Politics with Philosophy

Politics with philosophy is a combination that brings together the empirical study of political institutions, behaviour, and power with the conceptual and normative rigour of philosophical analysis. Politics examines how governments are formed and sustained, how policies are made and implemented, how elections and democratic processes work, and how states relate to each other and to international institutions. Philosophy deepens that analysis by asking the fundamental questions that politics cannot fully answer on its own: what makes a government legitimate, what obligations citizens owe to each other, how we should reason about justice and rights, and what good argument actually looks like.

At Royal Holloway, this three-year full-time programme combines politics as the dominant strand, making up roughly three-quarters of the degree, with philosophy providing the remaining quarter. This weighting ensures that you develop genuine expertise in political science while also acquiring the philosophical tools that deepen your understanding of political theory and normative analysis. A sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement are all incorporated into the programme, giving you substantial professional and international experience alongside your academic studies.

You will engage with ancient philosophy, theories of reason and argument, and the application of philosophical methods to political questions, alongside the study of comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.

The combination develops both empirical and normative modes of political analysis, making you unusually equipped to engage with the full complexity of political questions.

Graduates go on to work in politics, the civil service, policy research, journalism, law, international organisations, NGOs, business, and a wide range of other sectors. Postgraduate study in politics, philosophy, or political philosophy is a natural next step for those wishing to specialise.