BPhil in Philosophy
The BPhil is an intellectually demanding postgraduate course, presupposing an undergraduate and/or graduate background in philosophy (or equivalent). It is not suitable as a conversion course for students changing to philosophy from another subject and it cannot be studied part-time or externally. It is regarded both as training for the DPhil and as a basis for teaching a range of philosophical subjects and requires sustained and focused work over two years.
For information on how to make an application please see our Admissions Procedure and Entry Requirements webpage.
Candidates admitted for the BPhil are taught through a combination of classes and one-to-one supervisions. Each candidate will be required to submit four assessed essays (of no more than 5,000 words each) across at least three subjects, together with a thesis of up to 30,000 words.
The four assessed essays must be chosen from three broad subject Groups: at least one essay must be on a subject from Group 1 (“Theoretical Philosophy”), at least one on a subject from Group 2 (“Practical Philosophy”), and at least one on a subject from Group 3 (“History of Philosophy”). The precise list of subjects in the three groups is published at the beginning of each year and may be tailored to the particular strengths of the Faculty members who will be teaching that year, but a typical list might be as follows:
Group 1: Epistemology; Logic and Philosophy of Logic; Metaphysics; Philosophy of Action; Philosophy of Language; Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of Mind; Philosophy of Physics; Philosophy of Probability and Decision Theory; Philosophy of Psychology and Cognitive Science; Philosophy of Religion; Philosophy of Science.
Group 2: Aesthetics; Feminist Philosophy; Meta-Ethics; Normative and Applied Ethics; Philosophy of Law; Political Philosophy.
Group 3: Ancient Philosophy; Medieval Philosophy; Early Modern Philosophy; History of Philosophy from 1800.
There will be provision for candidates to apply to submit up to two essays on at most one subject not included in the list of approved subjects.
During their first four terms of study, students will normally receive four hours of one-to-one supervision per term, on their chosen subject for that term. During their first year of study, BPhil students are required to attend the compulsory Pro-Seminar plus one other graduate class per term. The Pro-Seminar covers Theoretical Philosophy in Michaelmas Term, Practical Philosophy in Hilary Term and History of Philosophy in Trinity Term. In the fourth term of their studies they are required to attend two graduate classes. In every term, there will be a wide range of specialised graduate classes on offer.
Students will be assessed continuously over the first four terms of study, with an essay due for submission at the end of the first, second, third and fourth term. The thesis is submitted at the end of the sixth (and final) term. Students will be allocated a thesis supervisor, and can expect to receive two one-to-one supervisions on their thesis in each of their final two terms of study (four in total).
To be awarded the BPhil degree, students must achieve (i) a passing mark in four essays, which collectively must meet the distribution requirement described above; and (ii) a passing mark in the thesis. The lowest passing mark for the essays and the thesis is 50. Details of arrangements for the resubmission of failed work will be set out in the Graduate Student Handbook and the BPhil Examination Conventions.
Admission to the BPhil in Philosophy
For information on admissions to the BPhil in Philosophy please check the Admissions Procedure and Entry Requirements page.
Please find answers to frequently asked questions about admissions to the BPhil in Philosophy here.
After the BPhil in Philosophy
Some students take the BPhil without the intention of proceeding to the DPhil at Oxford. However, most BPhil students do apply for progression to the DPhil in Philosophy. To apply for admission as a DPhil student, you will be asked to submit an application form and the requisite supporting documents by the Faculty admissions deadline in early January in your second year. Further guidance on how to apply will be provided at the beginning of the second year of the BPhil in a special information session on applying to doctoral programmes both here and abroad.
BPhil students are eligible to apply for a place to study for the DPhil, although progression is not guaranteed. Candidates who achieve an overall distinction on the BPhil in Philosophy are automatically eligible to progress to the DPhil, provided that the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee is satisfied that their proposed thesis topic and outline indicate that they can be adequately supervised by members of the Philosophy Faculty. Candidates who pass the BPhil without a distinction can be admitted to the DPhil at the discretion of the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee.
It should be noted that BPhil students who progress to the DPhil in Philosophy may bypass the first year as a “Probationary Research Student” and as such will only have two years of fee liability instead of the usual three. Moreover, students progressing from the BPhil are permitted (but are not required) to incorporate the contents of their entire BPhil thesis of 30,000 words into their 75,000 word DPhil thesis.
The majority of BPhil students go on to doctoral studies either in Oxford or at another institution. However, many BPhil graduates go on to exciting careers outside of philosophy. For information on what previous BPhil graduates are doing now, please visit our BPhil Alumni Information page.
Entry Requirements
For a detailed description of the entry requirements for the BPhil in Philosophy, please visit the BPhil in Philosophy page on the central university’s Graduate Admissions webpages.
Open Day
We hold a Graduate Open Day in March each year, for applicants who receive an offer of a place. If your application is successful, you will receive further information about this in due course.
Fees
For the latest information on fees charged by the University, and living costs, please visit the Fees and Funding page.
Funding
Please visit our Graduate Funding page to identify various sources of funding for the Philosophy Faculty’s graduate programmes.
Enquiries
Please read through our applicant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding Admission to our courses.
