Bachelor of Science in Politics and International Relations with Study Abroad

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

This course is ideal for students interested in learning more about how to use numbers and data within sociology. It provides training in practical and analytical skills, which will enhance your career prospects and provide you with a strong platform for postgraduate study. No prior knowledge of statistical techniques is required.

About two thirds of your studies will follow the single honours BSc Sociology course. You will study society’s structures, forms of action and cultural arrangements and understand changes in social life. You will gain a thorough grounding in sociology, as well as opportunities to specialise in new areas of research conducted by academics at the forefront of the discipline.

The remaining third of your course will provide interdisciplinary training in quantitative methods. In year one of the quantitative pathway we discuss how numbers and data are used to tell convincing stories in the media and social research. We consider what is meant by segregation and how it can be mapped and measured.

Year two offers practical classes in social statistics and applied data analysis, which will develop your skills in numeracy and analysis and enable you to undertake your own individual research project in an area of quantitative social science in year three.

In your fourth year we offer training in more advanced quantitative methods suitable for postgraduate research, while continuing to develop expertise and specialist knowledge in sociology.

You will also have the opportunity to spend half a year studying abroad at a partner university. Visit Global Opportunities to find out more about where you can study abroad.

This course enables you to pursue a career in the accounting profession with the benefit of a year in industry. It provides access to subjects accredited by professional accountancy bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Alternatively, you may pursue a career in finance or investment banking through our finance-oriented courses.

This is a four-year course underpinned by theory and practice. It aims to foster collaboration and creative thinking in the use of case studies. 

During your placement year you will undertake a paid placement within the accounting function of a large organisation or within an accountancy firm. Previously, students have secured roles at PwC, Grant Thornton, Hazlewoods, and Milsted Langdon. 

Places on the course are allocated on merit depending on first-year examination results and an offer of employment for your placement from a qualifying employer. You can work towards your professional accreditation with ICAEW during your placement year. 

You can also benefit from a range of specialist employability services from the faculty’s Professional Liaison Network.

At a critical time in history, our LLM in General Legal Studies presents an exciting opportunity to explore a highly sought-after field of study - and graduate to meet a growing demand from organisations worldwide for expert lawyers that can embrace challenges and innovation.

Our LLM Programmes, including the LLM in General Legal Studies, are well-respected by leading law firms*. This LLM is one of our most popular courses and offers in-depth study of the impact of law, regulation, policy and practice on a variety of fields, exploring how they operate in different contexts and from a range of perspectives.

On the course, you will be challenged and inspired by world-leading academics dedicated to progressive and innovative thinking in diverse areas of law. Their expertise is reflected in an exciting range of optional units that offer an opportunity to further specialise your degree.

The intellectually demanding, research-rich curriculum delivered by our staff makes our graduates stand out, able to demonstrate excellent legal, analytical and research skills – and empowered to pursue top-flight careers in a number of sectors. The course has particular appeal for those looking to forge ahead in the legal, business, finance, criminal and technology sectors, or as specialist in-house lawyers.

This course combines philosophy with the study of French, providing a valuable skill set ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

In philosophy you will study units covering introduction to philosophy, logic, and realism and normativity. In your first year you will gain a grounding in the fundamentals of philosophy through two mandatory introductory units: one exploring issues in epistemology and metaphysics and the other concerning moral and political philosophy. You will also take a unit exploring critical thinking and logic.

In year two you complete your foundation in philosophy with a mandatory unit on realism and normativity and conduct more detailed study in topics ranging from ethics to the philosophy of language.

In the final year you may undertake an independent study unit on almost any topic in philosophy, writing an extended essay in consultation with a supervisor. Final-year taught units relate to the research interests of staff in areas ranging from global justice to philosophy of physics.

Criminology is a multidisciplinary subject comprising elements of sociology, law, social and public policy, history, psychology and philosophy. BSc Criminology with Study Abroad is an exciting course that gives you the opportunity to study criminology within a broader framework of policy studies. You will also have the opportunity to study at a partner overseas university in your third year.

The course will provide you with an understanding of crime and justice and related social harms and an analysis of public policy interventions that contribute towards a fairer, safer and harm-free society.

The course follows a similar structure to the three-year BSc Criminology. In your first and second years you will take a range of mandatory and optional units that introduce you to the interdisciplinary study of criminology and justice.

You will spend your third year at one of our partner institutions overseas, where you can take criminology or broader social sciences, arts and humanities subjects. For more information about studying overseas see Global Opportunities.

You will return to Bristol for the final year of the course, which is identical to the third year of the BSc Criminology, and will complete a dissertation and further criminology-related units.

If you love the challenge of thinking through a maths question and the satisfaction of having solved a difficult problem, but also want to think about a broad range of intellectual questions in a rigorous way, this course is for you.

Linked by the formal study of logic, the two components of the course complement each other. You will develop rigorous analysis and argument distinctive to the analytic philosophical tradition, while developing mathematical maturity to reason through subtle ideas in abstract mathematics.

There is also the opportunity to use your mathematical knowledge in the study of the philosophy of biology, economics and physics.

In your first year you will take 80 credit points of mathematics units in common with all other first-year maths students, for example linear algebra, topics in calculus and differential equations, analysis and an introduction to the ideas of proof and group theory. In philosophy you will take 40 credit points in two mandatory introduction to philosophy units.

In your second year a unit in realism and normativity is compulsory, leaving much scope to tailor the rest of your year to your own interests. This continues in the third year, which allows you to choose a variety of units in both mathematics and philosophy. You will complete a philosophy project in your third year.

This MSc examines the physical processes governing the behaviour of volcanoes. The program is taught by leading scientists working at the cutting edge of research into volcanoes, and will provide you with a strong background for independent research to PhD level or for a career in industry, the public sector or a non-governmental organisation.

Increasing numbers of the global population being at risk means that volcano hazard prediction and mitigation is a fast-growing and competitive area of research that crosses the boundaries between traditional subject areas.

The program is designed to equip you with knowledge of the physical processes of volcanoes, including both sub-surface and surficial behaviour, insights into important historical eruptions, understanding of risk and risk mitigation, and instruction and experiential learning on data gathering, handling analysis and presentation to publishable standard.

You will develop a wide range of skills, such as quantitative and computational skills, including the application of basic mathematical descriptions of physical processes and the use of statistical and data handling software; proficiency in critical analysis of scientific material from a variety of sources, including primary research documents and original data; and the ability to synthesise concise and informative material produced for a variety of audiences. A familiarity with A-level mathematics (or international equivalent) is recommended.