BA Philosophy and Psychology

at Durham University

Year 1
 

In the first year, you will take the Philosophy core modules of Ethics and Values, and Knowledge and Reality. These concern the two broad divisions of Philosophy, into Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge on the one hand, and Moral Philosophy on the other. You will also take either Science, Medicine, and Society, European Philosophy or Reading Philosophy. Reading Philosophy is a text-based course which examines in depth classic works by writers such as Plato, Hume, Murdoch and Sartre.

In Psychology, you will take a number of comparable core modules.

Years 2 and 3
 

In the second year, you will take Philosophy of Mind. In the second and third years, you will also have a choice of a wide range of topics.

In previous years these have included:

• Moral Theory

• Modern Philosophy I and II

• History of Science and Medicine

• Issues in Contemporary Ethics

• Philosophy of Religion

• Political and Social Philosophy

• Metaphysics

• Language, Logic and Reality

• Twentieth Century European Philosophy

• Philosophy of Science

• The Philosophy of Economics and Politics: Theory, Methods and Values

• Applied Ethics

• Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Science

• History and Philosophy of Psychiatry

• Biomedical Ethics Past and Present.

There is a comparable choice within Psychology. You will also have the opportunity to study a subject in depth, by writing a substantial dissertation of your choice.

Philosophy and Psychology students may wish to take advantage of the Philosophy Department’s special expertise in the history and philosophy of science. The study of the history of science involves looking at the development of science as the way of explaining events in the natural world, and considering it critically as a belief system in relation to other belief systems and dogmas. The study of the philosophy of science raises philosophical questions about scientific method and about the various metaphysical assumptions upon which scientific theories depend. Philosophy of Mind is also a subject of cross-disciplinary importance, in which philosophers often engage with contemporary developments in Psychology.

Grade 5 (or grade B) in Mathematics GCSE is required.
 

A level offer – AAA. Philosophy at AS or A Level is not a requirement.
 

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD.
 

IB Diploma score – 37 with 666 in higher level subjects, including standard level Mathematics.
 

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We consider each application holistically. Whilst academic achievement is important, it is not the only factor that we consider when assessing applications and applicants who have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, close to our typical offer, but who have not met it exactly, will be welcome to apply if they have a strong application in other key elements, for example can demonstrate merit and potential through their personal statement or their reference.

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.

• An interview may form part of the entry requirements for mature students with non-standard qualifications.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

Science A levels
 

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

The tuition fees shown for students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 80% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 69% are in high skilled employment

• With an average salary of £30,000.