Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

PPE is an ideal choice if you are fascinated by current affairs and want to gain a broad and rounded understanding of the world around you. Deepen your understanding of why and how governing institutions and big businesses make decisions, how the consequences of these actions influence our world and impact on our futures, and what would make for a better and more just society.

After building solid foundations in each of the three subjects in your first year, you then have the flexibility to tailor your module choices to suit your own interests. This allows you to graduate with either a BA or a BSc.

Your enthusiasm for the three interconnected disciplines will be rewarded with teaching from excellent lecturers who are equally enthusiastic about their topics. Our world-leading researchers will teach you a diverse range of modules from within our three large and highly-ranked departments.

We offer one of the largest and most international PPE programs in the UK. You will learn alongside students from many backgrounds and cultures. You can share different insights and perspectives on the topics you cover at the intersections of the three subjects.

You also have the opportunity to apply to spend a year abroad with one of our international partners. On certain pathways, you can also apply to take a work placement.

Study abroad

You have the opportunity to spend a year abroad. You could study at prestigious universities throughout Europe and in the US, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and more as part of the course.

This MA encourages you to place developments within medical theory and practice in a broad social and cultural framework, and use a wide range of sources available to the historian of medicine (such as medical texts, practice records, diaries, case records, public health reports and health propaganda, and visual sources). Most modules are taught by a team of experts, ensuring that you are exposed to as many different viewpoints and approaches as possible.

The Term One core module ‘Themes and Methods in Medical History’ is designed to introduce you to some of the main historiographical approaches and debates within the history of medicine from the early modern period to the twenty-first century. The module focuses on the evolution of ideas, institutions and practices within medicine, the reception of new approaches and lay responses, the structure of medical practice and the medical professions, and the scientific, social and cultural context of medical intervention.

The Term Two core module, 'Matters of Life and Death' focuses on recent contributions to the discipline, providing you with the opportunity to discuss in depth methodologies and approaches, the research questions underpinning the work and theoretical frameworks, while also relating the seminars to your interests and dissertation research. By studying these texts, you will actively engage with the wide range of sources available.

The final key element is the dissertation - here you have a large amount of freedom to develop a project of your own choice with help and guidance from your supervisor who will meet with you throughout the third term. Throughout the year, you will be able to take advantage of the Department’s six research centres, especially the Centre for the History of Medicine, and participate in the lively schedule of academic research seminars, lectures and conferences.

The programme will appeal equally to those wishing to undertake further postgraduate study and those pursuing a career outside of the University, equipping you with research, writing and critical thinking skills vital in a range of professions.

The fundamentals of polymer synthesis and properties will be introduced, but then special focus is placed on modern instrumentation and analytical methods used for polymer and materials characterisation.

You will receive advanced knowledge from experts within academia and collaborating companies. Gaining hands-on experience in a variety of relevant techniques will enable you to work in any modern laboratory because the skills you acquire will be readily transferable between disciplines.

You will also undertake a cutting-edge project with a world-leading research group. When you graduate, you will be well positioned to take up employment in research and development roles within a number of sectors, or to progress to PhD study.

You can find out more about the Department of Chemistry by joining our WebinarsLink opens in a new window.

Dr Remzi BecerLink opens in a new window is the head of the MSc in Analytical and Polymer Science. Please contact [email protected] with any Chemistry specific department questions, where course directors Dr Nikola Chmel and Dr Remzi Becer are available to discuss any queries.

Economics is at the core of Global Sustainable Development (GSD). On this degree you will critically analyse economic models and theories of sustainable development through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Economics modules will provide you with an essential background in micro and macro economics, as well as methodologies for statistical analysis.

Your studies in GSD will empower you to consider the human and environmental implications of development. You will consider challenging questions on climate change, biodiversity, gender equality, and other core components of sustainability. The combination of Economic Studies and GSD encourages you to take a new perspective on our changing global economy.

You can enhance your skills and studies through optional work placements, study abroad, and certificates.

As our global reach becomes increasingly important, there is a need and opportunity for organisations to connect together to deliver added value to the consumer through interlinked supply chains and efficient logistics.  

The central content is the concept of a supply network: constructing the relationships that bring it into being; commissioning the technologies that enable it to operate; managing the input, the material and the information flow; and distributing the product.  

