Why study at York?
Excellent education
Our global reputation as a centre of teaching excellence attracts students from all over the world to study at what the QAA teaching quality assessment described as “a well-resourced, vibrant, friendly collegiate community” when it rated the Department 24 out of 24, the highest possible ranking. Our teaching staff are leaders in their fields, with half the department's research outputs rated 4* ('world-leading') or 3* ('internationally excellent') in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. At the University of York we are distinctive in that we cover a broad spectrum of the discipline of Politics, from the history of political thought to the resolution of conflicts in war-torn societies, and from the study of Islam and the Middle East to the Politics of the European Union. The Department is one of the leading centres for teaching and researching Politics in the UK. Our staff are committed both to teaching and research of the highest standard and to applying their knowledge to real world problems. We provide an intellectually diverse, international and friendly environment for your studies. Our teaching and research cover all the major sub-disciplines of Politics, including conflict and development, international and comparative politics, political theory, and public policy.
Choice
Our eight undergraduate degree programmes and twelve postgraduate programmes offer an unparalleled range of high quality choice. Undergraduates choose from about forty modules, covering every aspect of the subject. In addition, you have the opportunity to develop your research and analytical skills through a dissertation, individually supervised by one of our lecturing staff. For more details of all our programmes, undergraduate and postgraduate.
Outstanding student support
We put your interests first. Students and external assessors rate our support service very highly, including a supervisor throughout your course, study skills training, writing guidance, online support through Yorkshare, and continuous employability support. The Politics Department prides itself on its friendliness and accessibility. At York you will belong both to the Department and to a College, giving you a strong network of peers as well as of professional support and guidance during your time here.
Studying Abroad
The Politics Department offers opportunities, both for single-subject and joint-honours students, to incorporate approved study abroad as part of the undergraduate degree. This study takes place in the student’s Second year, and applications and selection in the First year.
Future opportunities
Your degree with us will open up a wide range of options when you graduate, both inside and outside the political world. Choosing to study with us will not only enable you to engage with a topic which interests you, but also develop the skills, networks and knowledge that will make you attractive to employers. Your degree will teach you how to be analytical, develop your writing and research ability, boost your confidence in expressing opinions articulately, provide political knowledge and deepen your understanding of human psychology and society. Participating in the wider activities of College life will give you additional skills and experience. You will have the opportunity to meet many of our successful alumni through the careers events we run, who work in a wide range of public and private sector organisations in the UK, Europe and abroad, including journalism, finance, local government, public relations, among many other areas. We have held recent alumni events featuring Steve Richards (chief political correspondent, the Independent), Denise O’Donoghue (Managing Director, ITV Studios), and Greg Dyke (Chancellor of the University and former Director General of the BBC).
World class facilities
Everything you need for your studies is on the campus. Our library has just had a £20m refurbishment – it’s not just a place for reading and quiet study but also somewhere groups of students can work together in state-of-the-art study spaces with wireless internet access, plasma screens and computers. At any time around 3500 students are living on the campus, so it is a lively and sociable place to spend your spare time with plenty going on and, for sporty types, a brand new £9m Sports Village will open in 2012.
The City of York
York is a fantastic place to live and work. Although best known for its picturesque medieval streets and buildings, it has everything you’d expect of a lively modern city from the huge variety of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants to riverside parks, museums and vibrant nightlife. Yet it is small enough that you’ll regularly bump into friends in the street and it is just a short walk from city centre to countryside. When you want to get away, or if friends and family want to visit, York also has excellent links to the rest of the country; journey times from London, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham or Manchester are all under 2 hours by rail.
