Logic and Metaphysics (MLitt) 2017 entry

The MLitt in Logic and Metaphysics offers students a specialist education in various topics within both Logic and Metaphysics. Students are encouraged to find connections between these specialisms and are provided with the understanding and tools required for future research.

Applications for 2017 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

Course type

Postgraduate; leading to a Master of Letters (MLitt)

Course duration

One year full time; two years part time.

Entry requirements

A very strong 2.1 Honours degree in or including Philosophy. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, you may be interested in the Conversion in Philosophy.

If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Tuition fees

UK and EU: £7,500
Overseas: £17,090

Application deadline

Applications for 2017 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

Application requirements

  • CV
  • sample of academic written work (no more than 2,500 words)
  • two original signed academic references
  • academic transcripts and degree certificates
  • English language requirements certificate
  • letter of intent (optional).

If you started this programme in 2016, you can find information about 2016 entry on the 2016 Logic and Metaphysics page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in our archive.

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes. 

The MLitt in Logic and Metaphysics is run by SASP.

More information on the application process can be found on the SASP website

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Course information

The MLitt in Logic and Metaphysics is a one year taught postgraduate programme run by the St Andrews and Stirling Graduate Programme in Philosophy (SASP), taught by staff from both the University of St Andrews and the University of Stirling. It focuses on topics within metaphysics and logic; with classes covering logic and advanced logic, formal approaches to natural languages and contemporary and historical debates in metaphysics.

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 metaphysics or logic to choose from.
  • Supervisors at both St Andrews and Stirling are available to oversee the MLitt dissertation.

Teaching format

Students have the opportunity to study topics through lectures, tutorials and reading groups. Modules are taught in small groups, normally consisting of four to ten students. All postgraduate taught students in the Department participating in the compulsory Current Issues modules. In 2016-2017, there were approximately 40 postgraduate taught students in the Department.

The programme consists of six taught modules taken over two semesters (each assessed by coursework) and a 15,000 word dissertation in an area of your choice.

Every MLitt student is assigned an adviser at the beginning of the year. Your adviser will provide you with individual guidance on essay planning and writing, academic conduct, and advice on how best to apply for a PhD place.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. 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 must take three compulsory modules over the course of the programme. These are:

Semester 1 – these two compulsory modules are taught in Stirling on Mondays. A coach will take you to and from Stirling without additional costs.

  • Current Issues in Philosophy 1: focuses on epistemology and ethics.
  • Research Methods: aims to foster the range of skills required for independent research in Philosophy. Students may choose to join a seminar group most related to their interests.

Semester 2

Optional modules

You will also have the opportunity to choose three modules from a selection of modules which focus on logic and metaphysics. These modules may include:

  • Advanced Logic B: Classical Meta-theory: explores cardinality, computability and the limitative results of Gödel (incompleteness of arithmetic), Tarski (non-definability of arithmetic truth), and Church (undecidability of first-order logic).
  • Formal Approaches to Natural Languages: introduces issues in formal semantics, as well as related issues in syntax and pragmatics.
  • Origins and History of Analytic Philosophy: examines the works of the founding philosophers of analytic tradition in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
  • Philosophy of Logic: covers foundational issues in the philosophy of logic.
  • Texts in Contemporary Metaphysics: focuses on puzzles about theories of causation, mental causation, and group agency. 

If you wish to brush up on your knowledge of logic, or if you have limited prior experience in this area, there is also an optional weekly seminar, Basic Logic, throughout the year. 

The modules listed 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.

Dissertation

The final element of the MLitt is a 15,000 word dissertation. The dissertation should be on an area of logic and metaphysics you are interested in; you will be encouraged to start considering a topic for the dissertation during Semester 2. Each student is supported through their dissertation by a relevant supervisor from the Department.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.

Part time studies

The MLitt in Logic and Metaphysics can also be taken as a part time programme. Students will be expected to take three modules per year over two years, working on the dissertation over two summers. For more information about part time study, please contact the SASP secretary by emailing sasp@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Conferences and events

Studying the MLitt is enhanced by a busy programme of conferences, workshops and visiting speakers from universities in the UK and from abroad. Students on the MLitt in Logic and Metaphysics may be particularly interested in the Arché research group which runs seminars and discussion groups, often on relevant topics. 

Other regular events include:

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

Funding

There are the following competitive scholarships for Logic and Metaphysics MLitt students:

Philosophical Quarterly bursaries
SASP will be funding a number of bursaries for students in the MLitt programme in 2017-2018 courtesy of generous funding provided by the Philosophical Quarterly journal. Each bursary will cover the cost of tuition fees at the Home/EU feel level and the Home/EU fee waiver can be awarded to an Overseas fee-paying student, who will then be required to meet the remainder of the tuition fee from other sources.

Carnegie-Cameron Bursaries
Scottish students may apply for a Carnegie-Cameron bursary of up to £4,000.

Other taught postgraduate scholarships
St Andrews and Stirling are both committed to helping as many students as possible continue in higher education through scholarship opportunities. There are a wide range of postgraduate scholarships available for you to apply to either via the university or directly via charitable organisations.

Find out more about postgraduate scholarships at the University of St Andrews.

You are also eligible to apply for funding opportunities available via the University of Stirling.

After the MLitt

Research degrees

If you have successfully completed the MLitt in Philosophy, you may be able to proceed onto the SASP MPhil. This involves converting your 15,000 word MLitt dissertation into a 40,000 word dissertation, which is examined by an internal and external examiner at the end of the second year.

Students who graduate from the MLitt or MPhil are eligible to apply for a Philosophy PhD programme.

Recent Graduate Discount
The University of St Andrews offers a 10% reduction in postgraduate tuition fees for students who have graduated during the last three years and are now starting a postgraduate programme.

PhD in Philosophy

Careers

Recent graduates in Philosophy have found openings in local government, television production (Sky Sports), the National Health Service, the Co-operative Bank, insurance, the Crown Prosecution Service, publishing, and teaching English in Japan.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students on a taught postgraduate course and offers a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Contact

Department of Philosophy
Edgecliffe
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AR

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2486
Email: philosophy@st-andrews.ac.uk

Philosophy research portal   Philosophy website

St Andrews and Stirling Graduate Programme in Philosophy (SASP)

For further information regarding the application process, please contact the SASP secretary by emailing sasp@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Email: sasp@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2487

SASP website


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)

Prospectus

St Andrews has two postgraduate prospectuses - one for taught courses and one for research programmes. Both prospectuses are available for you to view and download.

Postgraduate prospectus