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Postgraduate Pages

The Department of Philosophy, together with the new Northern Institute of Philosophy (NIP) and Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHPSTM), is part of the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy.

Research interests of staff span a large section of philosophy, with main strengths in the areas of Early Modern Philosophy and of Philosophy of Science, as well as in the areas of the Northern Institute of Philosophy. The rankings achieved by the Department in the Philosophical Gourmet Report for 2011 (which excludes most of NIP) within these two areas are among the best in the world:

Early Modern Philosophy (18th Century): Group 3 (rank 4-12 worldwide),
Early Modern Philosophy (17th Century): Group 3 (rank 8-16 worldwide),
Philosophy of Physics: Group 4 (rank 15-23 worldwide),
Philosophy of Mathematics: Group 5 (rank 32-54 worldwide).

For further details of research in Aberdeen, see the Research pages of the department, the pages of NIP and CHPSTM, and click on names of staff in the philosophy staff page. See also the recent and upcoming events pages of NIP and the (less exhaustive) events page of the Department.

Postgraduate Programmes

The department of Philosophy offers the following postgraduate degrees:

PhD in Philosophy (enquiries to your potential supervisor, see the philosophy staff page for contact details),
MLitt in Philosophy (enquiries to Dr Guido Bacciagaluppi),
MLitt in History and Philosophy of Science, run by the Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine (enquiries to Dr Guido Bacciagaluppi),
MLitt in Philosophical Research, run by the Northern Institute of Philosophy (enquiries to Dr Paula Sweeney).

The department also encourages visiting PhD students to come to Aberdeen as so-called Registered Postgraduate Students (RPS). This involves a period of work (usually up to six months) done under the supervision of a member of staff, but not formally assessed. Registered Postgraduate Students have the same status as regular Aberdeen postgraduates, go through the same application process, and pay fees on a prorata basis.

Postgraduate Courses

While a Ph.D. at Aberdeen (as generally at British universities) is a degree by research alone, Masters students have a range of postgraduate courses available to them.

Here are the 2011-2012 Postgraduate Course List, and the 2011-2012 Postgraduate Timetable.

The full catalogue of postgraduate courses (whether or not given in 2011-2012) is available here.

Application and deadlines

Application packs include an application form, degree programme information sheet or brochure, fees information, and English language information if relevant:

to obtain a full pack, please email dhp-pgs@abdn.ac.uk stating your name, address, and the degree programme for which you wish to apply;
if you need only the application form, you can download it at www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/word_docs/pgapp.doc.

There are no application deadlines for UK/European students. Deadlines for overseas students for 2012-2013 have not been fixed yet. However, overseas students are strongly advised to apply as early as possible, in order to allow enough time for visa applications. Note that overseas applicants will need to provide proof of financial support before being awarded a visa.

Please note that to ensure full consideration for the funding through the College of Arts and Social Sciences your application must have been accepted by 6 April 2012 for admission the following September. (For further details of funding, see the section below on Costs and Sources of Funding.)

Immigration and visas

The UK Government has replaced its previous system of immigration with the Points Based System (PBS). The new system has 5 Tiers under which individuals can apply for a visa. International (non European Economic Area /non Swiss) students will need to apply for a student visa under Tier 4.

For information, guidance and links to relevant government and non-government websites, please see the New International Students page.

Please note it is your responsibility to check Tier 4 requirements and make a valid application. It is important to check all immigration requirements before travelling as those without the necessary visa will be refused entry to the UK.

Costs and Sources of Funding

The current annual fees for UK/EU students are £3400. For overseas students, they are £10500. The minimum cost of living in Aberdeen is estimated to be £650 per month for self and an additional £400 per month for each dependent.

The University offers a number of Postgraduate Awards in the Humanities through the College of Arts and Social Sciences. Note that these awards are distributed on a competitive basis and are rarely intended to provide full financial support (fees and living) to their holders. Because they are limited in number, all applicants are strongly encouraged to apply at the same time to their local and national funding agencies for support.

Of the awards offered through the College, those currently most relevant to students in Philosophy are the Research Project Award Scheme (note in particular the The Emergence of a Scientific Culture) and the College of Arts and Social Sciences open funding. To apply to the former you need to note the award reference on your application form: no separate form is needed. To apply to the latter you need do nothing: all postgraduate students who have been offered a place to study at the University (conditional or unconditional) will automatically be considered.

The Northern Institute of Philosophy usually offers a limited number of PhD scholarships. Please contact Dr Paula Sweeney for enquiries.

The School of Divinity, History and Philosophy also offers (smaller) Postgraduate Bursaries to both current and new students. For current information, see the School website.

The Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine may be able to offer (even smaller) bursaries to visiting PhD students coming as Registered Postgraduate Students. Please contact Dr Guido Bacciagaluppi for enquiries.

The Department may from time to time be able to offer also some Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships (normally only to PhD students).

For further sources of funding, see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/graduate/funding/other/ (including searchable database).

Financial Support for Current Postgraduates

The School of Divinity, History and Philosophy offers Postgraduate Bursaries also to current students, as well as hardship support. For current information, see the School website.

The Department of Philosophy is also very fortunate in being able to offer financial support towards conference travel and other activities to its current postgraduates through a yearly grant of £2000 from the Scots Philosophical Association. To apply, contact Dr Guido Bacciagaluppi. (Students should apply for these funds instead of applying for travel and research support through the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy.)