Economics and Politics - BA (Hons)

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You will learn core practical economic and political concepts, and explore the interconnection between economics, politics and international relations. By understanding this relationship, you will open doors to a range of careers from consultancy and banking, to national, international and local governments.

Overview

Gain the modern tools economists use to analyse real economic problems, and the tools used in politics to understand how ideas and political systems shape what citizens, businesses and governments do. This degree gives you analytical, data and writing skills, and a unique perspective on the way the world works.

Reasons to study Economics and Politics at Kent

  • Your course is designed in partnership with former graduates and employers to prepare you for the world of work. Graduates have established careers in national and international business, finance, and in governments and international organisations, such as the UN.
  • Study in a supportive learning community ranked 22nd for student satisfaction in The Complete University Guide 2023.
  • Gain the transferable graduate skills that employers want - problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and data analytics.
  • Apply your academic skills by adding a Year in Industry, and gain real-world experience.
  • Learn from inspiring lecturers who advise governments, businesses, and international organisations.
  • Gain ongoing support through our employability team, regular workshops and alumni talks, as well as our dedicated academic adviser and peer mentoring scheme.
  • Shape your degree outside the classroom with our thriving student-led societies, such as Kent Invest, The Economics Society, and The Politics and International Relations Society.

What you'll learn

Learn the foundations in economic theory and practice, and the core approaches of political science and international relations. You will be able to analyse economic and political quantitative data, and address critical societal challenges, such as poverty, climate change, war, and financial crises.

Study microeconomics, macroeconomics, political science and political theory, and have the opportunity to specialise in modules that interest you. This includes topics like financial crises, policy analysis, development economics, political economy, and behavioural economics.

Year in industry

You have the option to take this programme with a year in industry. For more details, see Economics and Politics with a Year in Industry.

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Entry requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

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    A level

    BBB-BBC from three full A levels

  • medal-empty GCSE

    Mathematics grade B / 5

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

  • medal-empty BTEC Nationals

    The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and National Extended Diploma qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis.

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    30 points overall or 15 points at HL, including Mathematics at 4

  • medal-empty International Foundation Programme

    Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 65% overall average including 65% in the Economics module (plus 70% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 7/A or equivalent).

  • medal-empty T level

    The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

International students

If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

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Course structure

Duration: 3 years full-time

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  

On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.

Fees

The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • Home full-time £9,250
  • EU full-time £13,500
  • International full-time £18,000

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for year in industry

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Fees for year abroad

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.

Additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

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Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

Teaching and assessment

Economics

All of our modules are taught by a combination of lectures and small group sessions, which include seminars, computing practicals, problem sets, debates and role-play games.

The School of Economics is committed to making sure that you leave Kent with much more than just a degree in Economics. We put great emphasis on the development of transferable skills, including numeracy, analytical problem solving, data analysis, and written and oral communication, as well as subject-specific skills for further study at postgraduate level.

The modules are assessed by continuous assessment of coursework throughout the year and an end-of-year exam in the final term. A number of modules at each stage are assessed solely through coursework.

Politics

Our main teaching methods are lectures, seminars, working groups, PC laboratory sessions and individual discussions with your personal tutor or module teachers. Assessment is through continuous feedback, written examinations, assessed essays and oral presentations.

Politics Open Forum

We hold a weekly extra-curricular Open Forum organised by our School research groups, where students and staff have the opportunity to discuss and debate key issues of the day that affect higher education and politics in the world today.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

For programme aims and learning outcomes, please see the programme specification for each subject below. Please note that outcomes depend on your specific module selection:

Independent rankings

Economics at Kent was ranked 22nd for student satisfaction in The Complete University Guide 2023.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • accountancy
  • practical politics
  • banking and finance
  • journalism
  • management consultancy
  • business
  • national and local government.

Recent graduates have joined:  

  • Deloitte
  • the Government Economic Service
  • HMRC
  • Citibank
  • KPMG
  • PwC
  • Bank of America
  • Schroders
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Barclays.

Help finding a job

The School offers an employability programme with specially designed modules aimed at helping you develop the skills you'll need to look for a job. In addition, we offer:

  • one-to-one advice from a member of our employability team
  • employability workshops
  • talks from alumni and outside employers.

The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Work experience

Internships, either for a week or two or for the whole summer, can be a valuable addition to your studies. We provide guidance and assistance on where to look and how to apply.

Career-enhancing skills

Alongside a thorough understanding of economic issues and politics, you develop key transferable skills that will appeal to employers. These include the ability to:

  • think critically
  • communicate your ideas and opinions succinctly
  • work independently
  • use your initiative and be proactive
  • work as part of a team and independently
  • manage your time and plan effectively
  • problem solve.

You can also gain additional skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Apply for Economics and Politics - BA (Hons)

If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.

Find out more about how to apply

All applicants

International applicants

Contact us

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United Kingdom/EU enquiries

Enquire online for full-time study

T: +44 (0)1227 768896

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International student enquiries

Enquire online

T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

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