Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Politics and International Relations

at University of Bath United Kingdom

Prepare yourself for a career in specialist language work including translation, editing and précis-writing.

If you're interested in working as a professional linguist or working with the written word to provide translations and specialised language services, this course is an excellent option.

With a growing demand for highly trained speakers of English in the UK and abroad, this specialist master's will equip you to set up your own freelance business or work in-house for an international organisation or language service provider.

Unlike other courses of its kind, ours covers a wide variety of skills, including editing, revision, précis-writing and proofreading. Employers and agencies have told us they’re looking for these services, so having the right skills will place you in a strong position for securing work. You'll have the opportunity to gain skills in public service and commercial interpreting, and you will learn about setting up your own translation business.

In some cases, we can arrange external translation training. This may be in international organisations, such as the EU and UN, or an independent translation agency, and will give you first-hand experience of the workplace and valuable contacts for building your career.

The course is taught by qualified tutors. While some have worked for international organisations, others have developed their careers as freelance linguists. All bring extensive experience to the classroom to give students invaluable advice.

Study across the discipline with a focus on biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology with options including clinical and health psychology.

This is a science degree that offers you insights into many aspects of psychology recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS). You’ll gain a solid grounding across the discipline with a focus on biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and individual differences. You will gain a critical appreciation of different theoretical perspectives and extensive training in research methods and project work.

In your first year you'll gain an understanding of basic concepts, methods and theories in psychology including individual differences, biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology and their applications.

In your second year you'll advance your knowledge in the core areas of psychology, such as cognitive neuroscience, social psychology and developmental psychology. You'll extend your research methods skills and project work.

In your final year you’ll complete a research project and choose from a wide range of optional units relating to the current research expertise of academic staff. These cover areas that are not always found in other psychology degrees.

You’ll have the opportunity to apply for peer mentoring, research apprenticeships (working with a member of research staff), summer internships and peer assisted learning and leadership roles.

Develop advanced knowledge and skills in a range of business areas. Gain the practical experience you need for a variety of management careers.

This is a flexible degree with optional units to choose from after Year 1. In your first year, you’ll study with International Management and Management with Marketing students. You’ll benefit from learning in a diverse class with students who have different backgrounds and ambitions.

Placement Year

Apply your skills and knowledge in a practical business environment with a placement year. Placements are real jobs and usually paid. You will gain a competitive advantage in the graduate job market with this valuable experience.

The average salary in 2019 was £20,932 and the highest was £50,000. The average salary is based on data provided to us by all 59 students who went on placement in the UK.

The modern world needs thoughtful, politically-conscious, questioning economists. Become a professional who understands how economics and politics intertwine.

In this course, you’ll examine the challenges facing individuals, countries and the international community. You will develop an understanding of government and society through core concepts such as power, justice, conflict, accountability, obligation, sovereignty and decision making. You will develop strong analytical skills which will aid your understanding of the institutional, UK and global context within which economic decisions and policy formation takes place.

In your first year you'll study key concepts in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. You'll explore political theory and analysis, introducing central subjects such as power and the state, democracy and the climate crisis.

In your second year you'll continue with more advanced study of political and economic theory. You'll study the exercise of power in societies and economies through an engagement with themes such as democratic theory, populist and nationalist politics, and the politics of race and gender.

In your final year you'll explore your interests through a range of optional units in both economics and politics.

By the end of the course, you will have an appreciation of the interface between economics and political science.

Placement Year

Taking a placement in your third year enables you to use the theory you have learned in a practical context. You will learn about an organisation and its area of work in the UK or overseas. This is an excellent opportunity to test potential career paths. Sometimes permanent jobs are offered to our students. You’ll develop skills such as teamwork, planning, problem-solving, decision making and project management.

Employers value a year of professional work and you’ll gain an advantage in the job market. Sometimes it is possible for you to acquire additional professional qualifications, particularly in accountancy, whilst on placement.

Placement opportunities can’t be guaranteed but you will receive tailored support from our specialist team to help you secure a placement.

Year abroad

On this course you'll combine a work placement with studying at a university overseas. Broaden your horizons and experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

Study abroad locations include the National University of Singapore and Stellenbosch University (South Africa), as well as others. We seek to further expand on these. Study abroad opportunities are limited and are subject to availability at our partner institutions.

Prepare for an international career. Achieve fluency in your A-level language and pick up a new one. Deepen your knowledge and understanding of political and cultural issues.

Studying Modern Languages enables you to read, write and speak two foreign languages with proficiency, as well as understand the social, political, economic and cultural evolution of the principal countries in which these languages are spoken. This degree combines the study of two languages, one at advanced level and a second at either advanced level or at beginner (ab-initio) level.

You’ll gain a deep understanding of contemporary culture in these societies, providing you with a genuine international perspective. You will develop highly valuable work-related skills enabling you to conduct research and analysis with confidence. You’ll be able to communicate, debate and interact in your chosen languages at an advanced level.

