Politics Philosophy and History
Politics, philosophy and history is a combination widely recognised as one of the most effective multi-disciplinary degrees for developing the analytical and argumentative skills that professional and intellectual life demands. Politics examines how power is organised, exercised, and contested in modern societies and between states. Philosophy provides the tools for rigorous reasoning, the critical examination of arguments, and engagement with questions about knowledge, ethics, and the nature of political and social life.
History anchors both in the evidence of the past, developing the ability to construct evidence-based narratives and to understand the present through the forces that produced it.
At Birkbeck College, University of London, this three-year programme offers an innovative cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the historical and contemporary world, taught in a mode that is distinctive to Birkbeck: evening teaching that makes the degree accessible to students who work or have other commitments during the day. You will develop a strong foundation in political systems, philosophical thought, and historical knowledge, learning to move fluently between the different analytical registers each discipline provides and to integrate insights from all three in your own arguments.
Graduates of politics, philosophy and history are among the most versatile and employable in the humanities and social sciences. The combination of political analysis, philosophical rigour, and historical depth is valued in the civil service, law (with further training), journalism, think tanks, public affairs and lobbying, political research, education, the voluntary sector, and the many commercial and professional roles that prize analytical clarity and the ability to construct and communicate a compelling argument. Postgraduate study in politics, philosophy, history, law, public policy, or international relations is a well-established route for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue academic research careers.