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Key information
Award:
MPhilStud
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Duration:
Two years FT, three-four years PT, October to October
We offer two Masters in Philosophical Studies:
- MPhilStud in Philosophy
- MPhilStud in Ancient Philosophy
The Philosophy Department at King’s is one of the largest research departments in the field in the UK. We offer close personal supervision to students in a wide variety of research areas, with particular strengths in the history of philosophy (analytic and continental, Greek and Roman, Medieval, Early Modern, 18th, 19th, and 20th century); philosophy of mind, action and psychology; epistemology; metaphysics; philosophy of science, especially philosophy of physics and philosophy of medicine; ethics; political philosophy; philosophy of art; logic; and philosophy of language and logic.
For more information on our areas of expertise , our recent research projects and their impact as well as a list of recent publications by our research staff see our department web pages.
Recent Research Projects: recent projects include:
- The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
- Philosophy and Medicine
- Thinking with Assent: Renewing a Traditional Account of Knowledge and Belief
- Ancient Commentators on Aristotle;
- The Evolution of the Emotions;
- Perception, Narrative Discourse and Conceptual Art;
- The Boundaries of Illness;
- Word Meaning: What it is and what it is not?;
Department of Philosophy – Ranked 6th in UK (REF 2021) Power Rankings and 1st in the country for Research Environment and Support. 86 % of research valued as being ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*)
Current number of research staff: 30.
Current number of research students: 60.
The Master of Philosophical Studies (MPhilStud) is a research master’s degree, aimed at students who have an undergraduate degree (typically 1st class) in which philosophy was at least a major component and who want to begin further research in the subject. The programme covers two academic years for full-time students. Part-time students spend four years completing the MPhilStud.
Programme Structure
Students complete coursework across a range of areas and write a thesis of up to 30,000 words. The coursework is taught through seminars and one-on-one supervisions. Coursework is assessed by six essays of 4,500 words and one essay of 8,000 words (which builds on one or two of the previously submitted shorter essays).
The general MPhilStud has a wide range of topics to choose from. There is also a specialised MPhilStud in Ancient Philosophy. This has a similar structure to the general MPhilStud but requires some specific topic choices.
Relation between MPhilStud and PhD
Students who wish to move from the MPhilStud to the PhD programme normally do so at the end of their MPhilStud course. At the point of transition, they will be asked whether the PhD project they propose to work on is a continuation of their MPhilStud thesis project. If it is then they will be registered for a further two years. If the PhD project is not a continuation of the MPhilStud project then the student will be registered for a further three years as a PhD student. However, such a student will be admitted only provisionally to the PhD programme and will have to upgrade to full PhD status after their first year.
Head of Group
UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£6,168 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£3,084 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£24,786 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£12,393 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£6,600 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£3,300 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£27,100 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£13,550 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Departmental and Other Funding
The Department of Philosophy at King's College London is offering a bursary for students entering its MPhilStud programme in October 2025. The bursary covers the ‘Home’ fees (or the portion of the ‘International’ fees equal to the ‘Home’ fees) for the two years of the full-time degree. If a part-time student is awarded the bursary, they will receive the equivalent of the ‘Home’ fees over the four years of their part-time degree. Anyone eligible to apply for the MPhilStud programme (regardless of fee status) is eligible to apply for this bursary. Those wishing to compete for the bursary should apply for entry to the MPhilStud programme in the normal way by Friday 31 January 2025. All applications submitted by that date will be considered. No separate application for the bursary is needed.
The department also offers a number of postgraduate bursaries available to current students.
Normal Malcolm Fellowship: This fellowship honours Professor Norman Malcolm's close association with the Philosophy Departments at both Cornell University and King's. It pays for a King's research student to spend a semester at Cornell every second year, and for a Cornell student to come to King's in the intervening years.
Sorabji Graduate Bursary: This studentship honours Richard Sorabji, Emeritus Professor of Ancient Philosophy in the Department. Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
Susan Stebbing Studentship: This studentship honours Susan Stebbing, who was formerly Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Bedford College London (which merged with KCL in 1984). Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to women graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
Peter Goldie Award: This studentship honours Peter Goldie, former Reader in Philosophy in the Department, who sadly passed away in 2011. This studentship commemorates Peter and his contribution to the Department, following a generous bequest from his estate. Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
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Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Course study environment
The Philosophy department is broad and inclusive. Our wide range of research expertise is set within a collegiate and cooperative research community. The department runs regular reading groups, and students are welcome to set up their own. Recent reading groups have included: Gender and Philosophy; Political Philosophy; Early Modern Philosophy; Mind; Metaphysics; Philosophy of Action. Research students are encouraged to attend the regular research activities of the department’s research clusters, such as the King’s History of Philosophy Seminar, and the Formal Methods Masterclass.
The department has a computer room and a graduate common room.
