Bachelor of Science in Philosophy and Politics

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

This four-year course has the same basic structure as BSc Geography but you will spend your third year studying geography and other subjects at a partner university.

In year one you receive an overview of human and physical geography, and develop a range of geographical and scientific skills. The remaining years are organised around specialist units from human and/or physical geography.

Physical geography units cover three broad areas: glaciology, hydrology and environmental change.

Human geography units provide in-depth study of cultural, economic and social geography, emphasising the importance of theory and methods for analysing contemporary geographical problems and policies. Topics range from economic development and global politics to inequalities of health and contemporary social theory.

You will develop skills in the use of specialised computer software, statistics and data collection in the field. You will also take relevant language units to prepare you for studying in Europe.

Field trips and practical work are key components of the course. There are UK residential trips in year one and in year two there is an overseas field trip.

Your third-year studies abroad will be arranged on an individual basis. You will study in the language of your host country. We currently have exchange agreements with universities in Barcelona, Bonn, Grenoble, Paris, Lyon, Valencia and others. Visit Global Opportunities to find out more about where you can study abroad.

The skills that you acquire throughout your studies will be applied in a self-directed dissertation project in your final year.

Researchers, research managers, policy advisers and service planners are all faced with a growing need for research that is timely and relevant. This program builds on the links between research and policy in developing the particular skills and capacities needed by policy-oriented researchers, professionals and postgraduate students who are interested in carrying out public policy, social policy and social welfare research. We believe this is vital if researchers are to maximise the impact of their work in addressing issues of real concern to policymakers.

The program provides core research training in philosophy and research design in the social sciences, along with introductions to and further approaches in quantitative and qualitative methods in the social sciences. It also offers optional units in our particular areas of research expertise, such as child and family welfare, gender and violence, health and social care, poverty and social exclusion, and policy-oriented evaluation.

We recognise that students will be joining with relevant - albeit varied - experience. Therefore, there will be opportunities for you to draw on your own experiences as researchers, managers and policy advisers and share insights with other students working towards research degrees in disability studies, social work research and health and wellbeing.

Those who have recently embarked on a career in policy research, or who hope to do so, will find the program offers a combination of academic rigour, up-to-date policy content and relevant skills development.

Core units are taught in collaboration with other postgraduate programs, providing a co-learning environment and giving you the opportunity to interact and share insights with other students working towards research degrees in disability studies, policy research, social work research and health and wellbeing. 

This course combines philosophy with the study of Russian and provides a valuable skill set that is ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

For philosophy you will study units covering introduction to philosophy, logic, and realism and normativity.

For Russian, you will follow a curriculum designed to introduce you to many aspects of Russian studies. As well as following a structured language course, you will study Russian literature, history, thought, politics, linguistics and culture.

Russia continues to assert itself as an independent, powerful political and economic force; Russian expertise has never been more vital in a range of professions.

You will spend your third year abroad, studying or working in a Russian-speaking environment. This will enable you to refine your language skills and cultural knowledge. For further details of year abroad opportunities visit Global Opportunities.

This course is ideal for students interested in learning more about how to use numbers and data within sociology. It provides training in practical and analytical skills, which will enhance your career prospects and provide you with a strong platform for postgraduate study. No prior knowledge of statistical techniques is required.

About two thirds of your studies will follow the single honours BSc Sociology course. You will study society’s structures, forms of action and cultural arrangements and understand changes in social life. You will gain a thorough grounding in sociology, as well as opportunities to specialise in new areas of research conducted by academics at the forefront of the discipline.

The remaining third of your course will provide interdisciplinary training in quantitative methods. In year one of the quantitative pathway we discuss how numbers and data are used to tell convincing stories in the media and social research. We consider what is meant by segregation and how it can be mapped and measured.

Year two offers practical classes in social statistics and applied data analysis, which will develop your skills in numeracy and analysis and enable you to undertake your own individual research project in an area of quantitative social science in year three.

In your fourth year we offer training in more advanced quantitative methods suitable for postgraduate research, while continuing to develop expertise and specialist knowledge in sociology.

You will also have the opportunity to spend half a year studying abroad at a partner university. Visit Global Opportunities to find out more about where you can study abroad.

The MSc Human Resource Management and the Future of Work is an intensive master’s-level specialist program for graduates who have a prior qualification in social sciences and wish to develop their knowledge and skills in the practice, theory and policy of the world of work.

The future of work has become one of the defining debates of our generation. Whilst the greening of our economies will create millions of jobs, many traditional forms of work will also disappear. The digital economy fosters greater connectivity and access to technologies but also has the potential to disrupt labour markets. The future of work creates many challenges, but countless opportunities exist to improve the quality of working lives and reverse the damages inflicted by global inequality and the climate crisis.

This 12-month full-time program will appeal to students who want to engage, respond to and be part of the global challenges related to Human Resource Management and the Future of Work. We aim to develop analytical and confident critical thinkers through research-led teaching. You will gain insight into the nature of Human Resource Management and the complexity of organisations from a variety of disciplines and will be armed with the relevant knowledge to apply theory to practice.

You will be part of a dynamic and diverse body of staff and students in Bristol and will be taught by experienced academics. Staff in the School of Management are engaged in conducting pioneering research that is shaping policy and practice in the UK, Europe and globally.