At Newcastle, we are committed to providing students with a truly global learning experience. Students on this programme have access to a range of exciting opportunities to travel and study abroad during their degree.

The Political Science and Sociology joint honours degree at Newcastle provides an excellent opportunity for you to explore the social changes reshaping the world today.

This degree provides the knowledge and skills to critically engage with key issues facing contemporary societies including globalisation; the changing nature of work and the family; gender roles and sexuality; multiculturalism; the impact of the media and information technologies; and new forms of politics. In addition to these ‘big picture’ social theories we place a strong emphasis on developing social science research skills – so valued by employers – with research methods training in each year.

These degree programmes help you acquire important analytical skills. You learn to find your way among different arguments, rival theories and alternative explanations. You also learn about campaigns, elections, protest movements, policy issues and political ideals.

Politics is not only what political scientists study, but also an activity in which professional politicians, civil servants and ordinary citizens take part. The politics course at Newcastle enables all students to profit from a culture of learning that is aligned with our research ethos – based on critical enquiry, debate and self-motivation.

Sociology seeks to understand how social relations and structures influence all aspects of our lives. Join us and explore the dynamic, unprecedented social changes reshaping the world today.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching. Our staff are active researchers who want to share their enthusiasm for sociology and political science with you. We believe teaching and learning should be both rigorous and enjoyable, and seek to involve students in continually developing our activities. The Sociology and Political Science degree at Newcastle presents a balanced view of the subject. You will be given a broad grounding in the major approaches to both disciplines, with emphasis on the cultivation of research skills. Your degree will culminate in a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

This programme provides the knowledge and skills to critically engage with key issues facing contemporary societies including:

• Globalisation
• The changing nature of work and the family
• Gender roles and sexuality
• Multiculturalism
• The impact of the media and information technologies and new forms of politics

In addition to these ‘big picture’ social theories we place a strong emphasis on developing social science research skills – so valued by employers – with research methods training in each year. This culminates in a final year dissertation where you research and write an extended piece on a topic of your own choice, with the support of an expert supervisor.

If you want to take advantage of a unique opportunity to be supported with a work placement opportunity as part of your final year, this course includes the opportunity to undertake a ‘Professional Development’ module as part of your optional module choices.

Student Research Internships

Each year on this International Relations degree we offer up to 10 research internships to undergraduates in POLSIS. These are open on a competitive basis to all second year students. These are fully supported, paid internships that give students the opportunity to work on a one-to-one basis with a member of academic staff in POLSIS on a research project.

Year Abroad

Even if you haven’t applied for our 4-Year Study Abroad International Relations degree you can transfer onto this track during your time at Newcastle (grades depending) and benefit from the increased confidence and different academic perspective gained by studying in a foreign country. We have exchange partners across Europe, as well as in Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Ghana, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Vietnam and Uruguay.