BSc Politics and Philosophy

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.

Politics

The general character of politics

• J Colomer The Science of Politics: an introduction (Oxford University Press, 2011)
• R Goodin The Oxford Handbook of Political Science (Oxford University Press, 2009)
• I Katznelson and H Milner (eds.) Political Science: state of the discipline (New York: Wiley, 2002)

Political thought

Many classic texts of political thought are readily available in a variety of editions:

• Machiavelli The Prince
• J S Mill Considerations on Representative Government
• M Wollstonecraft A Vindication of the Rights of Women

Philosophy

You can read about recent research and events involving Faculty members on the LSE Philosophy Blog.

Listed below are texts that serve as good introductions to the various areas of philosophy.

Classics

• R Descartes Meditations (any edition)
• D Hume An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (any editions)
• J S Mill On Liberty (any edition)
• Plato The Republic, translated and edited by Robin Waterfield (Oxford Paperbacks)
• K Popper Conjectures and Refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge (Routledge, 2003)
• A Smith The Theory of Moral Sentiments (any edition)

General philosophy and philosophical tools

• T Nagel What Does It All Mean? (Oxford University Press, 1987)
• R M Sainsbury Paradoxes (Cambridge University Press, 2009)
• B Skyrms Choice and Chance: an introduction to inductive logic (Wadsworth, 2000)

Moral philosophy

• T Nagel Mortal Questions (Canto, 1991)
• B Williams Morality: an introduction to ethics (Canto, 1993)
• J Wolff An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2006)
• A Voorhoeve Conversations on Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2011)

Philosophy of science

• A Chalmers What is this thing called Science? (Oxford University Press, 2006)
• S Okasha Philosophy of Science: a very short introduction (Oxford Paperbacks, 2002)

Preliminary listening

• The lecture 'Science and Pseudoscience' by the late LSE philosopher Imre Lakatos
• An interview 'Is Inequality Bad' on Philosophy Bites with Alex Voorhoeve
• The lecture 'Free Will in a Deterministic Universe?' by Christian List
• An interview on 'Scientific Method' on BBC’s 'In Our Time' with speakers John Worrall, Michela Massimi and Simon Schaffer
• An interview on 'Game Theory' with Melvyn Bragg on BBC’s 'In Our Time' with speakers Richard Bradley, Ian Stewart and Andrew Colman
• An interview on 'Catholicism and HIV'  on Philosophy Bites with Luc Bovens
• An interview, 'Understanding Decisions' on Philosophy Bites with Richard Bradley
• An interview, 'Trolleys, killing and the doctrine of double effect', on OpenLearn 'Ethics Bites' with Mike Otsuka

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.

Department of Government

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

• academic achievement, including predicted and achieved grades (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• subjects and subject combinations (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• your personal statement
• your teacher’s reference
• educational circumstances

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.

We’re looking for students who demonstrate:

• an awareness of and genuine interest in current political issues
• a willingness to read extensively
• an ability to analyse data
• an ability to evaluate and challenge conventional views
• initiative
• good communication skills
• excellent time-management skills
• intellectual curiosity
• self-motivation and a willingness to work hard
• an equal interest in both politics and philosophy.

Formative unassessed coursework

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It is designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Feedback on coursework is an essential part of the teaching and learning experience at the School. Class teachers must mark formative coursework and return it with feedback to you normally within two weeks of submission (when the work is submitted on time).

Summative assessment (assessment that counts towards your final course mark and degree award)

Some courses will be assessed by written assessment and many contain elements of continuous summative assessment. Please note that assessment on individual courses can change year to year.

You will also receive feedback on any summative coursework you are required to submit as part of the assessment for individual courses (except on the final version of submitted dissertations). You will normally receive this feedback before the examination period.

An indication of the current formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Find out more about LSE’s teaching and assessment methods

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

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.