Philosophy, BA (Hons)

Teaching 

Teaching is provided through lectures, with additional classes for some subjects, such as first year Logic classes. 

You will also have small-group supervisions, for which you’ll do topical reading and write an essay which you then discuss with your supervisor.  

Typically you’ll have 6 to 12 lectures, and 1 to 3 supervisions and/or small classes each week.

Assessment

Assessments mainly take place through written examinations.  

In Year 2 and 3 you can replace one written examination with two essays of 3,000 to 4,000 words.  

In Year 3 you can replace one written examination with a dissertation of 6,000 to 8,000 words on a subject of your choice. 

You won't usually be able to resit any of your exams. 

Year 1 (Part IA)

In your first year, you develop reasoning skills that will help you to tackle philosophical problems. You'll also learn to think intelligently about abstract questions. 

You’re encouraged to approach topics in your own way. We also organise regular discussion groups for first and second year students. 

You get an introduction to philosophy through the study of 5 core compulsory papers: 

• Metaphysics 
• Ethics and Political Philosophy meaning 
• Formal Methods, a half paper on philosophical methods 
• Set Texts, such as Plato’s Meno, Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy and J S Mill’s On Liberty and The Subjection of Women  

Year 2 (Part IB) 

You explore the philosophical aspects of a range of issues, both practical and theoretical.  

You take compulsory papers: 

• Knowledge, Language and the World 
• a general paper  

You then choose 3 further subjects from: 

• History of Analytic Philosophy 
• Ethics 
• Greek and Roman Philosophy 
• Early Modern Philosophy 
• Epistemology and Metaphysics of Science (from History and Philosophy of Science) 
• Political Philosophy 
• Experimental Psychology (from Natural Sciences, involving practical work) 
• Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art 

Year 3 (Part II) 

You develop an understanding of various contemporary debates and familiarise yourself with current philosophical concepts.  

There are no compulsory papers. You choose 4 papers from an extensive range of subjects. Papers recently available include: 

• Philosophy of Mind 
• European Philosophy from Kant 
• Philosophy of Science  
• Philosophical Logic 
• Political Philosophy  
• Philosophy in the Long Middle Ages 

It’s also possible to take a paper from another course, such as Classics.  

For further information about this course and the papers you can take see the Faculty of Philosophy website.

Changing course

It’s really important to think carefully about which course you want to study before you apply. 

In rare cases, it may be possible to change course once you’ve joined the University. You will usually have to get agreement from your College and the relevant departments. It’s not guaranteed that your course change will be approved.

You might also have to:

• take part in an interview
• complete an admissions test
• produce some written work
• achieve a particular grade in your current studies
• do some catch-up work
• start your new course from the beginning 

For more information visit the Faculty website.

You can also apply to change to:

• Management Studies at the Judge Business School

You can't apply to this course until you're at Cambridge. You would usually apply when you have completed one year or more of your original Cambridge course.

You should contact your College’s Admissions Office if you’re thinking of changing your course. They will be able to give you advice and explain how changing courses works.