The MLitt in Moral, Political and Legal Philosophy 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. The focus is on introducing students to contemporary debates in the fields of Moral, Political and Legal Philosophy, whilst also encouraging connections between these various specialisms.
Students on the MLitt in Moral, Political and Legal Philosophy have the opportunity to study topics in these philosophical areas 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 2017-2018, 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) a 15,000 word dissertation in an area of your choice.
Every MLitt student is assigned an advisor at the beginning of the year. Your advisor will provide you with individual guidance on essay planning and writing, academic conduct, and advice on how best to apply for a PhD place.
The MLitt in Moral, Political and Legal Philosophy 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 [email protected].
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 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.
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.
This programme provides you with the opportunity to study Philosophy at an advanced level, with world leading researchers and teachers. Through interactive seminars, written and oral coursework, research skills classes, and—in the dissertation—the production of a piece of independent philosophical research, you will develop and refine the skills which will provide a foundation for PhD research in Philosophy, or for the research, communication and analysis needed in a non-academic career.
The breadth and depth of research expertise in the Philosophy department means that we can offer you an unusually broad range of options for Masters-level study. The department has strengths across all core areas of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy. But, we have particular strengths in Philosophy of Mind and Psychology, Epistemology, Aesthetics, Moral and Political Philosophy, Post-Kantian Continental Philosophy, and 20th Century Continental Philosophy. The influential Leiter report lists us in the top groupings in each of those six areas. In each area, we are one of the top 3 UK departments for that specialism. The strength of research in the Philosophy department was acknowledged in the 2014 REF, in which the department was ranked 4th in the UK overall and 1st in the UK for the quality of published research in Philosophy.
To develop your research skills, you’ll take a core Research Methods module.
To promote breadth of knowledge, you’ll also be expected to take at least one module from three different areas of Philosophy:
The MA in Philosophy provides a combination of taught core and option modules which aim to make you familiar with what is at the centre of contemporary debates. Additionally, in the first term, you will attend dissertation preparation seminars to enable you to write your dissertation proposal. Further support is given during the second and third terms and you will write your dissertation under the guidance of a supervisor. During your third term you and your peers will hold an in-house conference.
This MA will give you up-to-date knowledge of contemporary philosophy across a broad range of subjects and provides essential training for students considering going on to do a PhD.
The MA Seminar is designed to provide students with detailed knowledge of the core areas of Philosophy. The Seminar consists of four modules:
-Topics in Theoretical Philosophy
-Topics in Practical Philosophy
Plus two Option Modules - The option modules likely to be offered in 2018/19 include:
-Contemporary Issues in Bioethics
-Consciousness
-Contemporary Ethical Theory
-German Idealism: Moral, Legal and Political Philosophy
-MA Project Essay*
-Metaphysics of Mind
-Philosophy and Cognitive Diversity
-Philosophy of Film
-Philosophy of Psychology
-Philosophy of Art from Hume to Tolstoy
-Wittgenstein and Philosophy
The Postgraduate Research Skills Seminar is taught over two terms and is designed to provide students with a grounding in the skills necessary to contribute to contemporary philosophical debates. They attend at least one research seminar or colloquium every two weeks and maintain a reflective journal of their research experiences throughout the Autumn and Spring Terms. Tutorials are held every two weeks during which students discuss their responses to research events as recorded in their journals and provide mentoring and peer support.
This module will start immediately and continue over the three terms. It is designed to facilitate applicants for AHRC PhD funding who need to have a thesis proposal worked up by the end of the calendar year. This will be particularly beneficial to those who will be pursuing a PhD in Philosophy.
This module is designed to enable students with specialised interests to pursue independently a topic of their own choosing. Students taking this module propose an independent study topic. The proposal will then be considered by the Board of Studies and, if accepted, the student will be assigned a suitable member of staff who will supervise the project. The Project Essay is compulsory for part-time students but can also be taken by full-time students as one of their two option modules.
This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to practise disseminating their work, which is a distinctive and challenging feature of Philosophy as a discipline.
Students will organise and present a paper at a one-day ‘conference’, which will be attended by at least two members of staff.
As an application of the core knowledge, skills and experience gained in the previous stages of the course, the Dissertation enables students to produce a sustained piece of critical writing on a topic of their choosing. A member of staff with expertise in the relevant area will provide supervision.
This stand alone degree provides a strong foundation to doctoral studies or enriches your academic and research capabilities within your practice. You have a particular focus on the work of classical theologians in depth engagement of major texts which you analyse. You also look at contemporary issues and debates.
