Study philosophy and graduate with a university degree

Year 1

Highers BBBB.
A-levels BBC.
IB Diploma with a total of 32 points.
HNC or HND with Bs in graded units.

Access courses and other UK/EU and international qualifications are also welcomed.

General entrance requirements apply.

International students can study our Undergraduate Certificate if they do not possess the necessary entrance requirements to be admitted directly to the first year of an undergraduate degree course.

Other information

If examinations are taken over two sittings, or there are repeats or upgrades, the entrance requirements may be higher.

Required subjects

English Standard Grade (2), Intermediate 2 (C), GCSE (C) or equivalent.

Applicants with English Standard Grade (3) will also be considered, although alternative entry conditions may be made in this case.

information on possible sources of funding

Full-time (three modules per semester).
Part-time (one or two modules per semester).
February entry is available.

Students take Philosophy plus two other subjects in Year 1.

Semesters 1 - 3

• Philosophy: What is it all about? An introduction to central philosophical problems concerning, for instance, knowledge, mind and body, freedom and determinism, morality and justice
• Mind, Value and Reality. An introduction to key metaphysical and ethical issues. What is it to be a person? Are we responsible for what we do? Can we be motivated by anything other than our own self interest? These and other topics will be considered and some ethical implications explored
• From Plato to Existentialism. A philosophical examination of the relationship between the individual and society, looking at works by Plato, Hobbes, Mill and Sartre

Semesters 4 and 5

You are required to take:

• Either Logic or Moral Theory (or both)
• Either Rationalism and Empiricism or Philosophy of Mind (or both)

Semesters 5 - 8

You then take optional modules, which currently include:

• Action and Freedom
• A Priori Knowledge
• Crime and Punishment
• Democratic Theory
• The Distribution of Property
• Environmental Ethics
• Heidegger
• John Stuart Mill
• Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
• Knowledge and Reality
• Marx and Marxism
• Materialism and Idealism
• Metaethics
• Metaphysics
• Philosophy of Biology
• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Science
• Politics, Law and Society
• Practical Reasoning
• Scepticism and the Structure of Knowledge
• Wittgenstein’s Later Philosophy

In Year 4 there are opportunities for directed independent study, including dissertation projects and supervised independent study of a particular topic, theme or book.

Teaching in Philosophy modules is mainly by seminars, which are held each week to discuss a set topic, and lectures, which are usually given twice a week. Assessment in most modules is divided between essays written during the semester and an examination at the end of the semester. There are many opportunities for one-to-one discussions with tutors.

(For a Combined Honours degree the higher entrance requirements of the subjects usually apply.)

Politics, Philosophy and Economics: PPE.

Philosophy is a highly regarded subject developing useful transferable skills and opening up a wide range of career paths. Equipped with an Honours degree in Philosophy a graduate can bring to subsequent employment a sharp and analytical mind that can be applied directly to the job itself, or to any further specialist training required. Stirling Philosophy students in recent years have gone on to careers in the civil service, business, law, the social services, environmental management and the media.

Skills you can develop through this course

• knowledge and understanding of a range of philosophical topics and associated literatures mainly from European and English-speaking traditions; 
• an ability to engage critically with philosophical views and arguments; 
• an ability to express yourself on philosophical matters in a clear and well-organized way. 

In gaining this understanding, Philosophy students develop a wide range of abilities that are highly valued by employers, especially by those looking for staff capable of clear, rigorous thinking. These abilities include:

• the capacity to identify both the different elements of a view under discussion—the key concepts and claims—and the arguments used in support of the view (and their key concepts and claims); 
• the ability to identify clear faults in reasoning (e.g., inconsistencies, non sequiturs); 
• the ability to make sense of difficult and complex writing; 
• the ability to write about a complex topic in a clear and well-organized way; 
• the ability to develop and defend your own arguments and ideas both in writing and spoken discussion. 

Each of the abilities listed above involves a capacity to think creatively, self-critically and independently.  These intellectual skills are integral to the study of philosophy.  In addition, Philosophy is taught in an environment in which you will:

• become acquainted with basic intellectual virtues such as respect for evidence and argument, preparedness to be self-critical, fairness in assessing the positions of those with differing views 
• gain experience in, for example, speaking in group discussion, responding on the spot to questions raised, giving presentations before a group, coping with the pressures of group discussion, working to deadlines, planning work ahead of time, and working autonomously. 

Chances to expand your horizons

Workshops focused on careers for Philosophy students are run by the Student Philosophy Society and discipline-specific advice and events are organised by the Career Development Service.  In addition, a biennial student conference, often held in the Highlands, allows students to present their work in a semi-formal ‘presentation’ setting in front of their peers. 

Where are our graduates now?

Philosophy graduates are currently contributing to the performance of the following organisations:

• Scottish Enterprise
• BAE Systems
• Wincanton
• Deveaux, Australia
• University of Sheffield
• HM Government
• Justice Publishing
• Scottish Equitable

 To provide you with an indication as to what you can do with your Philosophy degree, graduates entering into employment in the past two years are currently working as: 

• Services Delivery Analyst
• Philosophy Teacher
• Commissioning Engineer

Building on that foundation, alumni of Stirling’s Philosophy degree who graduated between five and ten years ago have since advanced into some of the following positions:

• Primary Teacher
• Programmer
• Account manager

Some of our more established alumni are currently leading and shaping strategy across many different sectors – here is an example of how a few former Philosophy students have advanced in their careers:

• Solicitor in private practice
• Lecturer
• Director 
• Police Inspector
• Senior Programmer
• Civil servant
• International Sales Manager
• Pensions manager