Why Study at with us?

We are at the centre of the rich and active philosophical life in Bloomsbury, including seminars and conferences at the Institute of Philosophy, the Aristotelian Society and the Royal Institute of Philosophy.

MA students can tailor their course choices to suit their interests and level of experience: we offer introductory course to those who have not studied the subject before as well as giving the opportunity for those with a degree in philosophy to participate in research seminars. See here for list of courses available. Students can also take a module in other UCL departments (ESPS political science)

Research students are supervised by and partake in seminars run by world leading experts in their field (see most recent RAE and staff pages for individual interests). The department is commitment to providing the best research training and has teaching opportunities for all research students. Our belief in breadth of study has provided our previous graduates with employability as shown on our placement record.

What are the entry requirements?

Applicants for the MPhil Stud, MPhil/PhD, and the PhD degree programmes should have (or obtain before enrolling) a first-class Honours degree in philosophy or an equivalent qualification from overseas, although exceptions may be made in the case of candidates with strong upper second class Honours degrees, or equivalent qualifications, supported by good references.

The department normally expects applicants for the Philosophy MA to have (or obtain before enrolling) at least an upper second class Honours degree or an equivalent overseas qualification in philosophy. Applicants with a strong degree in a non-philosophical subject are also welcome to apply for the Philosophy MA degree. Candidates who have no, or insufficient, background in philosophy are recommended to take the specially designed 'General Philosophy' courses.

Students from a wide range of academic backgrounds are eligible to apply for the MA Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health. They should normally have a minimum of lower second-class  Honours degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of equivalent standard. This programme will be of interest to those wishing to specialise in this area, with a background of medicine in social sciences or philosophy. It will also be of interest to those already working in the health service, whether in a managerial, policy or medical role.

What are the fees?

The department does not deal with fees or fee assessment. For information on current fees please see:

Can I start at other times than September?

All our courses begin at the end of September. UCL does not have a semester system so you would not be able to start at any other time.

Can I do the course part-time?

The MA Philosophy can be studied part time over two years (please note seminars take place in the daytime). To give an idea of study time the full time students have four 2 hour seminar per week each long term and are expected to do around 30 hour private study a week. Part time study would be approximately half of this.

The MA Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health can be studies on a modular basis over five years.

The MPhil Stud is not offered part time as the course is too intensive.

Can I study by distance learning?

We do not offer distance learning for any course (including PhD) and place great emphasis on being an active member of our graduate community.

Do you accept applications from mature students?

All applications are treated equally & previous admission of mature student applicants have done very well.

How many places are there?

On average there are 20 places available on each programme (MA, MA Philosophy Politics and Economics of Health and MPhil Stud). We normally receive over a hundred applications for the MA in Philosophy and more for our research programme.

What do your graduates go on to do?

Many who complete the MA go on to further graduate studies in philosophy both in the UK and abroad.
Many who have completed the MPhil Stud and PhD have achieved academic posts. See our placement record.

Can you send me a brochure/prospectus/information pack for the programme?

We do not send out a printed brochure or prospectus or information pack for the programme. All information about the programme is available on our website. A prospectus and application materials can be requested from the college admissions office:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/form-request

I am studying a PhD elsewhere.  Can I join the department for a term or year as a visiting student?

The department warmly welcomes graduate students who are working towards higher degrees at other universities and who would wish to do either course work or research in London for a period normally of one year. Arrangements can be made for the award of grades or other credits that may be required by the degree-giving university. Postdoctoral students may also be admitted for short periods, and the experience of the department is that such arrangements are highly beneficial.

Those interested should first informally get in touch with a member of staff with related interests (see staff pages for interests & contacts). Then an application is made via the UCL International Office with the final decision made by the graduate committee. The application should be the same as a standard research application including two writing samples (see below).

Making An Application:

How do I apply?

At UCL graduate admissions are first dealt with centrally by the college admissions office. Please be aware that when sending your application it will take some time to reach the department. To obtain apply online please see:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/application-admission
Application materials are only sent to the department when both references have been received. It is the applicants responsibilty to check that these have been completed.
UCL has introduced an application processing fee for postgraduate taught programmes.

Do you have a deadline / When can I apply?

Our deadline for graduate admissions is 1 February each year (except the MA Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health for which applications can be considered up to the beginning of August). After this date all applications received for the research programme and MA in Philosophy are considered in competition with one another. Each year we receive around a hundred applications for our MA in Philosophy and over a hundred for our research programme.

Which course should I apply for?

