Philosophy and English Literature
Entry requirements
A level
Required subjects: A Levels: English Literature or combined English at B.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
37 points with 666 at HL - 36 points with 665 at HL. Required subjects: HL: English at 5.
Scottish Higher
AAAAA (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: English at B.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
**Philosophy**
Philosophy has been at the core of Western intellectual life for at least 2,500 years. It is central to our understanding of the world, our place in it and our interaction with it.
Philosophy provides the tools by which the presuppositions of all areas of intellectual and practical activity may be systematically and critically examined.
While there are different approaches that philosophers have taken, the study of philosophy emphasises the use of:
* argument
* critical enquiry
* rigour in reasoning
* clarity of expression, including the making of pertinent distinctions
**Philosophy at Edinburgh**
The University has a strong historic connection to the subject, counting Adam Ferguson and Sir William Hamilton among its former students.
Edinburgh has one of the UK's largest philosophy departments and the Philosophy Society attracts high-profile speakers.
**English Literature**
Based in the first UNESCO World City of Literature, you will study in the oldest department of English Literature in the UK and one of the longest-established in the world.
You will develop the critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills needed for the close reading and discussion of poetry, drama and prose.
You will engage with:
* a broad range of texts, written in English, from around the world
* a variety of approaches to reading
* the cultural contexts of all major periods of English literature from the late Middle Ages to the present
At honours level, you will select courses on the basis of your own interests in specific literary topics, periods or genres.
**Studying Philosophy and English Literature**
This joint programme allows you to gain an in-depth knowledge in both subject areas. It also offers you the opportunity to specialise in the topics that interest you most.
Combining literature with philosophy shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Central area campus
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
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?
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.
Literature in english
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)
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.
Literature in english
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
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.
Literature in english
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£23k
£32k
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.
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.
£24k
£27k
£30k
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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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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