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UCL Philosophy

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Why UCL Philosophy?

People & Research

Our large department has strengths in many areas, including:

  • Philosophy of Action
  • Aesthetics & Philosophy of Art
  • Epistemology
  • Ethics
  • History of Philosophy
  • Philosophy of Language & Linguistics
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Political Philosophy

For more, see our People and Research pages

More resources

Careers

Many of our graduates work for publicly-funded bodies, and many others in relatively small organisations. Others have joined the police, started their own business, or undertaken further study. Here is more on careers with a Philosophy degree.

Selected career destinations

UCL Philosophy graduates have taken up a huge variety of positions in diverse professions; for example:

  • Aviva: Group communications manager
  • British Red Cross: Development officer, refugee services
  • Deloitte: Management consultant
  • Enterprise chambers: Barrister
  • The Home Office: Police officer
  • HSBC: Marketing executive
  • London Borough of Tower Hamlets: Assistant chief executive
  • Metropolitan Police Service: Police officer
  • PriceWaterhouseCoopers UK: Chartered accountant
  • University of Athens: Professor
Alumni in the public eye
  • Shahrar Ali (PhD, 2004). Dr Shahrar Ali has formerly worked as a researcher in the European Parliament on the risks of GM food. He was Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England & Walse. His PhD focused on examining lying and deception, with specific reference to public life.
  • Julian Baggini (PhD, 1996). Co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine, and author of more than 20 popular philosophy books.
  • Peter Cave (Philosophy BA, 1972). Author of a number of books, including This Sentence is False, Can A Robot Be Human?, What's Wrong With Eating People?, Humanism: A Beginner's Guide, Do Llamas Fall in Love? and Philosophy. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 4.
  • Johnathan Dimbleby (Philosophy BA, 1969). Chair of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? from 1987 until 2019.
  • Ken Follett (Philosophy BA, 1970). Author Ken Follett has sold over 100 million copies of his books worldwide. Four of his works have reached the number one spot on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.
  • Ricky Gervais  (Philosophy BA, 1983). Comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter. He received widespread success and critical acclaim with the TV series The Office and has since gone on to appear in Hollywood movies including Cemetry Junction, Ghost Town, and The Invention of Lying.
  • Noreena Hertz (Philosophy & Economics BA, 1987). An economist, author and campaigner, Noreena Hertz has previously been listed as one of the Guardian's Top 101 Female Public Intellectuals. Her 2002 book, The Silent Takeover, famously warned that unregulated markets, corporate greed, and over-powerful financial institutions would have serious global consequences.
  • Diana Janney (Philosophy BA, 1991; MA, 1992).
  • Dimitris Lyacos (Philosophy MA, 1993).
  • Peter Worley (Philosophy BA, 2000). Co-CEO of The Philosophy Foundation and the author of multiple books on philosophy with children.