Those who have not studied philosophy before or who have a degree and wish to study for a further year should apply for the MA degrees. The MA degrees, in contrast to the other degrees, are not conceived as preparation for a career in teaching philosophy. On the whole, it is felt that those who have such a goal will, in the first instance, be better served by the MPhil Stud, since it provides a broader background and training in philosophy, before proceeding to the PhD.

Please note the MPhil Stud requires significant prior background in philosophy. Applicants who have not studies the subject before but wish to progress to research should apply for the MA and be aware there is a provision to upgrade to MPhil Stud for students that perform well as modules are shared

The usual route to a PhD is to first complete the MPhil Stud. Applicants who have a sufficient graduate level qualification in philosophy will be considered for the MPhil/PhD. If an offer is made the graduate committee who review applications will make this at the appropriate entry level (MPhil Stud MPhil/PhD or PhD) depending on your previous studies. It is therefore important to include as full transcripts as possible so an appropriate offer is made.

Do you ask for writing samples?

Writing samples are for the research degree (MPhil Stud and PhD) applications only. These are a crucial piece of our admissions process for our research degrees (MPhil Stud, MPhil/PhD, PhD). We ask for two pieces around 2000 words each (excluding bibliography). The short length is because we deal with so many applications. We ask for two as we do not want to make the decision on seeing only one piece of work. If applicants send in longer pieces we cannot guarantee they will be read in their entirety. Although longer pieces with highlighted sections can be submitted we would caution against this as it is not always possible to get a feel for an argument from a section. Remember you are in competition with many other applicants so it is worth taking some time to work on a piece that fulfils the requirements.

*** Please note: the new UCL online admission system permits only one additional document to be uploaded. We ask that you combine both samples into a single document (ensuring they are clearly marked as two samples).***

The section to upload these is reached after the declaration and checklist sections of the online application process.
Here you can upload transcripts, Research Proposal (not needed for MPhil Stud), CV and Language Certificates as well as the additional document (writing samples).

References:

Please complete the contact for the 2 referees who will be asked to provide references for you. These should be two academic references, preferably from current or most recent studies. Referees will be contacted by email once your application is submitted. You will be emailed to say when your referees have submitted their reference. Applications are not processed by the college admissions office until both references are completed.

Transcript:

Please include as detailed transcripts as possible – indications of grades achieved so far are useful.

Unfortunately, due to the extremely high volume of applications received, it is impossible for the course coordinator to meet personally with applicants.

Do you have open days?

The department does not hold specific open days the study information centre at UCL does operates a number of schemes to tour the whole of UCL which you may be interested in.

If you are attending a UCL tour and wish to make an enquiry at our department office please note our opening hours are 11.30am – 12.30pm and 2-4pm. We are located at 19 Gordon Square; the office is on the first floor.

After your application has been submitted:

Is there any funding available for applicants?

UCL has a number of scholarships which previous applicants to the department have been successful in securing. Further details and instructions for applying can be found on the web here:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships/graduate

In addition the department can offer up to two Master’s and five doctoral AHRC Scholarships via the block grant partnership.
Click here for more information about the AHRC awards for 2013 entry.

The department also has a small set of funds to offer awards and hardship funding for research students which are allocated on the basis of merit and need. These include the Follett Scholarship, a  one-year award of £13,000; S.V. Keeling Scholarship, a three-year scholarship to support research in philosophy, principally in ancient philosophy; this is worth £7,500 per year; Ayer, Dawes Hicks, Jacobsen, Melhuish, JS Mill Scholarships; these small  scholarships provide £500-£1,000. All who are admitted to our research programme are considered for these awards.

Who should I contact?

If you enquiry is about whether UCL has the application form, any language requirements or UK equivalents of overseas qualifications please contact the college admissions office.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study

For the status of your application once received in the department please contact Richard Edwards. You will receive an e-mail from Richard when the department receives your application from the admissions office.

Will I get feedback if my application is unsuccessful?

Because of the volume of applications received we are unable to give individual feedback.

When will I hear?

Because we only begin to review applications after the 1 February deadline and deal with so many applications decisions usually begin being communicated in May. We will send an e-mail in the first instance.

What are the term dates?

Term begins at the end of September. The term dates can be found here:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/staff/term-dates/

MA Philosophy Course Structure.

Click here to see a PDF diagram of the MA Philosophy course structure by term (full time).

MPhil Stud Course Structure.

Click here to see a PDF diagram of the MPhil Stud course structure by term.