Politics and Social Policy

Politics and social policy is a pairing that connects the study of power with the study of how governments and other institutions try to use that power to shape society. Politics asks fundamental questions about authority, democracy, ideology, and the dynamics of political competition, while social policy examines how welfare states are organised, how public services are designed and delivered, and who benefits and who loses from the choices societies make about housing, health, education, work, and income. Together, they provide a thorough and critical understanding of how public life works and what it might look like if it worked better.

At Swansea University, this three-year full-time degree explores how power and politics shape the world and what scope exists for achieving social justice. You will develop analytical skills in both disciplines, examining political theory and comparative politics alongside the evidence and debates that inform social policy in the UK and internationally. Swansea describes the degree as preparing you to drive change and shape the future, which reflects the degree's orientation towards understanding not just how things are but how they might be improved.

You will engage with contemporary issues in politics and public services, developing the critical and research skills that professional and academic life in these fields demands.

Graduates from politics and social policy programmes go on to work in the civil service, local government, the NHS and social care, charities and housing organisations, political parties, campaigning organisations, policy research institutes, and journalism. The combination of political and policy analysis skills is valued wherever decisions about public services and social priorities are being made. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in social policy, public administration, politics, or social work, developing specialist expertise for careers in research, practice, or public leadership.