The MTh in Theological Ethics is a new degree programme designed to introduce students to the rich tradition of Christian moral thought with the aim of understanding and contributing to contemporary ethical debates in Church and society. Courses will familiarise students with the work of a select number of master practitioners such as Augustine, Luther, Bonhoeffer and Hauerwas rather than offering encyclopaedic knowledge or the latest intellectual fashions. Our emphasis on in-depth study of great theologians serves the overall purpose of increasing the analytic rigour and depth of thinking about contemporary debates.
Compulsory
Optional
Compulsory
Find out more detail and projects available by visiting the programme web page
Find out about international fees:
Find out more about fees on the programme page
*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs
This course is intended to provide an opportunity for students with no background in Philosophy to do advanced work in the subject and to obtain an Honours-level qualification in it. The course is open to those who already have an upper second first degree, and it may be taken on either a full-time basis (9 months) or a part-time basis (18 months). The first part of the programme aims to provide students with a knowledge of important topics in Philosophy and also an opportunity to develop essential skills to engage critically with those topics. In this part of the programme, students take four to five undergraduate modules. The second part of the programme aims to give students experience in applying research skills to a well-defined problem under the guidance of an expert in the area. To achieve this aim, students will prepare a written project based on independent research that is supervised by a member of staff.
Students take 80 credits of undergraduate modules during the course (four to five taught modules). Of these, 20 credits must be chosen from the following undergraduate first year, first term modules: Reason and Argument A (20 credits); Reason and Argument B (10 credits); Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy B (10 credits). The remaining 60 credits must be chosen from our 20 credit year three undergraduate modules.
Students may choose their modules from a list of no fewer than three modules per term. This list will be published in advance of the beginning of the programme of study. The modules available for the year 2018/19 will include:
-Consciousness
-Contemporary Ethical Theory
-German Idealism
-Philosophy and Cognitive Diversity
-Philosophy of Art from Hume to Tolstoy
-Philosophy of Film
-Philosophy of Psychology
-Value and the Meaning of Life
The Postgraduate Research Skills Seminar is taught over two terms and is designed to provide students with a grounding in the skills necessary to contribute to contemporary philosophical debates. They attend at least one research seminar or colloquium every two weeks and maintain a reflective journal of their research experiences throughout the Autumn and Spring Terms. Tutorials are held every two weeks during which students discuss their responses to research events as recorded in their journals and provide mentoring and peer support.
As an application of the knowledge, skills and experience gained in the previous stages of the course, the Project enables students to produce a sustained piece of critical writing on a topic of their choosing.
In the third term, full-time candidates undertake a 5,000 word Project on a topic chosen in consultation with their supervisor for submission at the end of the term.
Part-time candidates prepare a 2,000 word project during the Summer term of the first year for submission at the end of term and a 3,000 word project during the Summer term of the second year for submission at the end of term.
This course addresses fundamental questions in philosophy of religion and ethics and will be taught entirely online.
Drawing on the School’s outstanding research in philosophy of religion and ethics (PRE), you’ll use a variety of online learning resources to explore key issues in the field of PRE. You’ll have the opportunity to consider themes such as: concepts of God; the nature of justice; religious experience; ethics of the environment; the religious and spiritual significance of the arts and our relationship to the natural world.
This programme is designed to be accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds. It will be of interest to students with a personal interest in philosophical and religious questions, and also to teachers who wish to deepen their knowledge of philosophy and religious studies for professional development purposes.
You can also study this programme for a PGDip or PGCert qualification. You’ll study the same content as the MA programme, but take fewer modules overall.
There are two modules in the philosophy of religion strand of the course: a module examining concepts of God, and a module examining religious and spiritual practice, and its significance for our understanding of the nature of a good human life. You choose one of these modules if studying the PGCert, and can take both modules if studying the Diploma or MA.
You also take a core module in ethical theory, and choose from optional modules on a range of ethical themes, such as life and death, the environment, and the nature of justice.
The dissertation enables you to investigate a topic of your choice at length with the support of a supervisor, and to apply the knowledge and skills in independent research that you have developed in the course. As an MA student, you have the option of taking fewer optional modules and writing an extended dissertation instead.
Compulsory modules
For the MA, PGDip and PGCert, you take Introduction to Ethics and at least one philosophy of religion module, plus at least one optional module. MA students take a standard or an extended dissertation. PGDip students have the option of taking a standard dissertation.
