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Considering doing a degree? Why not choose Politics?

Michelle Doyle Wildman, PSA Chief Executive
11 August 2025
 

Exam results season 2025 is well and truly underway. If you are considering clearing or applying for a university place in the future, I’ve set out a few pointers below on why choosing to do a Politics or International Relations degree may be right for you!

What can I do with a Politics Degree?

Politics Degrees are relevant, enjoyable, and useful. Recent analysis by the British Academy - New report uncovers popularity of Politics and International Relations degrees, with graduates outearning national averages - found that this is a popular subject among prospective students, on its own or combined with other subjects. Politics & IR graduates have a strong set of skills which make them popular with a range of employers too so that they enjoy above average salaries compared to non-graduates and other graduates.

 

Median earnings of first degree graduates for i) Politics and International Relations and ii) for all subjects 1, 3, 5 and 10 years after graduation, 2020/21

 

What do Politics Degrees Cover?

So why is Politics & IR a popular subject? In short, Politics IS everything. And so those drawn to understanding and dealing with the most pressing and important questions of our world are therefore also drawn to studying Politics. From democracy to dictatorship and local councils to international organisations, the study of Politics examines how power is obtained, kept, lost, mobilised, divided, used, and abused. It asks who gains and who loses from these processes and why. Politics is studied in theory and in practice, often using scientific methods.

Over 100 universities offer Politics and International Relations courses, UCAS offers a useful precis of what studying a Politics degree entails, the skills you gain and possible careers you could pursue as a graduate to put what you have learnt into practice: Politics Subject Guide | Why Study Politics At Uni? | UCAS

 

What transferable skills & knowledge do you gain from doing a Politics degree?

It’s potentially a long list, and each person’s experience is unique, but you will certainly gain:

These are all skills and knowledge vital to today’s job market and wider society.

Doing a Politics degree is endlessly fascinating, diverse, and enjoyable. And so is the Politics student community!

The study of Politics and International Relations is fundamentally about studying power, whether that’s institutions, presidents, parliaments or individual power relations between people. Being able to understand that and how it affects us in the everyday and how it impacts the distribution of resources; knowing about that is really important … Giving students that knowledge is powerful in and of itself.”

Where can a politics degree take you?

From careers in the civil service, governmental, think-tank and charitable organisations through to law, business, education, and finance. The world is literally your oyster…

 

Industry of employment for first degree Politics & IR students by SIC code (LEO data) 1 & 10 years after graduation, 2020/21

 

As well as being an excellent foundation for the world of work, studying and understanding the world through a political lens is vital to our democracy and ensuring the active participation of informed citizens within it. If you understand the world around you, you can help change the world around you, be that to address climate crisis, global economies, or local educational or health systems. Your voice and actions matter. And we at the Political Studies Association hope you will choose a degree in Politics as your next step.

Good luck!

 

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