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Our BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics is a joint degree with a rich history — this combination of subjects has been a well-known favourite choice for politicians and future prime ministers.
Studying philosophy at the University of Reading will equip you with the ability to think logically, to evaluate arguments critically, and to challenge your own ideas and those of other people. We will give you an understanding of the central principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures of philosophy. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to examine non-Western philosophies such as Indian philosophy.
In politics, you will acquire a strong grounding in fundamental elements of the subject such as political ideas and democratic processes. You can study a wide range of specialist core modules, which cover topics such as British government and politics, European political integration, and political thinking.
In economics, you will study both applied and practical issues and focus on the relationship between economics and society. This course places less emphasis on mathematical and statistical content than some Economics courses do; instead you will focus on the relevance of these techniques to applied problems. You will still learn necessary maths skills in your core modules, but extensive support is available should you need it.
This course offers you the opportunity to study philosophy, politics and economics in the first year, and allows you to focus on two or continue with all three subjects in your second and final years. Most of your contact time will be spent in small seminar-style groups, allowing you to interact directly with staff and add your own voice to the discussion.
Placement
Placements are encouraged as they provide you with a chance to put your newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice as well as allowing you to gain valuable real-world experience.
You can undertake a placement at any point in your degree and work in a company or charity relevant to your final year studies. For example, a previous Philosophy student worked at a zoo to learn more about the ethical treatment of animals.
In Politics, you can undertake a two-week placement as part of our module on British Government and Politics giving you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with an MP, charity, pressure group, local councillor or media organisation.
Other students have chosen to study abroad for one term in their second or final year. Partner institutions include universities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan or Australia.
Overview
Studying philosophy at the University of Reading will equip you with the ability to think logically, to evaluate arguments critically, and to challenge your own ideas and those of other people. We will give you an understanding of the central principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures of philosophy. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to examine non-Western philosophies such as Indian philosophy.
In politics, you will acquire a strong grounding in fundamental elements of the subject such as political ideas and democratic processes. You can study a wide range of specialist core modules, which cover topics such as British government and politics, European political integration, and political thinking.
In economics, you will study both applied and practical issues and focus on the relationship between economics and society. This course places less emphasis on mathematical and statistical content than some Economics courses do; instead you will focus on the relevance of these techniques to applied problems. You will still learn necessary maths skills in your core modules, but extensive support is available should you need it.
This course offers you the opportunity to study philosophy, politics and economics in the first year, and allows you to focus on two or continue with all three subjects in your second and final years. Most of your contact time will be spent in small seminar-style groups, allowing you to interact directly with staff and add your own voice to the discussion.
Placement
Placements are encouraged as they provide you with a chance to put your newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice as well as allowing you to gain valuable real-world experience.
You can undertake a placement at any point in your degree and work in a company or charity relevant to your final year studies. For example, a previous Philosophy student worked at a zoo to learn more about the ethical treatment of animals.
In Politics, you can undertake a two-week placement as part of our module on British Government and Politics giving you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with an MP, charity, pressure group, local councillor or media organisation.
Other students have chosen to study abroad for one term in their second or final year. Partner institutions include universities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan or Australia.
Entry requirements A Level ABB | IB 32 points overall
Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we will guarantee you a place if you achieve one grade lower than the published offer.
Typical offer
ABB
International Baccalaureate
32 points overall
GCSE
GCSE Maths at grade B (6)
Extended Project Qualification
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.
BTEC Extended Diploma
DDM
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0, with no component below 6.0
For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.
Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students
For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.
International Foundation Programme
If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.
Pre-sessional English language programme
If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.
Structure
Compulsory modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
EC113 | Introductory Microeconomics | PROF Marina Della Giusta |
EC114 | Introductory Macroeconomics | DR Mark Guzman |
PO1IPI | Introduction to Political Ideas | DR Rob Jubb |
PP1RA | Reason and Argument | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
EC116 | Introductory Mathematics for Economics 1 | DR Yutong Li |
EC115 | Introductory Quantitative Methods in Economics and Business 1 | DR Stefania Lovo |
PO1ICD | Introduction to Contemporary Democracy | DR Christoph Arndt |
PO1INE | Inequality | DR Jonathan Golub |
PO1FRE | Freedom | DR Rob Jubb |