Optional modules
This course is taught entirely online, so you can fit your studies around your social and professional life. You’ll be able to access a wide range of teaching and learning resources through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and use the University Library’s online resources for your own independent research. You’ll also be able to discuss issues arising from your studies with other students through our forums.
For most modules, you keep a weekly log, in which you reflect on the study exercises for the week. In addition, you make regular contributions to discussion forums, and write one or more essays. The discussion forum contributions and essays determine the final module mark.
The MA Philosophy of Religion and Ethics will be of interest to teachers of Philosophy and Religious Studies for professional development purposes. The course can also provide a route into a research degree in the fields of philosophy of religion and ethics. Equally, the important skills of argumentation and clear expression that are developed in the programme will be valuable in a wide range of work settings.
Are you looking to explore Global Justice topics such as international trade, climate change, war and violence and terrorism and apply ethical theories to these areas?
This flexible programme offers a range of modules in the field of ethics, in addition to the opportunity to participate in a research seminar or undertake a placement with an NGO or the equivalent. The programme is designed to accommodate those wishing to study part-time around other commitments. It is equally suitable for recent graduates or post-experience students, for those wishing to go on to further research in one or more of the topics, or for those with a personal interest in the field of global ethics.
We also offer this programme by distance learning - see Global Ethics and Justice MSc (Distance Learning).
You will study six modules, three of which are core Global Ethics modules (see Modules tab for descriptions):
Your remaining three modules are optional, and can be chosen from a range which typically includes:
Assessment
Modules are assessed by written assignment. You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation with support from a supervisor; the dissertation may be entirely literature-based, or may be based on a placement project.
As well as the taught modules you take on this programme, you are encouraged to participate in our weekly Postgraduate Seminar and in the regular meetings of PhilSoc, so you'll be able to gain insight from a range of academics and peers from across the department.
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Philosophy
Birmingham's Philosophy postgraduates develop a range of skills that are highly desirable in the job market, including: articulacy; precise analytical thought; clarity; rigour in formulating complex problems; and the ability to analyse and construct sound arguments.
Due to the transferable nature of their skills, Philosophy postgraduates traditionally enter a wide range of employment areas, from teaching and lecturing to publishing. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include: BBC; Friends of the Earth; Birmingham Children?s Hospital; Highways England; and University of Birmingham.
Many of our alumni have found that the course provides an ideal foundation for their careers, such as James Hodgson:
"Having studied Global Ethics, I have found that my understanding of the diversity of human experience and philosophies has been greatly expanded. The course taught me to question my own assumptions and opened my eyes to the potential within humanity. The staff and my peers' passion for exploring ideas and concepts created a wonderful learning environment. Since graduating I have worked for international NGOs including Medecins Sans Frontieres and ECPAT International both within the UK and internationally. Currently I am in Kigali, Rwanda working with a number of NGOs here and still finding the skills and knowledge I acquired during my Masters of great value professionally and personally."
James Hodgson
Our Global Ethics and Human Values MA is the most wide-ranging and philosophical programme in its field, allowing you to study the most pressing ethical issues of our time, from globalisation and climate change to war, terrorism, poverty, inequality, justice and human rights.
Our Global Ethics & Human Values programme will encourage and develop your thinking about the complex theoretical and practical issues confronting the world, and equip you with the analytical skills to address those issues with philosophical rigour. It draws extensively on branches of philosophy, politics and international relations and will introduce you to a wide range of ideas, concepts and problems within those areas.
You will examine theoretical perspectives within ethics, such as deontology, consequentialism and virtue, and explore how these perspectives can be used to understand important and emotive issues such as religious and political conflict, nationalism, abortion, sexual perversion. You will also study the works and insights of major political philosophers to consider how concepts such as liberty or equality have been interpreted to shape the world we live in.
Our course is equally suited for students with a background in philosophy, politics, economics, history or social sciences, or those already working in government, international aid or NGOs, or in corporate social responsibility in the commercial sector.
You will study three compulsory modules and choose three optional modules. In the first semester, you will be exposed to a range of philosophical approaches within epistemology, ethics and political philosophy, which will be applied to relevant topics in a globalising world. In the second semester, you will be asked to apply the philosophical techniques and conceptual frameworks of the first semester to various global issues, ranging from terrorism to environmental concerns, human rights, world poverty and international justice.
In the final months of the course, you will choose a global issue of special interest to you and research it to write a 12,000-15,000-word dissertation.
