Philosophy
University of Leeds
UCAS Code: V500 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Pass diploma with 60 credits overall, including at least 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. An interview and a piece of written work may be required.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Where an applicant is taking the EPQ in a relevant subject this might be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A Levels, this would be ABB at A Level and grade A in the EPQ.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
35 points overall including 16 at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
AB in Advanced Highers and AABBB in Highers, or A in Advanced Highers and AABBB in Highers, or AAAABB in Highers.
Might be accepted as in combination with other qualifications, please contact admissions teams for further advice & guidance.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
One of the world’s oldest academic subjects, philosophy asks fundamental questions about the world and how we understand it. Does evil exist? Are we ever truly free to act? What does morality or justice require? How do we know what we know – if we can ever know anything at all? This fascinating and challenging degree will enable you to think clearly, construct well-developed arguments and learn to defend them, plus give you the chance to explore some of the big questions you’ve always wondered about. If you choose to study philosophy at Leeds you'll benefit from our distinctively student-centred and research-led approach.
You'll gain a foundation in core ideas and approaches in the subject in your first year, but beyond that students are encouraged to choose their own path through the degree from a wide range of exciting optional modules at the introductory, gateway, and specialist levels – it’s up to you whether you want to develop broad philosophical interests, or specialise more narrowly.
Our optional modules showcase our department’s research strengths at every level, and at higher levels will allow you to experience cutting edge research from our staff. This culminates in your final year, when you get the chance to exercise your own research skills and ideas in an extended research project of your own choosing.
This degree is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable skills, set yourself up for a wide range of employment prospects, and most importantly to question what you know and how you think.
**Additional highlights**
- An appealing range of ‘taster’ modules in your first year, designed to familiarise you with the core areas of philosophy you’ll be meeting later in the degree through excitingly themed modules.
- Specialist strengths in philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, moral and political philosophy, philosophy of mind, metaphysics (the basic nature of things) and epistemology (the nature of knowledge).
- A flagship ‘Research in Philosophy’ module in your second year, unique to Leeds, that will equip you with the research skills you need to successfully complete your final year research project, give you access to cutting edge research from a range of staff members and allow you to build relationships and a sense of community with peers on your course.
- Student choice between two different kinds of research project in your final year. Both offer you the guidance of an individual supervisor, but one also offers the scaffolded support of an associated module, while the other allows you the freedom to pursue an independent research project of your own design.
- The opportunity for genuine research-led teaching throughout the degree, culminating in a revolving menu of highly specialist modules in the final year.
The Uni
University of Leeds
School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science
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
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.
£19k
£26k
£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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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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