BA in Comparative Politics
Course Overview
The BA in Comparative Politics at LSLPE is a UK Level 6 honours degree running over three years full-time, with part-time and accelerated routes available. The programme takes the comparative method — the systematic analysis of political systems, party systems, regimes, transitions and institutional design across states — and applies it to Britain, its European neighbours, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Global South.
By graduation you will be producing large-N and small-N comparative case notes, running country studies at academic standard, presenting at moot-parliament debates, and completing a final-year dissertation supervised by a tutor with academic, government or think-tank experience.
Key Features
- Three-year Level 6 honours degree with a year-two placement in Whitehall, a think tank or a comparative-politics research office.
- Reading list aligned with Political Studies Association (PSA), British International Studies Association (BISA) and Institute for Government (IfG) publication conventions.
- Weekly seminars run in the case-room and select-committee tradition.
- Optional strands in European politics, Asia-Pacific politics, Latin American politics and Africa politics.
- Dissertation supervision available in regime analysis, party systems, and comparative political economy.
- Structured articulation into MA, MSc and MPhil routes at LSLPE and partner UK universities.
What You Will Learn
- Apply the comparative method to two or more political systems.
- Analyse party-system dynamics with Duverger, Sartori and modern tools.
- Run a country case study to academic standard.
- Interpret regime-change and democratic-transition literatures.
- Compare parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential systems.
- Prepare a Bachelor-standard dissertation of around 10,000 words.
- Use qualitative and quantitative comparative methods.
- Present oral argument at select-committee seminar standard.
Who This Course Is For
- School leavers wanting a comparative-method honours degree.
- Career-changers moving from journalism or teaching into international-affairs analysis.
- International applicants preparing for public-service or multilateral careers.
- Aspiring diplomats, parliamentary researchers and think-tank associates.
- Progressors from LSLPE Higher Diploma routes.
Career Pathways
- Political Analyst
- International Relations Analyst
- Public Affairs Officer
- Parliamentary Researcher
- Diplomat
- Think Tank Researcher
- Election Analyst
- Political Consultant
The LSLPE careers service runs annual employer days linking BA in Comparative Politics finalists with Whitehall analytical services, Chatham House-adjacent think tanks and multilateral-institution graduate schemes.
Entry Requirements
- A-levels (or equivalent) at BBB or above, OR a UK Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3 in a humanities or social-science area.
- GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
- Two academic references and a personal statement explaining your interest in comparative politics.
- International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation support from LSLPE admissions.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE reads comparative politics inside a school where the legal, economic and international dimensions of political systems are taught alongside domestic institutional analysis. The BA sits in small tutor-visible cohorts and shares case-room seminars with the LSLPE Law and Economics departments.
Central London puts Parliament, Whitehall, Chatham House, the FCDO-adjacent think tanks and the LSE-adjacent research cluster within a short tube ride of every classroom. Three parallel study modes let progressors and working professionals complete the programme without leaving employment, and the careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against PSA and BISA guidance.
Apply for BA in Comparative Politics
Places are offered on rolling intakes. Apply for the LSLPE Bachelor's programme, placement year in chambers, government or a think tank included, admissions responds within one working day. Enrol Now.