PO1IRS | Politics: International Relations and Strategic Studies | DR Vladimir Rauta |
PO1BRI | British Society | DR Dawn Clarke |
PP1EL | Elementary Logic | DR Severin Schroeder |
PP1ML | The Meaning of Life | DR Luke Elson |
PP1GJ | Global Justice | DR Shalini Sinha |
PP1RP | Radical Philosophy | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
PP1RG | The Right and the Good | PROF Philip Stratton-Lake |
PP1MM | Mental Machines | DR Nat Hansen |
PP1WRI | Writing the Philosophical Essay | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
EC201 | Intermediate Microeconomics | DR Minyan Zhu |
EC202 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | DR Mark Guzman |
EC209 | History of Economic Thought | PROF Marina Della Giusta |
EC208 | Business Economics | DR Nigel Wadeson |
EC238 | Economics of Social Policy | DR Carl Singleton |
PO2TMP | The Media and Politics | DR Dawn Clarke |
PO2THI | Political Thinking | DR Alice Baderin |
PO2SOP | The Study of Politics | DR Christoph Arndt |
PO2WAP | War and Peace Since 1800 | DR Geoff Sloan |
PO2PHC | Political Classics | PROF Alan Cromartie |
PO2PWS | Politics of the Welfare State | DR Brandon Beomseob Park |
PO2MIR | Modern International Relations | DR Joseph O' Mahoney |
PO2COS | Contemporary Strategy | DR Kenton White |
PO2CGP | Comparative Government and Politics | DR Daphne Halikiopoulou |
PO2AMG | American Government and Politics | DR Mark Shanahan |
PO2BGP | British Government and Politics | DR Matthew Whiting |
PP2EA2 | Ethical Argument 2: Philosophy and How to Live | DR Luke Elson |
PP2EA1 | Ethical Argument 1: Philosophy and How to Live | DR Luke Elson |
PP2GP1 | Global Philosophy 1 | DR Shalini Sinha |
PP2GP2 | Global Philosophy 2 | DR Shalini Sinha |
PP2HKW1 | Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein 1 | DR Severin Schroeder |
PP2MM2 | Meaning and the Mind 2 | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
PP2OID1 | Oppression, Inequality, and the Enemies of Democracy 1 | MR George Mason |
PP2MM1 | Meaning and the Mind 1 | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
PP2HKW2 | Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein 2 | DR Severin Schroeder |
PP2IDR1 | Ignorance, Doubt, and Relativism 1 | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
PP2IDR2 | Ignorance, Doubt, and Relativism 2 | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
PP2OID2 | Oppression, Inequality, and the Enemies of Democracy 2 | DR Charlotte Newey |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
EC311 | International Economics | DR Hussein Hassan |
EC314 | Public Economics | DR Vivien Burrows |
EC317 | Urban Economics | DR Vivien Burrows |
EC319 | Development Economics | DR Neha Hui |
EC320 | Money and Banking | DR Shixuan Wang |
EC325 | The Economics of Sports and Games | DR Carl Singleton |
EC337 | Processes of Long Term Political and Economic Change | PROF Ken Dark |
EC327 | Economics of Banking | DR Tho Pham |
EC347 | Industrial Organisation | DR Joo Young Jeon |
EC348 | Business History | PROF Peter Scott |
EC349 | Financial Economics | DR Hussein Hassan |
EC3DSI | Dissertation (for Joint degrees) | PROF Ken Dark |
PO3IPE | International Political Economy | DR Jonathan Golub |
PO3ITE | International Terrorism | DR Christina Hellmich |
PO3IOG | International Organizations in Global Politics | DR Martin Binder |
PO3INT | Intelligence, War and International Relations | DR Geoff Sloan |
PO3WIR | Worlding International Relations | DR Andreas Behnke |
PO3WPE | War, Peace and International Ethics | PROF Alan Cromartie |
PO3RIS | Risk | DR Alice Baderin |
PO3MEA | Politics & International Relations of the Middle East | DR Younis Lahwej |
PO3USF | US Foreign and Defence Policy since 1950 | DR Graham O'Dwyer |
PO3FPT | Feminism and Political Theory | PROF David Marshall |
PO3FAR | The Far Right | DR Daphne Halikiopoulou |
PO3DIS | Dissertation | DR Adam Humphreys |
PO3BFD | British Foreign and Defence Policy since 1945 | DR Kenton White |
PP3LA | Philosophy of Law | MR George Mason |
PP3HGML | Happy, Good and Meaningful Lives | PROF Philip Stratton-Lake |
PP3CP | Chinese Philosophy | PROF John Preston |
PP3BESR | Business Ethics and Social Responsibility | DR Charlotte Newey |
PP3DIS | Dissertation in Philosophy | DR Jumbly Grindrod |
PP3FAI | Fairness | DR Charlotte Newey |
PP3AEST | Aesthetics | DR Severin Schroeder |
PP3AF | Are we free? | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
PP3MED | Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Mediaeval Philosophy | DR Luke Elson |
PP3REL | Philosophy of Religion | MR George Mason |
PP3RVK | Reason, Value & Knowledge | PROF Philip Stratton-Lake |
PP3SCF | The Scandal of Film | PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford |
PP3SPA | Speech Attacks: bullshit, lies, propaganda | DR Nat Hansen |
PP3SSG | Society and State in Ancient Greece | PROF David Oderberg |
PP3WMA | Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mind and Action | DR Severin Schroeder |
Fees
New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250* per year
New international students: £17,320 per year
*UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes
UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
EU student fees
With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.
Additional costs
Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
Careers
Throughout your degree you will have the opportunity to complete career-related modules. These enable you to think about what career you would like and what skills you will need for it.
Studying philosophy enables you to develop a range of transferable skills, in particular, skills in clear thinking, logical analysis and the critical assessment of argument. These skills are greatly valued in a variety of professional careers such as law, politics, management and marketing. Overall, 92% of graduates from the Department of Philosophy are in work or further study 15 months after the end of their course [1].
Past students have put their political analysis skills to direct use in the home and European civil services, political research units, think tanks, non-governmental organisations and journalism. Other graduates have found employment in the civil service, journalism, consultancy, finance, local and central government, and previous employers have included the Ministry of Defence, Cambridge University Press, local authorities and other universities.
Some graduates choose to continue their studies at postgraduate level, or through conversion courses and teacher training.
[1] Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017/18; First Degree responders from Philosophy.