The Student Room Group

Politics and Philosophy VS Politics and International Relations?

Hi! I am trying to decide between the two above courses for uni this year. I understand the differences between both and am spending time thinking deeply about the course content in order to make a decision, yet I genuinely think I would enjoy both. Does anyone have any advice/take either of these courses and can offer some advice about what it is really like to study them?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

if you think you have a good understanding of the two then i'd say take a step back:

politics + ir are fundamentally similar, whereas philosophy is an entirely different discipline

so, in short, do you want to get some really great breadth at undergraduate level political studies, or might you prefer to diversify your academic focus?

it's undergraduate level so both degrees are going to be fairly broad. you'll have plenty of choice to pick your favourite modules whichever way you go. you'll even be able to take a couple of philosophy classes if you were to pick politics + ir (usually - check with course provider)

i studied ppe and there were modules of each that i really enjoyed and affect the way i think about things, so i would say i enjoyed the diverse degree but that's just personal preference

maybe you could also take a look at the academic pedigree of each course (the philosophy department may well have a course on offer taught by someone super influential, for example)

Reply 2

I suggest that you look at politics and philosophy courses where you can take international relations modules as your optional modules. In a lot of uni courses, Politics and Politics+IR some modules are shared.
You could look at modules for Politics and IR at one uni then look at the modules for Politics and Philosophy at the same uni. You can use this to strategically apply to courses with the modules you like.

Reply 3

Original post
by iislip623
Hi! I am trying to decide between the two above courses for uni this year. I understand the differences between both and am spending time thinking deeply about the course content in order to make a decision, yet I genuinely think I would enjoy both. Does anyone have any advice/take either of these courses and can offer some advice about what it is really like to study them?
Thanks :smile:

Same here! I like the idea of philosophy but it kind of sounds like RE. Also I am unsure how I would include the philosophy aspect in my personal statement because I have written it tailored to Politics and international relations at the moment. Any advice?

Quick Reply

How The Student Room is moderated

To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.