join one of only 20 universities to offer a parliamentary studies module, run in conjunction with UK Parliament
  • Take advantage of our annual internship opportunities, where you can work on live research projects with NGOs, think tanks and charities
  • Be a part of the only university to offer a dedicated Politics Policy School with the HM Government Open Innovation team

Tackling real-world challenges

Does artificial intelligence and disinformation threaten democracy? Why do border controls fail? How do we combat social inequalities? And why do nation-states struggle to tackle climate change?

On this course you’ll engage in these debates and learn how you could make a positive difference in the world of politics and policymaking.

Politics shapes the societies we live in, influencing all aspects of life. It often refers to power struggles or competing interests, but its scope goes way beyond this. Our programme offers innovative perspectives on the most urgent challenges facing Britain and the world today. Increasingly politics centres on identity, culture, and values. Issues such as the environment, gender rights, immigration, and security defy traditional ideological boundaries, and there is a place for empowered individuals and communities to address these challenges.

Throughout the programme, you will dive into primary political themes, studying topics such as the politics of public policy, social change and inequalities, powers and the state, domestic and comparative politics. You will also explore the world of working in politics and how this might influence your future career.

This course goes beyond traditional politics. By exploring these critical problems in depth, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of contemporary political debates and developments from top experts in the field.

Key themes could include:

The crisis in democracy - Discover why trust in democracy is falling, what it means for our political system and what we can do about it.

Global issues - Explore the politics surrounding areas such as migration and border control, AI, and climate change and their effect on economies.

Voting behaviour and political movements - Find out why some people vote for extremist parties and others choose not to vote at all.

Power, politics and public policy - Critically engage with foundational ideas and debates in policymaking, democracy, equality and justice for real-world application of these ideas.

Global capitalism and economic inequality - Explore the impact of globalization on economic inequality, social justice, and labour rights.

Assessing problems. Finding solutions.

Studying politics at Lancaster will equip you with the essential practical, professional, and analytical skills for a successful career in both the private and the public sector. We put problem solving at the centre of our teaching, and our academics will support you in analysing the issues our societies are facing and help you develop innovative solutions to these problems.

You will learn through real-life case studies, exploring complex interconnected global problems and contemporary public policy challenges. Our specialised career-boosting modules will teach you vital data analysis skills, consideration of differing players and perspectives, and impact evaluation of potential solutions. This experience will provide skills and knowledge that you can use to tackle real-world issues with confidence in your future career.

During your studies, you will have the opportunity to develop a portfolio of work, allowing you to directly demonstrate your real-world problem-solving abilities. Putting your knowledge and skillset into practice, you will be supported in presenting your work across a range of mediums. You will learn through interactive and collaborative sessions such as policy labs, and simulations including mock select committees, mock citizens assembly and mock PMQs. To present your work, you could be creating policy briefs, podcasts, reflective diaries, blogs, research portfolios, or policy memos and evaluations.

Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to build valuable external connections. In previous years we have hosted visits from the Institute for Government and the Speaker of the House of Commons, as well as a visit to the parliamentary estate and the chance to interact with clerks of the House of Commons. Through our Ethics Values and Policy Initiative students have recently met the Spanish Ambassador to the UK, Ministers in both the Welsh and Scottish governments, representatives from climate change think tanks and Bank of England policy advisors.

Beyond the classroom

Our optional parliamentary studies module is taught in partnership with the UK Parliament and the Institute for Government’s Open Innovation team and provides the opportunity to interact directly with MPs, parliamentary officials and policy experts to explore how Parliament makes policy.

Through the Policy School, run in collaboration with HM Government’s Open Innovation Team, you can get hands-on experience of policymaking and find out about careers in the civil service. Focusing on real and urgent government priorities, you learn about the policymaking process from Whitehall insiders and develop your own ideas as part of a team, with expert feedback throughout.

You will have the opportunity to boost your prospects further by applying for one of the annual internships offered by Lancaster’s Richardson Institute for Peace Studies.

This competitive programme allows you to work alongside leading policy and research organisations whilst providing you with opportunities to:

  • Publish your work
  • Work with students across the university on high-impact research projects
  • Work with organisations such as NGOs, think tanks, and charities
  • Gain valuable work experience that will be attractive to future employers

Your Placement Year

Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.

Placements and Internships

Hear from students and employers on how Lancaster University could support you to gain real-world experience and bolster your CV with a placement or internship as part of your degree.

A student working on a piece of stained glass.

A placement year is an excellent way to...

  • try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
  • start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
  • develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate

You'll spend your third year...

in a graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors.

As a full-time employee, you’ll have a job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.

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Our Careers and Placements Team...

will help you to search and compete for a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews.

You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.

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The university will...

use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.

The Richardson Institute

Formed in 1959, the Richardson Institute is the oldest peace and conflict research centre in the UK. Since 2012 it has provided an internship programme that gives students the opportunity to work with different organisations on issues of peace and conflict.

Richardson Institute

Careers

This course will equip you with a versatile skill set that prepares you for a wide range of exciting careers. Throughout your studies, you'll develop strong analytical, research and communication skills, as well as a deep understanding of politics across the globe. Whether you are passionate about British politics, international relations, or global politics this programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in the world across a wide variety of sectors.

Graduates of this course may go into roles such as:

  • Policy maker
  • Civil servant
  • Political advisor for a think tank, trade union or political party
  • Advocate for social or environmental justice
  • Public affairs consultant
  • Public relations officer
  • Political risk analyst
  • Journalist
  • Lawyer
  • Teacher of higher education
  • Political campaign manager
  • Business management

Many of our graduates also choose to progress to postgraduate study, taking a master’s degree or PhD.

Careers and employability support

Our degrees open up an extremely wide array of career pathways in businesses and organisations, large and small, in the UK and overseas.

We run a paid internship scheme specifically for our arts, humanities and social sciences students, supported by a specialist Employability Team. The team offer individual consultations and tailored application guidance, as well as careers events, development opportunities, and resources.

Whether you have a clear idea of your potential career path or need some help considering the options, our friendly team is on hand.

Lancaster is unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which recognises activities such as work experience, community engagement or volunteering and social development. A valuable addition to your CV!

Find out more about Lancaster’s careers events, extensive resources and personal support for Careers and Employability.

Careers

Find out about some of the careers our alumni have entered into after graduation.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

As a guide, our fees in 2025/26 were:

Home International
£9,535 £24,700

Fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Undergraduate open days 2025

Our summer and autumn open days will give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.

Undergraduate Open Days
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