Politics and Geography
Politics and geography is a combination that captures something important about the world as it actually works. Political decisions about trade, borders, development, climate policy and resource allocation play out in specific places, and the geographical dimensions of power, inequality, conflict and environmental change are inseparable from the political structures that govern them. Geography brings spatial thinking, human and physical environmental knowledge, and quantitative and qualitative research methods to questions that politics addresses through theory, institutional analysis and the study of policy.
Together they equip you to understand the world at multiple scales and from multiple angles.
At the University of Exeter this three-year, full-time programme develops your expertise in both disciplines, examining political institutions and processes alongside the geographical patterns of human settlement, economic development, environmental change and spatial inequality. You will engage with political theory, comparative politics, international relations and policy analysis while also studying urban and economic geography, environmental geography, geopolitics and the methods of geographical enquiry, including fieldwork, GIS and statistical analysis. The combination also includes a sandwich year placement, a year abroad and work placements, giving you direct professional experience in relevant settings and an international dimension to your studies.
Graduates pursue careers in the civil service, international organisations, environmental and planning consultancies, NGOs, political research, local government, journalism, international development, think tanks and the voluntary sector. The ability to analyse political systems and processes in their geographical context is a genuine differentiator for roles requiring both analytical depth and spatial awareness. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in politics, geography, international relations, urban planning, environmental policy or public administration.