During the course, you will develop the skills to evaluate, manage, and improve supply chain processes. You will learn to design and develop strategy, as well as understanding the operational functions of businesses.

Our MA is designed to prepare students for specialised postgraduate research in the fields of Art History and Visual Studies. You will have the option of spending the autumn term in Venice or can study for the full year on the Warwick campus.

The course enables you to develop your research skills by studying different periods and media in the history of art, and by taking an active part in research, exploring some of the broader issues in Art History today such as cross-cultural interaction and the arts, the spatial contexts of art, architecture and urbanism, and the arts within a global society.

Global sustainable development requires a global political dialogue.

Understanding key political concepts, ideologies, and practices of national and international governments is essential for providing solutions for sustainable development. This course considers testing questions such as:

Why do states marginalise human rights in place of geopolitical aims?
Why has water and food security become a critical foreign policy concern for governments?
Why does political gridlock frequently emerge in discussions on climate change?
You will seek to answer these questions, combining theoretical and analytical approaches from Politics with the transdisciplinary approach of GSD.

By studying GSD, you will confront issues from a diverse array of perspectives. You will need to be ready to think creatively and embrace new opinions from your peers from across the world. We will challenge you to become an active participant in your own learning.

You can enhance your skills and studies through optional work placements, study abroad, and certificates.

The objective of Commercial Law is to facilitate commercial transactions, whether a sale of goods, dealing in digital content or data, secured financing arrangements, or mergers. Once a commercial transaction crosses jurisdictional borders, complex questions arise regarding the enforceability of all the terms in a commercial agreement, the law(s) which apply to the transaction, and where any disputes which might arise from the transaction can be resolved.

This LLM will provide you with a solid foundation for understanding the legal challenges of international commerce, and will allow you to explore how a range of international transactions are regulated through a combination of contracts, domestic law and internationally agreed rules.

Skills from this degree

• An understanding of the complexity of the legal environment for international commercial transactions
• The ability to develop a reasoned critical discussion of a contested issue in international commercial law, drawing on a wide range of legal and scholarly resources
• Specialist knowledge of the process of making international commercial law
• An understanding of the wider economic, social and environmental context within which international commercial transactions are conducted

This degree combines the study of Politics and International Studies with a specific focus on German language and culture. It looks at how German society and culture have been central to the development of modern Europe.

You can also get involved with extracurricular activity linked to your studies, such as the PAIS Film Club. You will spend your second or third year studying or on work placement in Germany or Austria.

The course is good preparation for a career in politics, although it develops transferable skills in investigative and evaluative research, presentation and critical analysis, which can be applied in many careers.

Study abroad

The third year of the degree is usually spent studying and/or on work placement in Germany or Austria.

Possible study abroad universities include:

• Universität Konstanz
• Freie Universität Berlin
• Universität Wien
• Technische Universität Wien
• Universität Salzburg
• Technische Universität Dresden
• Universität zu Köln
• Ludwig Maximilians Universität München
• Universität Würzburg
• Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Join experts at Warwick's Politics and International Studies Department and Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID) and develop your critical thinking and research skills as well as how to translate these into practical solutions.

Develop your analytical and practical skills to understand the most pressing global challenges in our world today, including inequality, sustainability and security.

This programme will introduce you to the intellectual and political foundations of International Development, to the key events and themes which have shaped its evolution, and to the major issues that have been (and not) addressed in the scholarship and practice of international development. You will examine the institutions of International Development put in place through the Bretton Woods System, the various United Nations institutions, governmental and non-governmental policies and practices in the historical context of Empire and of contemporary globalisation.

We believe that theoretical work and empirical work are not separate exercises. Practical problems stimulate theory construction, and theories inform the ways in which we handle substantive issues. Students will learn to write policy papers and develop skills to translate critical thinking into problem solving.

We offer an exciting package of core and optional modules which include both theoretical and applied learning. This classroom-based work is reinforced and deepened by bringing our MA students into contact with the work of the Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID) which is housed in PAIS. MA students can join WICID events and learn about the work of its academic, policy and practitioner collaborators.

Students can lead and participate in the Warwick Global Development Society and a student-led end of the year Development Conference, which offers additional opportunities to learn valuable professional skills and to apply learning throughout the year in shaping the content of the conference.