Keele University
UCAS Code: V5V0 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
40 UCAS Tariff points from at least 1 A Level
40 UCAS Tariff points from at least 1 Level 3 qualification
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English at grade C (or 4) or Level 2 Functional Skills English
40 UCAS Tariff points from at least 1 Level 3 qualification
40 UCAS Tariff points from at least 1 Level 3 qualification
T Level
Pass overall (D&E)
UCAS Tariff
40 UCAS Tariff points from at least 1 A level/Level 3 qualification. We will also consider applicants who may not have traditional academic qualifications but have work experience or vocational qualifications
About this course
**Foundation Year**
Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, providing a unique opportunity to better prepare for your chosen degree, and with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete your Foundation Year. This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence. On the Keele Foundation Year, you'll study on campus, joining our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support that you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.
**International Students**
For International Students, Foundation Years are delivered through our dedicated on-campus provider, Keele University International College. Applications for International Foundation Years are also handled by KUIC; please do not apply via UCAS as the University will not be able to process your application and you may still be charged the UCAS application fee. To find out more and to apply for an International Foundation Year, visit https://kuic.keele.ac.uk/
**Philosophy**
From ethics to religion and the ultimate nature of reality, Philosophy at Keele offers a deep exploration of human life and its place within the world. Embark on a journey as an aspiring philosopher, driven by a passion for understanding and analysing philosophical ideas from ancient India and Greece to the present day. With a wealth of opportunities to enhance your career prospects, you'll develop into a well-rounded critical thinker, analyst, and communicator, ready to pursue a rewarding career across diverse industries.
**Why choose this course?**
- Philosophy at Keele is ranked Top 10 in the UK for student positivity* NSS 2023 (Broad-based universities) *based on overall student satisfaction, which is an average score across 27 questions asked in the NSS
- Top 20 in England for Philosophy (Guardian University Guide, 2025)
- Discover new ideas, debate big questions with your lecturers and peers, and better appreciate the views of others
- Enhance your career with the choice of a placement year, entrepreneurship year or international year
- Our research-led teaching and dedicated philosophy conferences provide insight into new and traditional topics, developing your subject knowledge and professional skills
On our Philosophy programme you will study a range of philosophical debates, answering big questions and evaluating reality. Philosophy is concerned with the nature of the good human life (Ethics), the nature and rationality of religion (Philosophy of Religion), the ultimate nature of reality (Metaphysics) and the extent to which we can achieve knowledge (Epistemology).
You will be introduced to the ethical and practical concerns of philosophy as well as the traditional ideas from Indian, Chinese, Greek and African ancient wisdom. You will cover a wide variety of historical, Western and Non-Western traditions as well as contemporary issues, from AI technologies to environmentalism.
**About Keele**
Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.
We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.
Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.
Modules
For a list of indicative modules please visit the course page on the Keele University website.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
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
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
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
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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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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