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Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change MA

London, Bloomsbury

This dynamic route of the Philosophy MA immerses you in philosophical debates about the design and ethical implications of public policies, and how to measure and effect change. Taught by UCL’s renowned departments of Philosophy and Political Science, the Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change route will teach you a raft of transferable skills for a range of professional careers. You’ll learn in the heart of London, home to one of the largest and most varied philosophical communities in the world, and join a lively intellectual circle.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

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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 programme 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, Public Policy and Social Change route of the Philosophy MA programme will provide you with the ability to analyse the design and ethical orientations of a range of public policies using core philosophical skills in argumentation, critical reading, and clear and precise writing. Students who successfully complete the MA will have developed a detailed understanding of a range of central philosophical debates related to ethical trade-offs in the design of policies, and how to measure and effect change. A diverse range of module options are available, which will allow you to explore your own interests.

Who this course is for

The MA route is open to graduates from all disciplines who are interested in thinking philosophically about public policy and social change. We would expect you to have some prior background or interest in either philosophy, or public policy, or effecting social change, whether through academic study, employment, or lived experience. 

If you are a Philosophy graduate who is aiming to develop a career in academic philosophy, you can consider applying for the two-year Philosophical Studies MPhil Stud, which is the route to the PhD at UCL.

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

What this course will give you

The MA route is taught jointly by UCL’s globally renowned departments of Philosophy and Political Science. This dual perspective creates a uniquely stimulating environment for studying the ethical and philosophical underpinnings of policymaking, and why some strategies for achieving social change are more successful than others. You will learn through interactive seminars in a supportive environment with some of the leading figures from both fields.

UCL Philosophy is one of the largest departments for the discipline in the UK. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 60% of our activity was assessed as world-leading (4*), the highest of any UK philosophy department. UCL Political Science is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK in the REF 2021, and offers a unique environment for the study of political theory.

Students further benefit from the central London location. London is a global philosophical hub, in addition to its central place within UK policymaking. London 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 frequently host visiting speakers from across the world.

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

The foundation of your career

The Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change route of the Philosophy MA equips graduates with the skills to analyse complex ideas, develop independence of judgement and originality of thought, present views lucidly both orally and in writing, and question orthodox views. You may choose this route as a precursor to a career in NGOs, local, regional or central government, businesses or the charity sector, but these skills are important across all workplaces. In addition, this degree provides a basis for graduates to boost their profile in engaged philosophy, should they wish to apply for a research degree.

Employability

Graduates from this MA route will be able to think rigorously and creatively about the principles that underpin attempts to make positive improvements, whether through government action, business or the non-profit sector. These skills are sought after by employers both in the public and private sectors. 
 

Networking

Academic staff in the Philosophy 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. Philosophy graduate students also host a philosophy conference at the start of every year, while the Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture series, co-ordinated by the Institute of Philosophy at Senate House, is open to our graduate students. All of these present ample opportunities for networking and exposure to the latest thinking in the field.

Teaching and learning

The Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change route is taught by specialist experts and is delivered through a combination of seminars, presentations and individual supervisions (for the dissertation).

As well as attending seminars, lectures, and supervisions, you can expect to be assessed through presentations, coursework and the dissertation.

A full-time student on this MA route takes four modules in Term 1 and four in Term 2 (each term is 10 weeks long). Each module has a two-hour seminar each week and you should plan to put aside about eight hours per week excluding the class time for each module being studied. This totals around 40 hours per week for contact hours and self-directed study.

Modules

You will take eight taught modules and the research dissertation. There are three compulsory modules: 

  • Public Ethics (PUBL0026) provides an in-depth understanding of the philosophical foundations of policy-relevant topics that affect people’s everyday lives.
  • The Dynamics of Social Change (PHIL0202) focuses on core philosophical questions about how change occurs within societies, and how government policy is made and enacted. 
  • Research Preparation in Philosophy 1 (PHIL0142) provides an introduction to graduate study in philosophy and to undertaking independent research in philosophy. 

Together, the core modules aim to equip students to critically debate a range of ethical questions that arise in public policy, and a range of philosophical questions about the nature of social change, and how these insights should inform the design of policy interventions.

The remaining 75 credits are taken from a curated list of modules in Philosophy (List A) and Political Theory (List B), with students taking at least one module from each list. 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 chosen project.

List A and List B are updated on a year-to-year basis as available modules change.

List A (Philosophy)
PHIL0059 Philosophy, Justice and Health
PHIL0066 Philosophical Foundations of Effective Altruism
PHIL0067 Free Speech and Theories of Autonomy
PHIL0077 Equality
PHIL0052 The Regulation of Intimacy
PHIL0073 Feminism and Philosophy
PHIL0165 The Philosophy and Ethics of Climate Change
PHIL0189 Culture, Heritage and Critique
 
List B (Political Science)
PUBL0084 Social Justice, Social Mobility, Education, and the Family
PUBL0094 The Ethics of Social Media
PUBL0045 Global Ethics
PUBL0071 Contemporary Political Philosophy 1: political authority and democracy
PUBL0072 Contemporary Political Philosophy 2: Social Justice and Equality
PUBL0018 The Theoretical Foundations of Human Rights
PUBL0016 Energy and Climate Policy
PUBL0013 The Ethics of Poverty
PUBL0023 Equality Justice and Difference

First year
Terms 1 and 2: You will take the three compulsory modules, Public Ethics, The Dynamics of Social Change, and Research Preparation, plus one optional module. 
Term 3: You will submit assessments (if applicable) and start to plan independent study for the dissertation.

Second year
Terms 1 and 2: You will take 60 credits of optional modules. (For further details of available modules, see Full-Time section.)
Term 3: You will undertake supervisions and independent work on the dissertation. 

Compulsory modules






Optional modules


Philosophy, Justice and Health





Culture, Heritage and Critique








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, Public Policy and Social Change.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

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All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Philosophy

These events provides an overview of studying Philosophy at Master's level at UCL. They provide insights into the unique features of Philosophy MA and the new Philosophy, Public Policy and Social Change MA, and why London is one of the best places in the world to study philosophy. There's time set aside to answer any questions you may have about our programmes.

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Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000 £16,500

Additional costs

Fee deposit information to be confirmed.

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). Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, or conference registration fees and associated travel costs, which may vary from student to student.

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 £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. 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 programme 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, Public Policy and Social Change at graduate level;
  • why you want to study this MA route at UCL;
  • what particularly attracts you to this MA route;
  • how your academic and/or professional background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment;
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this route match the academic offering. Early submission is recommended.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (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: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Philosophy
Philosophy

philosophy@ucl.ac.uk

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