Philosophy MA (Hons) 2019 entry

The MA (Hons) in Philosophy will familiarise you with the views put forward by the principal figures of the philosophical tradition. It will also provide you with the means of rationally and independently assessing arguments. Studying Philosophy is about acquiring skills of criticism and analysis, of clear thinking and principled debate.

During your studies, you will explore some of the oldest and most complex questions asked by human beings from Greek antiquity to the present day. For example: what differentiates truth from falsehood, and reality from appearance? Are we really free in our decisions and actions, or is freedom an illusion? Are moral values objective, and if so in what sense? What justifies some in exercising power over others? 

Applications for 2019 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

UCAS code

V500

Course type

Master of Arts (single Honours degree)

Course duration

Four years full time

  • Start date: 9 September 2019
  • End date: 30 June 2023

If you started this programme in 2018, you can find information about 2018 entry on the 2018 Philosophy MA page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Entry requirements

SQA Highers AABB
GCE A-Levels AAB
IB points 35

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes, please see our entry requirements for more information.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject specific entrance requirements as outlined on their pages.

International applicants

If English is not your first language you will need an overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No previous knowledge of this subject is required.

Faculty entry requirements

You must also meet the Faculty of Arts minimum qualifications. These vary depending on which qualifications you hold.

Other qualifications

Passes in other examinations at equivalent levels and subjects may be accepted by the Dean of the Faculty. More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements webpage.

Find out more about Faculty of Arts entry requirements.

Timetables

St Andrews students must meet with their Adviser of Studies at the beginning of Semester 1 in September to complete advising – a compulsory part of the matriculation process. After module choices have been decided, a timetable will be allocated indicating the dates and times of classes.

Reputation

The Department of Philosophy was ranked second in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2019 and first in Scotland by the Complete University Guide 2019 for high student satisfaction, research quality and graduate prospects.

Research in the Department was rated top in Scotland in the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014. 

The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student academic experience in The National Student Survey 2018 as 94% of St Andrews final year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.

The University has secured a TEF Gold Award for the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience.

Find out more about studying Philosophy at St Andrews.

Course information

The MA (Hons) in Philosophy is a four-year course run by the Department of Philosophy. During your degree, you will be trained in precise and effective reading, as well as clear thinking and writing required for philosophical study.

In the first two years, as a sub-honours student, you will study some of the great books in philosophy and be introduced to the fundamental questions discussed by philosophers from ancient Greece to the present day, exploring both theoretical and practical questions. This will lay the foundations required for an Honours degree.

Alongside Philosophy, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study at least one additional subject, sometimes two. In the second year you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects. Find out more about more about how academic years are organised.

During your final two years, as an Honours student, you will focus your studies on your particular philosophical interests and will be able to choose from a wide variety of advanced options, including:

  • aesthetics
  • epistemology (the study of knowledge)
  • ethical and political theory
  • formal logic
  • metaphysics
  • philosophies of logic, mind and language
  • philosophies of film, creativity, law, economics and religion
  • feminist philosophy
  • texts in the history of philosophy.

Final-year students may also choose to write a dissertation on a philosophical topic chosen in consultation with teaching staff. Students can work on the dissertation for either one semester or the whole year.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure webpage.

Graduates in Philosophy from St Andrews can expect to have acquired a highly developed sense of independent critical thinking and judgement and to be able to communicate ideas and arguments clearly and effectively.

Find out more about studying Philosophy at St Andrews.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree, as a sub-honours student, you will take Philosophy modules alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take one Philosophy module per semester during your first two years (though you may take more), and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year. Find out more about the modular Scottish degree system.

Students must take the following compulsory first-year module alongside other Philosophy modules:

  • Reasoning: introduces the essential concepts and techniques of critical reasoning, formal propositional logic, and basic predicate logic.

Students interested in Philosophy can also choose from a number of other philosophical modules which cover topics including metaphysics, the philosophy of mind, ethics, history of philosophy, and political philosophy. Find a full list of first-year Philosophy modules in the module catalogue.

Students must take at least two Philosophy modules in their second year. The following second-year modules are available for students to choose from:

  • Intermediate Logic: aims to further develop students’ understanding of formal logic by the study of a broad array of systems of logic.
  • Foundations of Western Philosophy: aims to introduce students to the foundational philosophical thought of Ancient Greece, from the pre-Socratics to the Hellenistic period.
  • Meaning and Knowing: aims to provide a comprehensive foundation in both epistemology (the theory of knowledge) and the philosophy of language.
  • Moral and Aesthetic Value: aims to provide an introduction to the philosophy of value, exploring what it is to make aesthetic or moral judgements or statements, and the status of these.

If you decide to take Philosophy in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced options, including modules in applied ethics, logic, and the history of philosophy.

Philosophy Honours modules which have been offered in previous years include:

  • Advanced Logic
  • Animals, Minds and Language
  • Classical Philosophy
  • Conceptual Engineering and its Role in Philosophy
  • Contemporary Moral Theory
  • Continental European Philosophy from Descartes to Leibniz
  • Core Works in Continental Philosophy
  • Effective Altruism
  • Metaphysics
  • Paradoxes
  • Philosophy of Art/Literature/Creativity
  • Philosophy of Human Rights
  • Philosophy of Perception
  • Political Philosophy
  • Reasons for Action and Belief.

