Business Studies and Politics

Business studies and politics is a combination that addresses two fundamental dimensions of how organisations and societies function. Business studies equips you with the commercial and management knowledge to understand how organisations operate, compete, and create value. Politics provides the analytical tools to understand how power is organised and exercised, how policy is made and contested, and how the political environment shapes the context in which businesses and other organisations function.

In practice, these two domains are deeply interconnected: political decisions shape market conditions, regulatory frameworks, and social expectations, while business interests are significant participants in political processes.

At Stirling, this four-year programme develops both strands to an advanced level. You will study the core areas of business management, including strategy, marketing, finance, and organisational behaviour, alongside political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and public policy. The combination develops both the commercial acumen needed for business careers and the analytical sophistication to understand the political and regulatory environments that businesses operate within.

A year abroad is built into the programme, broadening your international perspective on both the business and political dimensions of the curriculum.

Graduates are well placed for careers in business, management consultancy, public affairs, government relations, policy, journalism, the civil service, and international organisations. The combination is particularly valuable for roles that sit at the intersection of business and policy, including public affairs, regulatory affairs, and corporate strategy in sectors such as finance, energy, and healthcare where government policy is a significant determinant of competitive conditions. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in business, politics, international relations, or public policy.