Overview
Politics at Aldermere asks how power works and how it should. You will study political ideas from Aristotle to the present, compare democracies and dictatorships, and learn the quantitative methods political scientists use.
In the second year every student spends a term on placement with a council, a charity or a parliamentary office.
- 1 termOn a political placement
- WeeklyDebates in the Union
- 12Countries studied in comparative politics
Course structure
The outline below shows a typical path through the course. Options change a little each year as tutors join and research moves on.
Year 1
- Political Theory
- Comparative Government
- Introduction to International Relations
- Research Methods
Year 2
- Democracy and its Discontents
- The Politics of Europe
- Quantitative Politics
- Placement term
Year 3
- Three options, e.g. War and Peace, Political Economy, Climate Politics
- Dissertation of 10,000 words
How you will learn
You will have two tutorials a week with one or two other students, where you discuss the essay or problem set you wrote that week with a tutor. Lectures, seminars of ten to twelve students and practical classes fill the rest of the week. Each student has a personal tutor for the whole degree.
Assessment
Examinations, essays, a placement report and a dissertation.
Entry requirements
- A levels: AAA in any subjects
- International Baccalaureate: 38 points
We make contextual offers, typically one grade lower, to applicants from schools that send few students to university. If your qualifications are not listed, the admissions office will tell you what we would expect.
Fees and funding
Tuition for 2027-28 is $38,400 a year, including college membership. Under the Aldermere Promise, students from families earning under $85,000 a year pay no tuition, and partial awards continue up to $150,000. Every undergraduate also receives a $2,000 grant each year for books, travel and equipment.
Careers
Graduates of this programme go on to a wide range of careers. Recent destinations include:
- Civil service and government
- Parliament and campaigning
- Journalism
- International organisations
- Law
- Consulting
My placement was in a county council housing office. I have never read a policy paper the same way since.
Grace Mensah Final year
Questions
Can I change programme after I arrive?
Yes, at the end of the first year, if there is space on the programme you want to move to and your tutors agree. Around one student in twenty does.
Is there an interview?
Yes. Shortlisted applicants have a conversation of about twenty-five minutes with two tutors in December, in person or online. It is about how you think, not what you have memorised.