You will have intensive language tuition in both languages throughout the course. Your ab initio language allows you to quickly learn the language in your first two years at Bath in order to achieve the ability to study abroad in the third year. Your advanced language will enable you to engage with cultural and political issues in the target language and achieve high levels of fluency.

You’ll gain skills in research, analysis, communication and argument, and experience direct exposure to the cultures you study.

Year abroad

A year abroad in your third year is an exciting part of the degree. On your year abroad you will spend time in the countries of your chosen languages, in Europe or beyond. You can choose to study at a foreign university, to work as a language assistant in a school abroad, or to undertake a work placement abroad. You also have the flexibility of a combination of any of these options.

Master the logic, rigour and proof of mathematics alongside the universal principles of physics to prepare you for a wide range of careers.

This course is for you if you enjoy and excel at pure mathematics and want to apply that to the study of physics from subatomic particles to the formation of new galaxies. You’ll get to understand the rigour and application of mathematics and how it underpins our study of the physical world.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working professionally. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.

You can choose from a wide range of roles to match your interests, from working in marketing to a lab-based role at a research institute. We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include BAE Systems, CERN, Dyson, Morgan Stanley, Rolls-Royce and Samsung.

Develop core knowledge of systems engineering across both mechanical and electrical engineering to boost your career prospects in industry.

Our course gives you a unique chance to balance an understanding of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering sciences with a focus on systems engineering. You’ll develop a comprehensive knowledge of mechanics, materials, electrical and electronic systems and circuits. And you’ll explore the theory and practice of the latest mechanical and electrical technologies.

Being able to apply what you’ve learnt is an important part of your study at Bath. You’ll use theory in coordinated projects and laboratory work where you’ll design and develop products and systems.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the chance to apply your theoretical knowledge to the workplace and learn about the technologies and processes used in industry. You’ll develop your skills in a professional environment and learn about sophisticated engineering systems. Having professional experience can benefit the rest of your degree as well as improve your career prospects. It can also be an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree.

Our students have worked at companies including OC Robotics, Renishaw, BAE Systems and Jaguar Land Rover.

Achieve a grounding in economic theory while learning different statistical approaches for the analysis of economic data.

This course is for those who want an understanding of the tools and key theories within economics and mathematics. You'll use these skills to analyse contemporary problems and policy. On this course, you’ll study the core elements of economics, including microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory and econometrics.

You will develop methodological and statistical tools for the analysis of complex data. Throughout your studies, you will be immersed in a wide variety of quantitative topics. This will enable you to develop and apply your advanced mathematical skills.

In your first year you'll study key concepts in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, and develop your skills in mathematical and statistical theory and applications.

In your second year you'll continue with more advanced study of economic theory, mathematics and statistics. You'll acquire a deep understanding of economic relationships.

In your final year, you'll study topics and techniques in advanced economic theory and mathematics to critique and contribute to current debates. You can tailor your choice of optional units to your personal interests

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to understand the complexities of global economic problems and data, and you will possess advanced quantitative skills and tools to create innovative solutions.

Placement Year

Taking a placement in your third year enables you to use the theory you have learnt in a practical context. You will learn about an organization and its area of work in the UK or overseas. This is an excellent opportunity to test potential career paths. Sometimes permanent jobs are offered to our students. You’ll develop skills such as teamwork, planning, problem-solving, decision making and project management.

Employers value a year of professional work and you’ll gain an advantage in the job market. Sometimes it is possible for you to acquire additional professional qualifications, particularly in accountancy, whilst on placement.

Year abroad

On this course you'll combine a work placement with studying at a university overseas. Broaden your horizons and experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

Study abroad locations include the National University of Singapore and Stellenbosch University (South Africa), as well as others. We seek to further expand on these. Study abroad opportunities are limited and are subject to availability at our partner institutions.

Explore how we can build a sustainable global future that leaves no-one behind. Develop a broad-based social science approach with a grounding in economics.

On this degree you will study some of the most important challenges facing our global society – poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict and migration. Alongside economic methods and analysis, training in sociology and anthropology, politics and social research will enable you to apply a multi-disciplinary approach.

With a strong orientation towards policy and practice, you will explore problems and solutions at local through national and international levels, guided by staff sharing from their own experience of development work and research.

Placement Year

• The placement year offers you valuable real life experience of issues you will have been studying. A year of professional work is highly valued by employers.
• You can take placements in a governmental organisation or a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to match your personal and academic interests.

Gain sought after skills in applied mathematics, programming, statistics and data analysis.

This course is for you if you have an analytical mind, enjoy visualising and interpreting data and thrive on a challenge. You'll learn how to use your mathematical skills to formulate problems and discover patterns, and apply these techniques to analyse data from many different sectors.

Computing is an essential tool in data science and you'll develop strong programming skills with the ability to implement mathematical algorithms on large data sets. You’ll learn how data science is used in a wide range of industries and gain an understanding of machine learning and artificial intelligence at the cutting-edge of data science.