Philosophy BA (Hons)

Our Philosophy degree allows you to study and debate important philosophical questions with academics in the field and your peers. How should we live? Is there a God? Are we free to act as we wish if everything is determined by prior causes? Why should we obey the law? Can science discover all the facts that can be known?

These are some of the many challenging questions you will engage with in a Philosophy degree. At Lancaster, we approach these questions through the history of Philosophy – studying figures such as Plato, Descartes, Kant and Nietzsche – and also via contemporary philosophical debate.

In your first year, you’ll have the opportunity to gain an understanding of some of the core areas of Philosophy by taking Introduction to Philosophy plus two other modules. In your second and third years, you can choose from a range of optional modules such as Moral Philosophy; Epistemology and Philosophy of Science. There is also the option to engage in one-to-one study with a member of academic staff for your third year dissertation on a specific philosophical topic of interest to you.

Careers

A Philosophy degree provides you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and transferable skills relevant to a range of different future careers. According to the most recent Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, 6 months on from graduation, our Philosophy graduates have gone on to careers in Public Relations, HR and recruitment, teaching and education, legal research, logistics and project management. We will help you determine your direction and aim to support you in getting there. We do this by offering subject-specific support from academic tutors and specialist careers advisers.