Politics with Economics

Politics and economics are disciplines that have always been in conversation with each other. Economics provides the analytical tools to understand how markets, incentives, and resource allocation shape the choices available to individuals and governments. Politics asks how power is organised and exercised, how decisions are made collectively, and what values and interests lie behind the policies that govern our lives.

Studying them together gives you a richer understanding of both: you can see how economic forces shape political outcomes and how political decisions shape economic ones, which is essential for understanding the world as it actually works.

At the University of Bath, one of the UK's leading universities and consistently highly regarded for the quality of its teaching, this three-year full-time programme carries a typical entry tariff of 168 points, reflecting the rigorous academic expectations of a programme at a research-intensive institution. You will study political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and UK and European political systems alongside microeconomics, macroeconomics, quantitative methods, and political economy. Bath's reputation for developing graduates who are both analytically sharp and professionally ready is built into the programme's design, and the skills you develop in rigorous argument, data analysis, and written communication will serve you well across a wide range of careers.

Politics with economics graduates are among the most versatile in the graduate labour market. Careers in government and the civil service, think tanks and policy research organisations, international institutions, journalism, finance, management consulting, and business are all common destinations. The combination of political understanding and economic rigour is particularly prized in roles that require both analytical depth and awareness of the political context in which decisions are made.

Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in economics, politics, international relations, public policy, or law, which can support progression into more senior or specialist roles in any of these fields.