This programme offers you the chance to develop an advanced theoretical and research-based training, especially interesting for students wishing to pursue further postgraduate studies.

The MA / Diploma in Political Science is a general degree programme providing access to all the main intellectual strands of contemporary political science. Its core module is Advanced Political Analysis, and students have the option to choose from a broad range of additional modules, based on their specific interests.

Who is the programme for?

This degree will appeal to students seeking widely applicable training in pursuit of careers in government, non-governmental organisations, and many areas of the private sector.

Specialist pathways

• British Politics and the State
• Research Methods 

We advocate an enquiry-based approach to learning, which means that we encourage you to become an independent and self-motivated learner. Through the programme of study we offer, we will develop the qualities that employers value in today's university graduates - qualities that will set you apart in your future career.

To help you develop the above-mentioned skills, we adopt a range of teaching methods. They may include:

• Lectures - listening to experts sharing their knowledge and discoveries in challenging and provocative ways. Students are expected to 'read-around' the subject matter of their lectures, adding to their understanding and developing their critical faculties and analytical skills.
• Seminars - where you present and discuss your ideas and knowledge in smaller groups and debate interpretations and opinions with other students.
• Tutorials - are your opportunity to discuss your work with your tutor, usually in small groups.
• Workshops - are problem solving sessions facilitated by a member of academic staff; these sessions usually involve students working in groups.

Our lecturers and tutors will ensure you have all the resources you need to make the transition from A levels to the more rigorous demands of a degree.

More about teaching and learning at the University of Birmingham.

Enhancing your Student Experience

In the School of Government and Society we offer much more than a degree. As a student here, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, you have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of events, with some or all of the costs paid for by the School.

Some of these are targeted to help you build skills and experience for your CV, others are more open events designed to expose you to high-level speakers on current debates relevant to all G&S students. 

Facilities

Departments from across the School of Government and Society are all based within the recently refurbished Muirhead Tower. Following a £50million refurbishment, Muirhead Tower offers state-of-the-art teaching and research study facilities including free wifi throughout the building and dedicated study areas for postgraduate research students.

Muirhead Tower comprises 12,000sq.m of floor space between two towers. The tower includes a number of sustainable features including solar shading (known in the trade as brise soliel) to control temperatures, as well as low energy fans; timed lighting to reduce energy waste; natural ventilation systems and a heat source taken from the University’s combined heat and power generator.

The space has been designed to create modern, attractive spaces for teaching and research accommodating 150 academic offices, 230 "hubs" for post graduate research students, teaching rooms for up to 100 people and a 200 seat lecture theatre.

Graduates from the School have gone on to work in a range of careers, with recent graduates working with organisations such as the United Nations, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, local authorities in the UK and overseas and the Department for International Development.

The School takes employability very seriously and as well as linking students to the central careers services, also incorporates opportunities to enhance their employment prospects, including highlighting work experience opportunities, encouraging volunteering in extra-curricular projects (such as student seminars and events) and by inviting backgrounds for students to meet.

More information about careers and employability

Careers Support for Work Experience and Internships

The Careers and Employability Centre provides a dedicated service to help you find work experience or internship opportunities outside of your studies, either part-time during term-time, or over the summer vacation. Right from the start of your degree you will have access to our interactive careers service, through which many regional, national and international employers advertise their vacancies, and your college internship officers will go out and about to find vacancies that will be a useful addition to your CV. 

Ever wondered what it would be like to work in a New York Theatre?  Interested in working in the city? Fancy travelling to India to take part in a project to promote urban cycling?  Interested in public diplomacy, economics, media relations or PR, journalism or international affairs?  The University of Birmingham offers a range of work experience bursaries, where you can apply for up to £9,000 to help fund work experience or an internship, a research placement, or volunteering, anywhere in the world during the summer vacation.  The funding can help you pay for accommodation costs, travel expenses, or living costs, and will help you rise above the competition.

Through our mentoring scheme, we also provide students in any year of undergraduate study with the opportunity to be mentored by successful Birmingham graduates from a diverse range of career backgrounds, such as marketing, finance, politics, and international affairs. In your final year of study you can also apply to be part of our Alumni Leadership Mentoring programme, and receive one-to-one mentoring from high-profile Birmingham alumni.  This year’s mentors include Martin Devenish, Partner and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, and Mike Coupe, a director at J Sainsbury’s.

Find out more about support for work experience and internships, bursaries, or mentoring.

Funding for work placements, research placements and internships
The Careers and Employability Centre offer a range of award schemes for students from a range of backgrounds that are looking to undertake a variety of work experience placements and internships .