Entry requirements
A level
Specific subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking. Information: Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Eighteen points (6, 6, 6) in Higher Level subjects.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
The study of philosophy at Durham does not follow one particular school. The Department is unique in the UK in its wide-ranging expertise in anglo-american analytical philosophy and continental philosophy. Each of these has its own distinctive set of issues and approaches to resolving them. We also have special expertise in the philosophy of science, and social science, and the history of science and medicine. So at Durham, you will follow one of the widest-ranging philosophy degrees in the country.
Philosophy is a new subject for many students, so in your first year, you follow a range of introductory courses, introducing the fundamental philosophical subject areas.
**Year 1**
In their first year, you will take the Philosophy core modules of Ethics and Values, Knowledge and Reality, Philosophical Traditions, and Reading Philosophy. Reading Philosophy is a text-based course which examines in depth classic works by writers such as Plato, Hume, and Sartre.
You will also take two further modules, which can be chosen from Science, Medicine and Society, European Philosophy, or an 'elective' module being offered by another department within the University.
**Years 2 and 3**
In the second and third years, you will have a choice of a wide range of topics. In previous years these have included:
Moral Theory
Modern Philosophy I and II
History of Science and Medicine
Issues in Contemporary Ethics
Philosophy of Religion
Political Philosophy
Metaphysics
Language, Logic and Reality
Twentieth Century European Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
The Philosophy of Economics and Politics: Theory, Methods and Values
Applied Ethics
Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Science
History and Philosophy of Psychiatry
Biomedical Ethics Past and Present
Philosophy of Mind.
You will also have the opportunity to study a subject in depth, by writing a substantial Dissertation on a topic of your choice, in your third year. As well as choosing modules from within the Philosophy Department in your second and third years, you can also opt to choose 'elective' modules offered by other departments within the University.
We review course structures and core content (in light of e.g. external and student feedback) every year, and will publish finalised core requirements for 2021 entry from September 2020. Please note that the list of optional modules available in any year will vary depending on available teaching staff. The lists above provide an example of the type of modules which may be offered.
**Study Abroad (Philosophy)**
We participate in exchange schemes through which you may spend a year of your studies abroad, either with universities in Europe – through the SOCRATES/ERASMUS programme – or with the University of California.
For more information on this course, please see our website.
Modules
Year 1
In their first year, you will take the Philosophy core modules of Ethics and Values, Knowledge and Reality, Philosophical Traditions, and Reading Philosophy. Reading Philosophy is a text-based course which examines in depth classic works by writers such as Plato, Hume, and Sartre.
You will also take two further modules, which can be chosen from Science, Medicine and Society, European Philosophy, or an 'elective' module being offered by another department within the University.
Years 2 and 3
In the second and third years, you will have a choice of a wide range of topics. In previous years these have included:
Moral Theory
Modern Philosophy I and II
History of Science and Medicine
Issues in Contemporary Ethics
Philosophy of Religion
Political Philosophy
Metaphysics
Language, Logic and Reality
Twentieth Century European Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
The Philosophy of Economics and Politics: Theory, Methods and Values
Applied Ethics
Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Science
History and Philosophy of Psychiatry
Biomedical Ethics Past and Present
Philosophy of Mind.
You will also have the opportunity to study a subject in depth, by writing a substantial Dissertation on a topic of your choice, in your third year. As well as choosing modules from within the Philosophy Department in your second and third years, you can also opt to choose 'elective' modules offered by other departments within the University.
We review course structures and core content (in light of e.g. external and student feedback) every year, and will publish finalised core requirements for 2021 entry from September 2020. Please note that the list of optional modules available in any year will vary depending on available teaching staff. The lists above provide an example of the type of modules which may be offered.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
St John's College
St Mary's College
Josephine Butler College
Collingwood College
Grey College
St Aidan's College
University College
No college preference
St Chad's College
Van Mildert College
Trevelyan College
College of St Hild and St Bede
St Cuthbert's Society
John Snow College
South College
Stephenson College
Hatfield College
Philosophy
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Philosophy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Philosophy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Philosophy and religious studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£30k
£33k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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