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MRes Philosophy

Start date
September
Duration
Full time: 1 year
Course Type
Postgraduate, Combined research and taught
Fees

Annual tuition fee 2024 entry:
UK: £6,780 full-time; £3,390 part-time
International: £21,840 full-time
More detail.

Explore philosophical questions with your own independent research project, while developing your knowledge and skills through our wide range of taught modules.

You can complete your research project on any philosophical subject, as agreed with the supervisor, and there is a wide range of choice for the taught component, enabling you to build your own unique programme of study.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

What is an MRes?

An MRes is a programme that will help you develop the skills for both doctoral study and a future career. You will complete a major individual research project, supervised by a specialist in the field of study, and a taught component that develops research and analytical skills. If you are interested in applying, we strongly encourage you to contact the admissions tutor or a member of staff with interests in your field to discuss your application in general and your proposed research topic in particular.

At Birmingham, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research students also have the opportunity to learn graduate academic languages free of charge, to support your studies.

Academically, you are given the trust and freedom to discover your own voice, while my supervisors have been very supportive. The postgraduate community at our department is friendly and constructive, with the postgraduate seminars being a wonderful place to receive feedback on your work

Kash

Why study this course?

  • World-leading research: The Philosophy department was 1st in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on Grade Point Average (Times Higher Education).
  • Extended research project: The programme provides substantial experience in the practice of independent philosophical research, and helps you to further increase your knowledge and understanding of your chosen subject.
  • Transferable skills: The programme fosters critical and analytic abilities which can be of considerable value both in professional and personal life.

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces, to careers support and funding opportunities. Learn more about your postgraduate experience.

Modules

You will study the module Philosophical Research, which is compulsory on the MRes programme. It is designed to cover a broad range of classic philosophical texts, as well as to develop a core set of analytical skills relevant to postgraduate research in Philosophy.

You then choose two further optional modules from the whole range of modules offered by the Department of Philosophy, before completing a 20,000 word thesis.

Optional modules you may choose typically include:

  • Bioethics
  • Epistemology
  • Global Ethics
  • God, Freedom and the Meaning of Life
  • Human Rights
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy of Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Health and Happiness
  • Philosophy of Language
  • Philosophy and Mental Health
  • Philosophy of Mind

For more information, see our Philosophy postgraduate modules.


Please note that the optional module information listed on the website for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024 entry are as follows:

  • UK: £6,780 full-time; £3,390 part-time
  • International: £21,840 full-time

Fee status

Eligibility for UK or international fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students

Paying your fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding.

Scholarships and studentships

Scholarships to cover fees and/or maintenance costs may be available. To discover whether you are eligible for any award across the University, and to start your funding application, please visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

How To Apply

Application deadlines

The deadline for International students (including EU) to apply is 7 May 2024. The deadline for UK students is 30 August 2024.

Six easy steps to apply for a postgraduate research course in the College of Arts and Law

Before you make your application

Please refer to our six step process on applying for PhD, MA by Research and MRes opportunities for Arts subject areas, which includes detailed advice on research proposals and how to write them.

Making your application

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

For the MRes Philosophy  programme, entry usually requires a good (normally a 2:1 or above) Honours degree in Philosophy, or an equivalent qualification if you were educated outside the UK.

Any academic and professional qualifications or relevant professional experience you may have are normally taken into account, and in some cases,form an integral part of the entrance requirements.

If your qualifications are non-standard or different from the entry requirements stated here, please contact the admissions tutor. We accept a range of qualifications; our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country. 

International Requirements


The Department of Philosophy combines research excellence in all core areas of philosophy, with distinction in number of specialty and interdisciplinary areas, including epistemology and philosophy of mind, ethics and philosophy of religion, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mathematics. 

Find a supervisor and see our research in:

You will be taught by a vibrant community of philosophers, pursuing original research on a wide range of topics on which expert supervision is available.

Topics include: ethics, metaethics and global ethics; epistemology and metaphysics; philosophy of mind and cognitive science; philosophy of psychiatry; philosophy of language and logic; philosophy of religion; and the philosophy of health and happiness.

You will also be assigned a team of supervisors, to support you in your studies, and you will be strongly encouraged to participate in the weekly postgraduate seminar and the regular meetings of PhilSoc and the staff seminar.

You will also become part of, and contribute to, the lively international community of the College of Arts and Law Graduate School, which offers dedicated research resources and a supportive working environment. Our team of academic and operational staff are on hand to offer support and advice to all postgraduate students within the College.

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated  careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

  • Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
  • Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
  • Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
  • Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation.

Postgraduate employability: Philosophy

Birmingham's Philosophy postgraduates develop a range of skills that are highly desirable in the job market including articulacy, precise analytical thought, and the ability to analyse and construct sound arguments.

Due to the transferable nature of these skills, Philosophy postgraduates traditionally enter a wide range of employment areas, from teaching and lecturing to social work. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include BBC, Friends of the Earth, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Highways England, Ministry of Justice and University of Birmingham.