Course information

The Conversion in Philosophy Graduate Diploma is a one year taught programme aimed at students who are interested in undertaking research in philosophy but have studied little or no philosophy at undergraduate level. Satisfactory performance on the Diploma may lead to entry to the SASP MLitt Philosophy programme.

Highlights

• Philosophy at St Andrews was ranked top in Scotland and fifth in the UK in the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014.
• The Stirling and St Andrews Graduate Programme was ranked the third best Philosophy programme in the UK in the latest Philosophical Gourmet Report.
• Students have a number of optional modules with a focus on philosophy to choose from.
• Supervisors at both St Andrews and Stirling are available to oversee the MLitt dissertation.

Teaching format

Conversion Diploma students take undergraduate-level modules, but remain members of the large and vibrant postgraduate community at the universities of St Andrews and Stirling. You are invited to all postgraduate events, such as the various postgraduate reading parties, and are strongly encouraged to get fully involved with the many and various seminars, workshops, talks, and reading groups.

You will be able to choose from a range of undergraduate modules in philosophy according to your own interests. At least one module must be selected from two compulsory modules designed to introduce students to key philosophical ideas and techniques. Students on the Conversion course do not write a dissertation. 

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme are delivered through lectures combined with tutorials, discussions and independent study; they are assessed through coursework, examinations, and in some cases, in-class presentations.

For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2016–2017 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2017 entry.

Compulsory modules

Students take at least one of the following two modules:

• Reading Philosophy 1: Texts in Language, Logic, Mind, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Science: close study of philosophical texts – historical and contemporary – that address a variety of topics within metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophies of logic and language, mind and science. 
• Reading Philosophy 2: Texts in Ethics, Metaethics, Religion, Aesthetics, and Political Philosophy: close study of philosophical texts – historical and contemporary – that address a variety of topics within ethics, metaethics, aesthetics, philosophy of religtion and political philosophy. 

Optional modules

The modules listed below ran in the academic year 2016–2017 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2017 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Students take at least two from the following Honours-level undergraduate Philosophy modules:

Semester 1

• Metaphysics: covers a series of inter-related issues in the metaphysics of modality and time.
• Philosophy of Art: examines some of the fundamental contemporary debates in philosophy of art.
  
• Philosophy of Creativity: examines some of the fundamental issues in the philosophy of creativity.
  
• Rousseau on Human Nature, Society, and Freedom: examines the argument that republican political freedom is possible through a close reading of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract.
  
• Reasons for Action and Belief: considers the nature of reasons and their relationship to claims about what we ought to do and believe.
  
• Conceptual Engineering and its Role in Philosophy: introduces the ways in which we can criticise and improve our concepts.
  
• Effective Altruism: explores philosophical issues and questions surrounding the effective altruism movement.
  
• Philosophy of Human Rights: explores cutting-edge research on the nature, content and justification of human rights.

Semester 2

• Philosophy of Mind: introduces topics of central interest in contemporary philosophy of mind.
  
• Life and Death: deals with general questions concerning moral problems of life and death.
  
• Philosophy of Logic: covers philosophical issues that arise in connection with the logical notions of truth and consequence.
  
• Philosophy of Law: explore topics in and concerning law.
  
• Humans, Animals, and Nature: examines the place of human beings in nature.
  
• Philosophy, Feminism and Gender: introduces metaphysical, epistemological, linguistic and ethical issues concerning gender, via the arguments and methodology of analytic feminism.
  
• Ethics and Lifestyles: Philosophy and Ways of Living in Antiquity: examines the functions, purposes and contexts of philosophical biography, considering the interconnections and interplay between biography and philosophy in antiquity.
  

Students on the Diploma may choose to take their remaining credits from sub-honours modules offered from the Philosophy Department. Some of the modules available can be found in the undergraduate module catalogue. Optional modules are subject to change each year, and some may only allow limited numbers of students.

If you wish to gain an understanding of logic, there is also an optional weekly seminar, Basic Logic, held throughout the year. This is a non-credit course for postgraduate students.

Conferences and events

Students on the Conversion Diploma are encouraged to participate in the postgraduate community. Studying the Diploma is enhanced by a busy programme of conferences, workshops and visiting speakers from universities in the UK and from abroad. This includes:

• The St Andrews Philosophy Club — meetings for visiting speakers.
• The Department of Philosophy at Stirling — meetings for visiting speakers.
• The Arché research group — seminars and discussion groups.
• The student Philosophy Society (PhilSoc) — programme of talks and events.
• St Andrews research student weekly seminar.
• Annual reading party for postgraduate students.

This is accompanied by a wide range of student-led reading groups and informal seminars.

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).