Politics and Sociology with Placement Year

Politics and sociology together address the central questions of social and political life: who holds power, how it operates, how social structures shape individual experience and how societies change over time. Politics asks who has political power, why they have it and in whose interest they exercise it, examining political institutions, ideologies, movements and governance at local, national and international scales. Sociology provides the theoretical frameworks to understand how societies are organised, how inequalities of class, gender, race and age are produced and reproduced, and how institutions, norms and culture shape behaviour and possibility.

At Brunel University London, this four-year full-time programme, which includes a placement year, combines high-level study in both subjects, developing your analytical skills across political science and sociological theory. You will engage with key debates in political theory and comparative politics alongside sociological analysis of social structure, inequality and change, building an understanding of how the political and social dimensions of human life are interconnected. The placement year gives you extended professional experience in a relevant organisation, developing the practical skills and professional awareness that employers in the public, voluntary and private sectors value alongside academic knowledge.

A typical entry tariff of 88 points makes the programme accessible to a range of students, and the combination of political and sociological training with a professional placement is a strong preparation for careers that engage with public life in all its dimensions.

Graduates pursue careers in the civil service, local government, public policy, politics and advocacy, the voluntary sector, journalism, broadcasting, education, social research and community development. The analytical and communication skills developed through the programme are valued across a wide range of organisations that deal with social and political questions. Postgraduate study in politics, sociology, public policy, social research or international relations is a well-established route for those who wish to specialise or pursue research.