Law and Politics (with Professional Placement Year) - BA (Hons)

Bath Spa University

**Develop practical and vocational skills alongside knowledge of the political structures and legal theories that shape our lives.**- Build practical legal skills alongside political insight to understand how laws are made, challenged and reformed.- Apply your knowledge to real-world challenges in governance, public policy, human rights and beyond.- Graduate with the transferable skills employers’ value: critical analysis, collaborative working, and the ability to communicate complex ideas with confidence.This Law and Politics combined course brings together the study of Politics and Law to develop both professional legal expertise and a sophisticated understanding of how power, policy, and institutions shape society. You’ll explore the relationship between legal systems, political theory and governmental decision-making while building research, analytical and communication skills that are highly valued across a wide range of graduate careers.In Law, you will examine the foundations of the legal system alongside key areas such as criminal law, EU law, environmental law, and cybercrime. You’ll learn how legislation is created, interpreted, and challenged, while developing the ability to analyse complex legal issues, construct persuasive arguments, and apply legal reasoning to real-world scenarios.In Politics, you’ll investigate political ideologies, government structures, public policy, and contemporary global debates. The course encourages you to critically engage with current political challenges, from questions of justice and human rights to security, governance, and digital regulation. Alongside subject knowledge, you’ll develop practical skills in policy analysis, research, negotiation, and public communication.Collaborative projects and applied learning opportunities form an important part of the degree. Working with fellow students, you’ll learn how to design and manage projects, evaluate evidence and outcomes, and communicate effectively with specialist and non-specialist audiences in a variety of professional contexts.Throughout the course, you will examine how political forces influence the development of law, and how legal frameworks both constrain and enable political action. Whether analysing landmark cases, evaluating public policy, or debating the ethics of punishment and justice, you’ll develop the intellectual confidence to interrogate complex issues and present arguments with clarity and authority.**Combined Honour Awards**At Bath Spa University many of our undergraduate programmes can be combined, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one subject. If you choose to study a combined award then in Year One you’ll start by studying both subjects in equal depth. From Year Two you can choose whether to continue with equal numbers of modules from each subject, or whether you want to select additional modules in one or the other. Upon successful completion of the programme you will graduate with a joint degree.**More about the Professional Placement Year**A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Interdepartmental