Law with Politics

Law and politics are disciplines that speak directly to questions of power: who holds it, how it is exercised, how it is limited and how it can be challenged. Law provides the formal rules and mechanisms through which political decisions are enacted, rights are protected and disputes are resolved. Politics examines the ideologies, institutions and forces that shape those decisions in the first place.

Studying both together prepares you to think carefully about governance, accountability and justice in a complex world.

At Roehampton University, this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year and a work placement. The foundation year supports your transition into degree-level study, developing the academic skills you will need across both disciplines. The sandwich and placement elements give you direct professional experience, which might be in legal practice, public affairs, policy, civil society or government.

You will learn to construct arguments carefully, think critically under pressure, process and evaluate large quantities of information, and engage with questions of power, participation, decision-making, conflict and international cooperation. These are skills that apply well beyond any single profession.

The law component covers core areas including contract, criminal law, public law, human rights and the legal system. The politics component introduces you to political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and the study of political behaviour and institutions. Together they develop a layered understanding of how authority is legitimised, how governance operates in practice, and how law both reflects and shapes political power.

Graduates go into a wide range of careers, including the law, the civil service, policy and public affairs, journalism, international organisations, NGOs and commercial roles where political or regulatory expertise is valued. Some pursue the academic and professional training routes to becoming solicitors or barristers. Others go into postgraduate study in law, political science or public policy, building on the analytical and argumentative foundations this degree provides.