Swansea University
UCAS Code: V503 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
International students will also require a score of 4 at Higher Level English Language or Literature, or 5 at Standard Level English Language or Literature.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
UCAS Tariff
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Swansea University will accept the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to one A-Level.
About this course
Our Philosophy with a Year in Industry degree introduces you to major philosophical theories and debates across different traditions and cultures and examines what it means to be human, how we should live, and the nature of reality itself. It addresses these issues from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives. It has a strong practical focus, which encourages students not only to understand the world around them, but also to work out how to change it for the better.
As a Philosophy student, you will explore fundamental questions concerning knowledge, reality, truth, morality, politics, human nature, and logic. You will learn about thinkers and theories from the ancient Greek world through to the present day.
The programme encourages students to apply philosophical ideas to contemporary moral, social and political issues and debates, demonstrating the importance of philosophy to our daily lives and society in general. You will also develop key transferable skills which will open up a wide range of career opportunities.
Philosophy at Swansea is ranked:
**1st in the UK for Teaching on my Course** (NSS 2024)
**1st in the UK for Student Voice** (NSS 2024)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2024, when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 22 to 25 in the NSS 202,4 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
Philosophy equips students with key intellectual skills that are much sought-after by many employers. These include critical and creative thinking, logical problem-solving, open-mindedness and effective information analysis.
Philosophy graduates can look at careers in human resources (HR), finance and marketing, public relations (PR) and sales. They are also well-equipped for the civil service and teaching.
Modules
Key modules include:
Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What makes an action morally wrong or right? Are animals our moral equals? Is morality relative to different cultures? Are abortion or euthanasia morally permissible? Should we be able to genetically-engineer our children?
Metaphysics: Does time exist? How do objects persist through change? What is the nature of "truth"? Is the mind distinct from the body?
Political Philosophy: What is a "just" society like? How should resources and opportunities be distributed in society? To what extent is government justified in interfering with our lives? Do we have duties to future generations?
Epistemology: How can we be certain that our beliefs are true? Is our knowledge of reality shaped by our language? Is truth relative to different cultures? Can we know the world as it is in itself?
Philosophy of Mind: What is the nature of consciousness? How can our thoughts control our physical actions? Could a machine ever be self-conscious and/or sentient? What makes you "you"? How can we know what other people’s minds are like?
Existentialism: What does it mean to live an "authentic" life? Are we radically free and, if so, how should we live our lives? Is our experience of the world shaped by the body we have? How do and should we relate to other people?
This course offers you the opportunity to spend a Year In Industry, in the UK or overseas*, giving valuable workplace experience. The University advocates for only paid placements, which on average have a salary of over £20,000. Unpaid placements are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Although securing a placement is the responsibility of the student, we work with a number of organisations that provide a range of placement opportunities. Students are also supported throughout their application journey with advice, guidance and additional resources. If you are unable to secure a placement by the end of the second year of your studies, you will transfer onto the equivalent degree programme.
*Overseas locations are dependent on VISA restrictions per country.
Extra funding
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available, please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/scholarships/
Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page https://www.swansea.ac.uk/academi-hywel-teifi/learn/scholarships/
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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?
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Philosophy
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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.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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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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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