Undergraduate BA (Hons)

Philosophy

Explore important questions that tackle today’s biggest challenges.

2023 entry

This is an archived course for 2023 entry.

View this course for 2024 entry
Starting
2023
Typical offer

Course overview

Are you ready to explore your curiosity and expand your mind? At Kent, you'll develop skills in analysis, negotiation and creative problem-solving, reflecting on real world issues and gaining the knowledge and drive to shape your own future and the world around you. Our philosophy degree gives you a skill set that is in demand in many industries and sectors, allowing you to forge your own path and explore your interests and passions.

We encourage you to be critical and creative and to ask fundamental questions across reality, knowledge, logic and ethics. Our course is designed to ensure you can thrive and work in the way that is best for you. We have very few exams across the course, so you can choose the modules that interest you the most and be assessed in the ways that show your best work.

You'll be part of our philosophical community, learning from friendly teaching staff who are also world-leading in their fields. You'll be welcome at our regular debates, seminars and socials – a chance to listen and a chance to be heard.

Why study Philosophy at Kent?

Your degree, your way.

A wide range of modules, very few of which are compulsory, means you can tailor your degree to your own philosophical interests or explore new ones.

A leader in the field

Philosophy at Kent was ranked 2nd in the UK for student satisfaction and 6th for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2024.

Impressive prospects

From teaching, to poker, to law, our Philosophy graduates follow their own ambitions. Whatever future you’re planning, our degree can help you get there.    

Broaden your horizons.

Studying abroad will boost your CV and improve your career prospects. You'll also discover a new culture, learn a lot about yourself and have a fantastic time.

Career insights.

A degree in philosophy opens up career options in a variety of fields. Recent graduate William McCaughey now works in business insights and analytics.

Everything you need to know about our Philosophy course

Entry requirements

Typical A level offer
BBB or ABC
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Click below to find out more.

Course structure

You'll take a critical look at philosophy and cover core areas such as metaphysics, logic, epistemology and ethics as well as the philosophy of medicine, artificial intelligence and political philosophy. In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

How you'll study

In lectures and seminars you’ll explore challenging questions and engage in important debates in the field. Taught by academics who are leaders in their field, your knowledge and understanding will grow and you’ll develop your own ideas and opinions, which will form the basis of your work.

Hear from Kyle

It’s wonderful being able to carve out my own academic path and to have been supported in that.

Kyle Lovell has enjoyed exploring philosophy, going on the Philosophy Reading Weekend and getting involved in the Poetry Society. His advice, prepare yourself to encounter something entirely different!

Your future

Whether you have a specific career in mind or haven’t thought beyond university, we can help you plan for success. 

As a Philosophy student, you’ll benefit from a structured programme of employability events, including workshops and opportunities to gain hands-on experience through paid and voluntary work opportunities. 

Your knowledge and understanding of reasoning allow you to take an analytical approach, which will make you really stand out to employers. Being able to think critically helps you to address challenges in the workplace in innovative ways, while excellent communication skills mean you’ll bring colleagues along with you. All of which will give you lots of career options when you graduate, so you can effect change in the places you want to see it. 

Preparing you for success.
Our Careers and Employability team offer a comprehensive programme of workshops, CV clinics, mock assessment centres, alumni talks and careers events to help you succeed when you graduate.

Meet Abi

I’d always recommend Kent… brilliant and supportive teaching staff and the campus itself with all it has to offer.

Philosophy graduate Abi is now a teacher. Whether she's discussing the Hindu concepts of samara and karma with Year 7 or examining Flew’s falsification principle with Year 13, she loves her job!

Fees and funding

Tuition fees for 2023 entry

The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • UK
    £9,250
  • EU
    £13,500
  • International
    £18,000
  • UK
    £4,625
  • EU
    £6,750
  • International
    £9,000

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

Scholarships

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

Next steps

Ready to apply?

We are no longer taking applications for the 2023/24 academic year. Please visit the 2024 online prospectus for a list of current undergraduate courses.

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Research excellence

Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.

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Key information about this course

Full-time
Part-time