Durham University - Undergraduate Pre-application Open Day
26 Jun 2026, 08:00
Durham
You are viewing our beta course page.
Philosophy and Politics
- BA (Hons)
- 3 Years
- Full-time
- 29/09/2025
- Undergraduate
- Durham City
Course summary
Course details
Studying BA Philosophy and Politics will allow you to develop critical capacities and gain insight into how political theories, organisations and communities work. You will learn skills from both subjects that employers value, including how to analyse evidence, assess experts’ arguments, work collaboratively to solve difficult problems, and write with clarity and precision.
Rather than learning a body of work, the philosophical element of your degree will equip you with the reasoning skills needed to formulate, present, defend and criticise philosophical and political positions.
Why Durham University?
Politics
We offer a range of courses that are flexible and interdisciplinary in nature. Alongside the study of political theory, comparative politics, and international relations you can choose from a wide selection of modules in areas that align with your interests.
You will be taught by academics with a genuine passion for their subject, whose areas of expertise include government, political theory, political economy and international relations.
Philosophy
Amongst the most prestigious departments in the UK, at Durham we pride ourselves on our excellence in teaching and research and we are committed to the pursuit of philosophical knowledge and understanding.
Our distinctive, research-led approach to learning means that our undergraduate courses are constantly shaped in line with research and to reflect contemporary study in the area.
Undergraduate students are invited to attend the Department’s extensive programme of research-related activities, including weekly lectures and seminars, many of which are given by renowned UK and overseas philosophers. Recent visitors have included Amie Thomasson, Noam Chomsky and Peter Singer.
Rankings
Politics
World Top 100 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
5th in the Guardian University Guide 2025
Top 10 in The Complete University Guide 2025
Philosophy
World Top 30 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Top 10 in The Guardian University Guide 2025
Top 10 in The Complete University Guide 2025
Career Opportunities
Politics
We offer a series of employment-related events which include talks from visiting speakers who explore the range of careers open to politics and international relations students, and offer advice about applying for jobs. We also host a regular Civil Service Fast Stream event in which Durham alumni give first-hand advice about how to excel in the recruitment process.
Graduates are equipped with an academic and practical skill set that will take them into a wide range of fields including local and national government, newspaper and broadcast journalism, the charity sector, business and finance, publishing, law, manufacturing, teaching and academia, and the armed forces.
Philosophy
Philosophical training will equip you with a range of theoretical and transferable skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, project management, presenting and researching, that will be of value to employers across a range of industries.
Our graduates work in a vast range of employment sectors worldwide, including law, the Civil Service and politics, management, public relations, teaching, journalism, media and publishing, marketing, retail and business, IT and financial services. Examples of recent employers include Penguin, Random House Publishing, Save the Children, Amnesty International and The Guardian.
Modules
For current information please scroll to the bottom of the page for Provider Information and select Visit our Course Page under Course Contact Details.
Assessment method
Assessment varies by module but may include essays, end-of-year examinations or a combination of the two.
Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on self-directed learning, such as research, reading and writing.
In your final year, you will conduct your own independent research and submit a dissertation, which allows you to explore in-depth a topic of your choice. Your dissertation will make up one-third of your final-year marks.
In addition to the help provided by your subject lecturers, you can also access extensive support for your assessments through ASC, the Academic Skills Centre. See below for details: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/centres/academic-skills-centre/
Ways to study this course
Campuses
- Durham City
Study options
- BA (Hons) • Full-time • 3 Years
Start dates
- 29/09/2025
Apply by
29 January
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Application codes
- Course code:
- LV25
- Institution code:
- D86
- Campus name:
- Durham City
- Campus Code:
- O
- Points of Entry:
- Year 1
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Durham University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
How to apply
This course has limited vacancies, and is no longer accepting applications from some students. See the list below for where you normally live, to check if you're eligible to apply.
- EU has vacancies
- does not have vacancies
- does not have vacancies
- International has vacancies
- Scotland does not have vacancies
- Northern Ireland does not have vacancies
- Republic of Ireland does not have vacancies
Apply by
29 January
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- LV25
- Institution code:
- D86
- Campus name:
- Durham City
- Campus Code:
- O
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Durham has a long and proud history of welcoming students from countries across the globe. For further details please visit: https://www.dur.ac.uk/study/international/
International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year. For further details please visit: https://www.durhamisc.com/programmes/international-foundation-year
Chat to student ambassadors
Discover what it's like to study Philosophy and Politics at Durham University: insights on the course, making friends, personal statement tips, uni prep, and recommended books, podcasts, and videos.
POWERED BY 
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - AAA
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Specific subjects excluded for entry:
General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Information:
Please see the website for a list of accepted social science and humanities subjects.
Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDD
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Access to HE Diploma - D: 30 credits M: 15 credits
We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Applicants may be required to meet additional subject-specific requirements for particular courses at Durham.
Scottish Higher - AAAAB
Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Scottish Advanced Higher - AAA
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 37 points
Specific subjects/grades required for entry:
To include 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level including an accepted social science or humanities subject.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024) - Not accepted
Extended Project - Not accepted
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H2, H2, H2, H2, H2
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal - D3, D3, D3
Subject specific requirements:
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - DDD
To include at least one accepted social science or humanities subject.
T Level
At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds. We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses.
Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level. Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | with no component under 6.0 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 92 | with no component under 23 |
Acceptable evidence and levels required can be viewed by visiting the link below under English Language requirements.
You should be able to demonstrate satisfactory English proficiency before the start of a programme of study, whether via the submission of an appropriate English language qualification or by attendance on an appropriate pre-sessional course.
For more information on pre-sessional courses please visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/pre-sessional-english-language-required/
English Language requirements https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/
Contextual admissions
Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.
Our contextual offer for this programme is A level ABB (or equivalent) including A in at least one Humanities or Social Science subject. To find out if you’re eligible, please visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/how-to-apply/what-happens-to-your-application/contextual-offers/.
Historical entry grades data BETA
This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
Not enough data available
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| EU | £27500 | Year 1 |
| England | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9535 | Year 1 |
| International | £27500 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.
The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees are subject to an annual inflationary increase. In deciding the annual level of increase the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of 6% or the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.
There may also be additional course costs for things like books (if you want to purchase them), field trips etc.
Sponsorship information
Durham University offers a range of scholarship opportunities to academically well-qualified and highly motivated students. For further details, including deadlines for application, please visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/
Durham University
The Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE
Related courses
At Durham University
Like this page