Networks
King’s is set in the heart of London. Graduate students have the opportunity to attend meetings of the Aristotelian Society, and events organised by the Institute of Philosophy.
The department runs joint PhD programmes with the National University of Singapore and the Humboldt University in Berlin.
The department also has links with other departments around the world. The Norman Malcolm Fellowship pays for a King's research student to spend a semester at Cornell every second year, and for a Cornell student to come to King's in the intervening years. There is an annual KCL/Berlin graduate workshop, hosted alternate years in KCL and in Berlin. And there is a regular KCL/UNC Chapel Hill graduate workshop, hosted in KCL or in Chapel Hill.
Postgraduate training
Students in the department can take advantage of induction and training programmes offered by the Faculty Graduate Programme. The progress of all graduate students is overseen by the Department's Postgraduate and Research Committee.
Research students gain training at presenting their work to their peers through the weekly research seminars and are encouraged to attend conferences (small travel bursaries are available to support this).
The Department's Placement Officer provides training for advanced research students in preparing them for the academic job market. This includes training in publishing your work and applying for funding.
There is also the opportunity to undertake paid teaching work in the second year of the MPhilStud. This comes with many opportunities for training, including support and guidance in gaining recognition from the Higher Education Academy.
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UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£6,168 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£3,084 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£24,786 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£12,393 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£6,600 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£3,300 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£27,100 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
Part time tuition fees:
£13,550 per year (MPhilStud, Philosophy Research)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Departmental and Other Funding
The Department of Philosophy at King's College London is offering a bursary for students entering its MPhilStud programme in October 2025. The bursary covers the ‘Home’ fees (or the portion of the ‘International’ fees equal to the ‘Home’ fees) for the two years of the full-time degree. If a part-time student is awarded the bursary, they will receive the equivalent of the ‘Home’ fees over the four years of their part-time degree. Anyone eligible to apply for the MPhilStud programme (regardless of fee status) is eligible to apply for this bursary. Those wishing to compete for the bursary should apply for entry to the MPhilStud programme in the normal way by Friday 31 January 2025. All applications submitted by that date will be considered. No separate application for the bursary is needed.
The department also offers a number of postgraduate bursaries available to current students.
Normal Malcolm Fellowship: This fellowship honours Professor Norman Malcolm's close association with the Philosophy Departments at both Cornell University and King's. It pays for a King's research student to spend a semester at Cornell every second year, and for a Cornell student to come to King's in the intervening years.
Sorabji Graduate Bursary: This studentship honours Richard Sorabji, Emeritus Professor of Ancient Philosophy in the Department. Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
Susan Stebbing Studentship: This studentship honours Susan Stebbing, who was formerly Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Bedford College London (which merged with KCL in 1984). Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to women graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
Peter Goldie Award: This studentship honours Peter Goldie, former Reader in Philosophy in the Department, who sadly passed away in 2011. This studentship commemorates Peter and his contribution to the Department, following a generous bequest from his estate. Each year the Department awards one or more studentships to graduate students in the Department, taking into account academic merit and financial need.
Read less
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Course study environment
The Philosophy department is broad and inclusive. Our wide range of research expertise is set within a collegiate and cooperative research community. The department runs regular reading groups, and students are welcome to set up their own. Recent reading groups have included: Gender and Philosophy; Political Philosophy; Early Modern Philosophy; Mind; Metaphysics; Philosophy of Action. Research students are encouraged to attend the regular research activities of the department’s research clusters, such as the King’s History of Philosophy Seminar, and the Formal Methods Masterclass.
The department has a computer room and a graduate common room.
Networks
King’s is set in the heart of London. Graduate students have the opportunity to attend meetings of the Aristotelian Society, and events organised by the Institute of Philosophy.
The department runs joint PhD programmes with the National University of Singapore and the Humboldt University in Berlin.
The department also has links with other departments around the world. The Norman Malcolm Fellowship pays for a King's research student to spend a semester at Cornell every second year, and for a Cornell student to come to King's in the intervening years. There is an annual KCL/Berlin graduate workshop, hosted alternate years in KCL and in Berlin. And there is a regular KCL/UNC Chapel Hill graduate workshop, hosted in KCL or in Chapel Hill.
Postgraduate training
Students in the department can take advantage of induction and training programmes offered by the Faculty Graduate Programme. The progress of all graduate students is overseen by the Department's Postgraduate and Research Committee.
Research students gain training at presenting their work to their peers through the weekly research seminars and are encouraged to attend conferences (small travel bursaries are available to support this).
The Department's Placement Officer provides training for advanced research students in preparing them for the academic job market. This includes training in publishing your work and applying for funding.
There is also the opportunity to undertake paid teaching work in the second year of the MPhilStud. This comes with many opportunities for training, including support and guidance in gaining recognition from the Higher Education Academy.
Loading...
Key information
Award:
MPhilStud
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Duration:
Two years FT, three-four years PT, October to October
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