Philosophy MA (Honours) 2025 entry

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

• SQA Highers

  Standard entry grades:

  AAAB

  Minimum entry grades:

  AABB

  Gateway entry grades:

  Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

• GCE A-Levels

  Standard entry grades:

  AAB

  Minimum entry grades:

  ABB

• IB points

  Standard entry grades:

  36 (HL 6,6,5)

  Minimum entry grades:

  36 (HL 6,5,5)

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

• SQA qualifications

  SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing science
  • Geography
  • Applications of Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

• GCSE qualifications

  GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing Science
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No previous knowledge of philosophy is required.

Alternative study options

Students interested in this course may also be interested in the following:

Study abroad

Philosophy students can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad website.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. Find out more about approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

The MA (Hons) in Philosophy is a four-year course run by the Department of Philosophy. During your degree, you will be trained in precise and effective reading, as well as clear thinking and writing required for philosophical study.

In the first two years, as a sub-honours student, you will study some of the great texts in philosophy and be introduced to the fundamental questions discussed by philosophers from ancient Greece to the present day, exploring both theoretical and practical questions. This will lay the foundations required for an Honours degree.

Alongside Philosophy, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study at least one additional subject, sometimes two. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects. Find out more about how academic years are organised.

During your final two years, as an Honours student, you will focus your studies on your particular philosophical interests and will be able to choose from a wide variety of advanced options, including:

• aesthetics 
• artificial intelligence and philosophy 
• critical theory and critical race theory 
• epistemology (the study of knowledge) 
• ethical and political theory 
• formal logic 
• metaphysics 
• philosophies of logic, mind and language 
• philosophies of film, law, economics and religion 
• philosophy of the climate crisis 
• feminist philosophy 
• texts in the history of philosophy. 

Final-year students may also choose to write a dissertation on a philosophical topic chosen in consultation with teaching staff. 

Graduates in Philosophy from St Andrews can expect to have acquired a highly developed sense of independent critical thinking and judgement and to be able to communicate ideas and arguments clearly and effectively. 

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree, as a sub-honours student, you will take philosophy modules alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take one philosophy module per semester during your first two years (though you may take more), and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year. 

Fees

Scotland
£1,820

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man

Following the decision of the UK Government to raise undergraduate tuition fees and maintenance loans in line with inflation from April 2025, we are reviewing the consequences of that decision for fees payable by students from the rest of the UK who have chosen to study in Scotland. We will update the information on this page as soon as possible.

EU and overseas
£31,670

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Joint Honours degrees

You can also take Philosophy as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Joint degrees taken with Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish are also available 'With Integrated Year Abroad'.

"With" degrees

You can take Philosophy as part of a "with" Honours degree in which the majority of the course deals with the first name subject. St Andrews offers the following "with" degrees in Philosophy:

• Master of Arts (Honours) Philosophy with Bible and Culture - UCAS code PB01
• Master of Arts (Honours) Philosophy with Religion in Society - UCAS code LT29

Careers

Training in the sort of precise and effective reading, and clear thinking and writing, required for all philosophical study, makes a good preparation for many careers. The critical thinking developed by the study of philosophy is highly valued by many employers.

Recent Philosophy MA graduates have entered careers in:

• non-profit organisations (including Oxfam and Charityworks) 
• banking 
• management consultancy 
• retail area management 
• local government 
• government organisations (including the NHS) 
• television production 
• publishing 
• teaching.

Many Philosophy graduates go on to study in other areas, for example, law conversion courses and teacher training.

A significant number have gone on to pursue academic careers by enrolling in Masters, and then Doctoral, programmes around the world. 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Contact us

Phone

+44 (0)1334 46 2486

Email

philosophy@st-andrews.ac.uk

Address

Department of Philosophy
Edgecliffe
5 The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

Department of Philosophy website