Frequently Asked Questions
1. I would like to apply for your MPhil in Philosophy. Can you tell me if I’m eligible?
You can find out more about our MPhil admissions general requirements here.
- Full Details can also be located on the Postgraduate Admissions Site.
- If you don't have the required background for the Philosophy MPhil course, there is also the possibility to take our undergraduate course in two years as an affiliated student, which would then give you the required background for our MPhil course. 'Affiliated Student' is the term applied to a graduate with an approved degree from another University, who is studying for a Cambridge BA course. (In particular cases, students without a previous degree but with substantial experience of higher or adult education may also be admitted.)Please find information about the two year affilate option here.
- Depending on your particular area of philosophical interest, you might instead be interested in the MPhil course offered by the Department of Philosophy & History of Science at Cambridge.
2. I would like to apply for your PhD in Philosophy. Can you tell me if I’m eligible?
- You can find out more about our PhD admissions general requirements here.
- Full Details can also be located on the Postgraduate Admissions Site.
- If you are unsure as to whether your Masters would meet our requirements, please send through a transcript of your current, and any other degree courses to the postgraduate secretary, and our Director of Postgraduate Admissions will assess your eligibility.
- If you don’t have an undergraduate background in Philosophy, you might also want to consider the PhD offered by the department of History and Philosophy of Science.
3. I have seen that you ask applicants to both your MPhil and PhD to submit two writing samples. Can you tell me some more about what is required from these samples?
Information about writing samples can be found here.
4. As a PhD applicant, am I expected to contact a potential supervisor before applying?
- It is not a condition of applying that applicants have already secured in-principle agreement from a potential supervisor.
- However, an important consideration when deciding which students to admit would be having staff within the Faculty who are able to supervise a student. You can view the research interests of members of the Faculty here.
- Applications are looked at as a whole - i.e. academic record, references, writing samples, research proposal and fit with the Faculty. However, if your proposed area of research doesn’t tie in with the areas of interest of our staff, then you might be best advised to look at other courses/departments.
5. As an MPhil applicant, am I expected to contact a potential supervisor before applying?
- We would not expect MPhil applicants to contact potential supervisors before submitting an application. You can view the research interests of members of the Faculty here.
- The Faculty cannot guarantee allocation to specific supervisors before a student’s admission. Applicants admitted to the course are assigned an MPhil advisor, who would help them decide on topics, and assign a supervisor for each piece of work.
- Students don’t need to arrive here knowing exactly what they are going to work on, but it is helpful to indicate research interests in your application, so that our assessors can gauge whether your interests match those of Faculty members, to be certain that we have relevant staff members who would be able to supervise you. At least one essay topic that you write on must be in the following areas of Philosophy, including their history: Metaphysics and Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Logic and Philosophy of language, Philosophy of Science, Ethics and Moral Psychology, Aesthetics, and Political and Legal Philosophy. Both essays cannot come from the same area. Your dissertation does not need to be from one of the above topics, but there would need to be a member of staff available to supervise the topic you choose, and MPhil advisors can help with this.
6. Can you give me some information about what funding opportunities might be available to me?
- Any candidates who are offered a place, and have indicated on their application that they wish to apply for funding, are put forward by the Faculty to the University's funding competition. Please see the Fees and Funding page. Those who apply for the MPhil after the December deadline will not be considered for funding.
7. Can you tell me more about the requirement for references to be submitted with my application?
- All applicants will need to give the details of two referees who can provide academic references written in English. Applicants should use the referees who can give the most informed assessment of the applicant's philosophical abilities, writing and work ethic. References need to be submitted by the appropriate course deadline for an application to be considered. It is your responsibility to ensure your references arrive in time. More Information can be located here.
Further information
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For information on English Language requirements, international equivalencies, submission of transcripts and supporting documents, etc. please see Competence in English on the Postgraduate Admissions webpages.