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Philosophy MA

London, Bloomsbury

Immerse yourself in a world of philosophical debates, problems and theories through this dynamic degree. Taught in the heart of London, home to one of the most varied philosophical communities in the world, the Philosophy MA will teach you a raft of transferable skills for academic or professional careers. You’ll learn from UCL’s renowned scholars and celebrated guest speakers, and become part of a lively intellectual community.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
All applicants: 20 Oct 2025 – 03 Mar 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of a upper second-class Bachelor's degree in philosophy from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with a strong degree in a non-philosophical subject are welcome.

The English language level for this course is: Level 5

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 Philosophy MA degree will provide you with an advanced understanding of a range of central philosophical debates and of the nature of philosophical problems. You will be encouraged to develop and defend your own viewpoint on these debates, honing transferable skills in critical thinking and advancing compelling and reasoned arguments.

On successful completion of the course, you will have developed a set of core philosophical skills in argumentation, critical reading, and clear and precise philosophical writing. A diverse range of modules are available, which allow you to explore your own interests.

Who this course is for

The MA offers philosophy graduates a means to study philosophy for an additional year, and for those from other disciplines the course offers a rigorous advanced start in the discipline. The degree will form a strong basis for work outside of universities through the development of skills that are highly transferable in the workplace. Philosophy graduates who are aiming to develop a career in academic philosophy should apply for the MPhil Stud Philosophical Studies, which is the route towards PhD level at UCL.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL Philosophy is one of the pre-eminent philosophy departments in the UK. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 60% of our activity was assessed as world-leading (4*), the highest of any UK philosophy department. The research strengths of our academic staff span many areas, including philosophy of mind, language, logic, political and moral philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology and the history of philosophy. As a Philosophy MA student, you will learn from the leading thinkers in the field directly in the classroom.

As a UCL Philosophy student, you will further benefit from our central London location. London is a global philosophical hub, and is home to a number of renowned journals (Philosophy; MIND; Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society), and leading institutions (Institute of Philosophy, Royal Institute of Philosophy and the Aristotelian Society), which host visiting speakers from across the world every week of term.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Recent Philosophy MA graduates have gone on to work in the fields of teaching and research, academia, policy and government, publishing, journalism and translation. They have gone on to work for employers such as the House of Parliament, the NHS, for UK and European universities, the Museum of London and the Metropolitan Police Service.*

*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

This course will equip you with the transferable skills to analyse complex ideas, develop independence of judgement and originality of thought, evaluate arguments rigorously, present views lucidly both orally and in writing, and question orthodox views. These skills are important across all workplaces. This degree will also provide you with a basis on which to boost your academic profile in philosophy, should you decide to apply for a research degree.

Graduates of this degree have become successful lawyers, journalists, theatre directors and novelists, among other careers. Those who perform well on the course can use it as a foundation to pursue further research in philosophy.

Networking

Academic staff in the department are involved in the running of the Aristotelian Society, the main philosophy society in the UK, which holds weekly public lectures at the University of London and would be open to you as a UCL student. Other staff are involved in running the Institute of Classical Studies lecture series, and the Keeling Colloquia and Lectures in ancient philosophy. In addition, the Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture series, co-ordinated by the Institute of Philosophy at nearby Senate House, are available to our graduate students. At the start of every academic year, UCL Philosophy graduate students also host a conference, allowing for numerous networking opportunities. 

Teaching and learning

The course is taught by specialists in the field and is delivered through a combination of seminars, presentations and individual supervisions (for the dissertation).

The degree is taught through a combination of seminars, lectures, and supervisions. Students' performance is assessed through presentations, coursework and the dissertation.

Each module usually has a two-hour seminar each week and will require around eight hours of independent study per week. In Term 1 and Term 2, full-time students take four modules, meaning that they can expect to spend around eight hours in contact with staff every week, and complement these with around 32 hours of independent study.

In all Terms, you should expect to spend approximately 40 hours per week for contact hours and self-directed study. This includes Term 3, where the vast majority of these hours will be made up of self-directed study.

Modules

During the course, you will take eight taught modules and the research dissertation.

There are two compulsory modules, the MA Research Preparation in Philosophy 1 and 2, which provide an introduction to different methodologies in philosophical enquiry and exposes you to the variety of forms of philosophical argumentation.

The other six modules can be chosen from the list of optional MA seminars running in that year. These usually cover a broad range of specialisms, which may include 19th-century German Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Epistemology, Ethics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind and Political Philosophy.

The concepts and skills from these modules will prepare you to go forward to do your dissertation in Term 3, for which you will receive supervision from a member of staff with expertise relevant to your project.

First year

Term 1 and Term 2: You must take three modules and one of the compulsory Philosophy Research Preparation Seminars (PHIL0142 or PHIL0143).

Term 3: You will submit assessments (if applicable) and start to plan independent study for the Dissertation.

Second year

Term 1 and Term 2: You must take three modules and the other Philosophy Research Preparation Seminar not taken in your first year (PHIL0142 or PHIL0143).

Term 3: Supervisions and independent work on the Dissertation.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules























Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Philosophy.

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.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Humanities, Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health

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This open event is for all those who would like to find out more about the UCL Health Humanities Centre's two MA courses: Health Humanities MA and Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health MA. The Health Humanities MA enables you to gain a detailed understanding of how the humanities can influence biomedicine, clinical practice and the politics of healthcare. The Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health MA equips you with the skills needed to understand equity,

Room 102, 19 Gordon Square, WC1H 0AG - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Philosophy

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This will be an introduction to the three MA courses at UCL Philosophy, with a description of the course structure and a session of taster content led by teaching staff. UCL Philosophy offers three taught master's degrees: Philosophy MA, Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change MA, and Philosophy, Logic, and Artificial Intelligence MASc. The latter is new for 2026 entry and examines the intersections of philosophy, logic, and AI.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

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

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

While the department strives to keep additional costs low, students may incur additional expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying and conference registration, depending on their preferred way of working. The amount will vary per student. Books and journal articles are available via the UCL library, either as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions, and prices for book purchases will range by retailer. Printing costs are available on the UCL website and will vary depending on the level of printing a student chooses to do. Academic conference fees and travel costs will also differ, depending on location - students should factor these into their own costs should they wish to attend specific conferences.

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

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Philosophy at graduate level;
  • why you want to study Philosophy at UCL;
  • what particularly attracts you to this degree;
  • how your academic and/or professional background will assist you in meeting the demands of a challenging academic course;
  • where you would like to go professionally following this degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying match what the course offers.

Applying as early as possible is recommended.

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Philosophy
Philosophy

philosophy@ucl.ac.uk

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