All modules are run as seminars, with a mixture of formal presentation by the instructor and active discussion among members of the seminar. Instructors are also available outside of seminars, and during the dissertation phase students will have personal guidance from a specific instructor.
Full time
There will be 6-8 hours of lectures, seminars and feedback per week. Students are expected to spend 32-34 hours per week engaed in self-study.
Part time
There will be 4-6 hours of lectures, seminars and feedback per week. Students are expected to spend 14-16 hours per week engaged in self-study.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a combination of examinations and an extended essay. The required modules are assessed together by one 3-hour exam. The optional modules are assessed by a 3,000 word essay. The exception is the Internship module which candidates are assessed by a proposal, a short journal and a 4,000 word project.
Our programme has broadened students' awareness of global issues. Many of our graduates have gone on to do research degrees and work for governmental and non-governmental organisations.
This degree uses specially designed online teaching materials to give you an in-depth understanding of professional ethics, and what they mean for practitioners in the biomedical and healthcare sectors.
You’ll learn about the ethical issues that arise across medicine and healthcare practice, but you’ll also have the opportunity to specialise in areas that interest you or suit your career aspirations. You’ll take modules on topics such as ethical issues at the beginning and end of life, autonomy and psychiatry, professional issues and allocating medical resources fairly, and focus on a topic of your choice to complete an independent dissertation.
We’re constantly developing the course and consulting with professionals working in the field, so it’s informed by the most recent developments in practice. But you’ll be guided by active researchers with expertise in teaching ethics across medical disciplines, giving you the chance to engage with the latest academic arguments and debates.
The programme is designed for people who’ve never studied ethics or medical ethics, although we do also have applicants who have studied philosophy before. If you’re interested in thinking about key ethical issues in a reasoned and independent way, you’ll be able to explore big questions in the biomedical and healthcare spheres with the support of the Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied Centre (IDEA).
This course is also available to study part-time and/or on campus. You could also choose to study for PGDip qualification, where you’ll study fewer modules overall.
COMPULSORY MODULES
There are no lectures or seminars on this programme. Instead you’ll use the University’s Virtual Learning Environment to access interactive course materials and participate in collaborative activities online. This allows you to share your experiences and insights with students from a variety of backgrounds to discover new perspectives on ethical issues. Our tutors respond to queries by email as well as contributing to the online discussion groups.
Read more about Online Distance Learning.
You’ll still be assessed using essays, but we use a range of other methods to make the most of online learning. You’ll complete shorter written assignments and group projects, and you’ll also be assessed on the contributions you make to group discussions.
A postgraduate qualification in biomedical and healthcare ethics can improve your confidence in handling workplace decisions that have ethical implications. It will also allow you to improve your transferable skills such as research, analysis and oral and written communication.
Many of our graduates continue with their research, whether in academic appointments at universities, PhD studies or as researchers for other organisations such as the King’s Fund. Others have gone into healthcare management, joined research or clinical ethics committees or gone on to teach medical or healthcare ethics at medical schools part-time.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
The economic, social and political benefits of good governance are high on the agenda of many world organisations. This MSc combines normative and empirical approaches to international justice, organisations and processes, and applies them to the analysis of global political institutions and policies.
Students of this MSc will benefit from research preparation and tailor-made interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary training of the highest quality at one of the world's best universities.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of four core modules (75 credits), optional modules (45 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Choose one of the following 15 credit modules (the other two remain available as options):
Choose further modules up to a value of 30 credits in total from a list available on the departmental website
The following are suggestions:
Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars, and is taught by scholars that have institution, policy or country-specific knowledge and have carried out theoretical and empirical research in the field. Assessment is through unseen examinations, long essays and the dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Global Governance and Ethics MSc
Most students choose the MSc as the foundation for a career in intergovernmental institutions; in central, regional or local government; in NGOs, business, lobby groups, charities and public affairs, and for funded PhD study.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Our students receive excellent training to think critically and creatively. Through our methods training students also possess sophisticated skills in demand by employers in the public and private sector as well as the skills necessary for further academic study.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
UCL Political Science is recognised as a centre of excellence in the field and offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of global governance and ethics.
Weekly seminars offer students an unrivalled opportunity to meet and engage with some of the leading figures in the field.
UCL Political Science offers a broad array of global governance-related expertise and teaching able to accommodate a wide scope of student interests within a university that has in recent years put emphasis on governance issues, such as global health.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Political Science
89% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
