Philosophical Studies MPhil Stud
London, Bloomsbury
Immerse yourself in the world of academic philosophy through this course, designed to give you a rigorous understanding of the discipline. The Philosophical Studies MPhil Stud is one of the most esteemed research Master’s degrees in the UK, giving you valuable academic skills and a solid foundation to progress to future PhD research. Delivered at UCL, you’ll also benefit from access to renowned academics and philosophy institutions.
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
Duration
Programme starts
Applications accepted
Applications closed
Entry requirements
A first-class UK Bachelor's degree in Philosophy or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. All applicants for research degrees must submit two short pieces of work, of about 2,000 words each, with their application.
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The English language level for this course is: Level 2
UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
Equivalent qualifications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.
About this degree
The MPhil Stud degree is a rigorous training course for two years, which includes a 30,000 word thesis examined by viva with external examiners. The course has been devised to better prepare students for doctoral work. This is achieved by giving a breadth of study before future specialisation, providing specialised compulsory research modules and the undertaking of a significant research project in Philosophy. By providing students with this breadth and depth of study, we ensure that our research students who enter doctoral work do so with a deep general understanding of the discipline.
Who this course is for
This course has been specifically designed for Philosophy graduates who wish to develop a career in academic philosophy. The diverse range of modules and specialised compulsory research elements ensure a breadth and depth of study that enables our research students who enter doctoral work do so with a deep general understanding of the discipline.
What this course will give you
In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), our research activity was assessed as among the best in the country: 60% of our activity was assessed as world-leading (4*). The department has a lively and flourishing postgraduate community, and enjoys collaborative connections with other London universities, and the activities of the nearby Royal Institute of Philosophy, the Aristotelian Society, and the University of London Institute of Philosophy.
The wealth of departmental seminars, colloquiums, symposiums and student organised work in progress sessions give ample opportunities to present research, receive feedback and participate in discussion. The department’s membership to the University of London’s Institute of Philosophy also enables participation in intercollegiate conferences and workshops, where these opportunities can be experienced with a wider audience.
The foundation of your career
The range of pre-doctoral graduate-level modules included in UCL's MPhil Stud course is exceptional in the UK. This ensures that our research students who go on to enter doctoral work do so with a deep understanding of the discipline. The department has an outstanding job placement record in a highly competitive academic market that values a range of areas of competence in addition to an area of specialisation. UCL PhD graduates in philosophy have secured lectureships, fellowships and postdoctoral placements in the UK and elsewhere (University of Oxford, University of Toronto, University College Dublin, York University, Southampton University, Cambridge University, Sheffield University, University of Antwerp and the Institute of Philosophy, UNAM, Mexico).
Overall, 91% of graduates from the MPhil Stud Philosophical Studies course entered highly-skilled work or postgraduate level study within 15 months of graduating.*
*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.
Employability
Of the students we admit to the MPhil Stud each year, around 40% progress to study a PhD. Some have been offered full fees and maintenance grants at institutions such as UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, and other UK and US universities. Students who do not continue to academic work beyond the MPhil Stud have entered a range of professions including teaching and education, arts and heritage and law.*
*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.
Networking
The department has links with US universities (Berkeley, Columbia and Yale). Academic staff are involved in the running of the Aristotelian Society, the main philosophy society in the UK. Others are involved in running the Institute of Classical Studies lecture series, and the Keeling Colloquia and Lectures in ancient philosophy. Philosophy graduate students host a philosophy conference at the start of every year, and co-organise an annual graduate philosophy conference with postgraduate students at Berkeley. Finally, the Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture series is open to our graduate students as well as conferences and talks organised by the University of London Institute of Philosophy, which the department has institutional membership to.
Teaching and learning
The course is taught through a combination of seminars and supervisions. The course as a whole has been devised to better prepare students for doctoral work in the subject. This is achieved by:
• Giving a breath of study as a foundation before future specialisation;
• Providing specialised compulsory research modules in both years of the course (Practical Criticism, Recent Philosophical Writings & Thesis Preparation);
• Undertaking a significant research project in Philosophy with the 30,000 word thesis, which begins in Term 3 of the first year.
By providing students with this breadth and depth of study, we ensure that our research students who enter doctoral work do so with a deep general understanding of the discipline.
Over the two years of the MPhil Stud, students complete coursework across a range of areas, and produce a substantial research thesis. Your performance is assessed through presentations, coursework, supervision and the thesis.
Each research training module has a two-hour seminar each week. Students should plan to put aside at least eight hours per week excluding the seminar time for each research training module being taken. For the first two terms when students have four modules, this totals around 40 hours per week for contact hours and self-directed study.
Research areas and structure
Research areas:
- Ancient Philosophy
- Epistemology
- Ethics
- History of Twentieth Century Philosophy
- Metaphysics
- Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
- Nineteenth Century German Philosophy
- Philosophy of Language
- Philosophy of Mind
- Philosophy of Perception
- Political Philosophy
- Philosophy of Science
Research environment
The Philosophy MPhil Stud is one of the pre-eminent UK research Master's degrees in philosophy. Over two years, you will undertake research training modules (similar to coursework) across a range of areas, and produce a substantial research thesis. When you have successfully completed the MPhil Stud, you will have sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge to progress to PhD level.
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During the MPhil Stud, you will take five compulsory modules and ten optional modules during your two-year course.
The ten optional modules are subject to a breadth requirement: all optional modules available to you are classified as falling into one of three broad philosophical areas:
(A) Theoretical (metaphysics, language, epistemology, etc.)
(B) Practical (in the Kantian sense; ethics, politics, aesthetics)
(C) Historical (ancient, continental, early modern, early analytic, etc.)
You must take at least two courses from each of these three areas.
In the first year, you will take two compulsory modules, plus eight optional modules. You will receive supervision on your thesis in Term 3.
In the second year, you will take the remaining compulsory modules, plus the other two optional modules. Your supervision continues throughout the year. You will submit your thesis in early August.
Optional modules
Accessibility
The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2026/27) | £6,400 |
| Tuition fees (2026/27) | £31,300 |
Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.
Additional costs
The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library (hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions). Students receive a free printing allowance each year and pay for any additional printing (see details).
You should expect to face additional expenses if you attend external conferences. The cost depends on the location, exchange rates, and the price of travel and accommodation, but this may be between £200 and £500 per event, based on typical events and destinations attended by recent students. The department has funds which can be applied for to help offset the cost of travel to conferences in the UK or overseas.
For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.
Funding your studies
The department has a set of funds to offer awards to research students, which are allocated on the basis of academic merit. These include the Jacobsen Scholarship, a one-year award of £9,000, and 1-2 S V Keeling Scholarships each year in philosophy or ancient philosophy, covering UK/EU fees and maintenance matching AHRC funding for both years of the MPhil Stud.
There are also the Ayer, Dawes Hicks, Melhuish and JS Mill Scholarships, each worth £200 to £4,500. Other scholarships and sources of funding may be available; please check our Scholarships and Funding website. You should take note of funding application deadlines as these will differ from course application deadlines.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Next steps
The MPhil Stud start date is September each year and early application submission is recommended. Please include two samples of your written work (2,000 words each). There is no need for a research proposal for MPhil Stud applications as the thesis work does not begin until the end of the first year. For more information, see our How to apply page.
Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.
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