In fourth year, students may also undertake a 7,500-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.


During sub-honours, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules currently available can be found in the module catalogue.

Teaching

Teaching format

Philosophy sub-honours modules are primarily delivered through formal lectures (40 to 220 students) complimented by small group tutorials (7 to 9 students). Tutorials allow students to discuss their ideas, questions and problems with a tutor and with fellow students.

At Honours level, students attend smaller lectures (10 to 50 students) along with seminars (10 students), where you may often be asked to present and discuss your own work.

When not attending lectures and tutorials you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:

  • working on individual and group projects
  • undertaking research in the library
  • preparing coursework assignments and presentations
  • preparing for examinations.

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Philosophy. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of laboratory classes and seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

You can find contact information for all Philosophy staff on the Department of Philosophy website. 

In addition to your studies in the Department of Philosophy, optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted within the University.

The University’s student services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities webpage.

Assessment

Almost all the sub-honours modules in Philosophy are assessed by a balanced combination of coursework and written examinations. At Honours level, some modules are assessed entirely by coursework, while others include written examinations.

Coursework includes essays, research projects, logic exercises and in-class presentations.

Written examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.

The School provides feedback on every assessment, with a view to improving your performance in future, and aims to provide feedback within three weeks.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. Please note that some Schools offer qualified entry to Honours, and this will be clearly specified in the programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please visit the common reporting scale webpage.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2019 entry

Scotland and EU £1,820
Rest of the UK £9,250
Overseas £22,350

For overseas students, tuition fees will be fixed at this level for the duration of your programme.

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Find out more about undergraduate scholarships.

Joint Honours degrees

You can take Philosophy as part of a joint Honours degree alongside one of the following subjects.

  • Ancient History
  • Arabic
  • Art History
  • Biblical Studies
  • Biology
  • Classical Studies
  • Classics
  • Comparative Literature
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • English
  • Film Studies
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Greek
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Latin
  • Management
  • Mathematics (MA)
  • Mathematics (BSc)
  • Mediaeval History
  • Modern History
  • Persian
  • Psychology
  • Physics
  • Russian
  • Scottish History
  • Social Anthropology
  • Spanish
  • Statistics (MA)
  • Statistics (BSc)
  • Theological Studies

Your future

Careers

A degree in Philosophy will provide you with many transferable skills, making you highly employable in a wide variety of careers. A graduate in Philosophy will have the following skills:

  • the ability to analyse problems in a multi-dimensional way
  • the ability to think creatively, self critically and independently
  • self-motivation
  • the ability to work autonomously
  • time and priority management skills
  • a flexible mind adaptable to managing change. 

Recent destinations for Philosophy graduates include:

  • banking
  • governmental organisations including the NHS
  • local government
  • management consultancy
  • non-profit organisations
  • publishing
  • retail area management
  • teaching
  • television production.

Philosophy graduates have gone on to pursue academic careers, either in philosophy or in other fields. Many philosophers go on to study in other areas, for example, law conversion courses and teacher training.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Study abroad

The University is delighted to offer undergraduates a number of exciting opportunities to apply to spend a semester or year abroad as part of a St Andrews degree programme. St Andrews is partnered with large and small institutions, ancient and young, across the globe. What unites all of our programmes is the quality of the academic provision, ensuring that participation in a St Andrews Study abroad programme opens the door to a new and valuable academic experience at another world-class institution. Study Abroad for credit is permitted on existing University-approved programmes only.

Student life

From the outset, the University of St Andrews offers an array of events and opportunities which result in a truly unique student experience. Students participate in a range of traditions, notably, the red academic gown and the academic family, where older students adopt first year students as ‘children’ and help guide them in a system of mentoring. These traditions and the choice of over 150 sports clubs and student societies to choose from ensures a community feel amongst students from first year onwards.

Students of Philosophy may be interested in joining the Philosophy Society which hosts talks from distinguished guest speakers covering a wide range of areas in philosophy. The society also organises a number of social events including pub quizzes, holiday parties and movie evenings, and it publishes its own undergraduate philosophy journal, Aporia.

The Department of Philosophy is located in Edgecliffe, a Scottish Baronial house situated on a small cliff with views across St Andrews Bay. Edgecliffe is home to a departmental library with over 5,000 volumes. Most Philosophy seminars and tutorials will take place here, with larger lectures taking place in nearby buildings.

The town of St Andrews itself has lots to offer. As the campus is located around town, walking around you encounter ancient and modern buildings and areas of greenery and seaside which provide a rich, beautiful backdrop to learning. If you want a change of scenery, St Andrews' position near surrounding towns and cities such as Anstruther, Dundee and Edinburgh make it ideal for getting to know more about Scotland.

Find out more about student life at the University of St Andrews.

"Studying Philosophy at St Andrews will make you think about things you may never have thought of before and question things you will never have questioned before. These skills will help you to thrive both academically and socially. At St Andrews you are fully supported in a way that allows you to focus your own learning, all under the supervision of leading academics. It is a truly inspiring Department to be a part of.”

Anna (Glasgow, Scotland)

Contact

Department of Philosophy
University of St Andrews
Edgecliffe
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

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

Department of Philosophy website

Policies

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).