MPhil Philosophy

For our MPhil in Philosophy, we offer supervision in a wide range of fields including continental philosophy, history of philosophy, social and political philosophy, and medical humanities. We have an established international reputation and a strong tradition of postgraduate education, particularly in the specialist area of continental philosophy and - more recently - in the middle-ground between continental and analytic philosophy. Moral and political philosophy is another notable area of research concentration. We are also very active in the emerging field of medical humanities.

Why we're great.

We are renowned for our combination of Continental and Anglo-American philosophy.

We are ranked Top 20 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014).

The school is also home to both the Essex Autonomy Project and the Ethics of Powerlessness, major interdisciplinary projects funded by the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council), which aim to investigate the role of autonomous judgement and conditions of powerlessness in many aspects of human life.

Your future

Many of our graduates have progressed successfully to further research and an academic career. Philosophers with a PhD from Essex now teach at many UK universities, including Warwick, Oxford, Sussex, Reading, Bolton, Manchester Metropolitan, and Keele, and at numerous institutions abroad (such as University College Dublin, the University of Malta, and Grand Valley State University, USA). Our other Philosophy graduates have gone into careers in law, the media, local administration, HM Revenue and Customs, and top jobs in the Civil Service.

We will consider a 2:1 or above (or international equivalent). You must demonstrate your capacity to conduct independent research and a well-developed research proposal is also essential.