How to apply
Clara-Wisenfeld

Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education

Philosophy research degrees

Postgraduate - Research

PhD

Looking for a funded PhD?

Check out our current PhD scholarship opportunities now

PhD Scholarships

About our programmes

Philosophy research at Hull covers an unusually rich variety of areas, ranging from Plato and Nietzsche, through to contemporary aesthetics, gender theory, philosophy of mind and body, moral philosophy and legal theory. In applied philosophy, focal areas include: ethics, education and health. Our interests span many traditions and diverse approaches to philosophical issues..

The PhD is aimed at outstanding students who wish to pursue advanced research in philosophy and ultimately to become professional researchers in, and teachers of, philosophy. Students produce a maximum 80, 000 word thesis that can provide the basis for professional publication.

Details

Open for admission in 2019/20

Full time Part time
PhD 3 years* 5 years*

* plus writing-up time

Start in January, May or September

Get in touch

Admissions +44 (0)1482 466850 International Enquiries

Research

Please see our Philosophy staff and their research interests below:

Stephen Burwood (Wittgenstein, Philosophy of Mind and Body, Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Education)

Stella Gonzàlez-Arnal (Gender Theory, Feminist Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science)

Antony Hatzistavrou (Ancient Philosophy, Legal and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Action)

Demian Whiting (Philosophy of Mind, Medical Ethics)

Wayne Williams (Animal Ethics, Metaethics, Applied Philosophy)

Dawn Wilson (Art and Aesthetics, Philosophy of Images, Philosophy of Photography, Wittgenstein, History of 20th Century Philosophy) 

Nick Zangwill (Aesthetics, Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Epistemology)

The Postgraduate Training Scheme

It is now widely recognised by employers, professional bodies and research funding agencies that specialist expertise alone is not sufficient preparation either for research or a subsequent career. With this in mind, the University of Hull requires all its postgraduate research students to follow a research training programme relating both to their particular field of study and to generic skills; for example, information technology and communication skills.

Postgraduate Training Scheme

Fees and funding

  • Home/EU: £4,327 (full-time) 
  • Home/EU: £2,163 (part-time)
  • International: £14,000 (full-time)

These fees are for all research degree programmes on this page. For courses lasting more than one year, small annual increases may apply. For more information, please visit the fees and funding page.

The standard length of a full-time PhD programme is three years, or five years part-time, plus 'writing-up'.

For full-time students, writing up typically takes about three months but may be extended to one year without further paperwork. For part-time students, writing up typically takes one year, but may be extended to two years without further paperwork.

There is a small continuation fee to be paid for the writing-up period. The continuation fee is partly reimbursed, if you submit in less than one year (full-time) or less than two years (part-time).

For information about bursaries and how to fund your studies see our money page, or take a look at our PhD scholarships page for specific funded PhD opportunities.

The University’s Postgraduate Training Scheme (PGTS) provides a range of generic and discipline-specific modules to support research students through their programme.

Find out more

The library has an exclusive lounge for postgraduate research students and a dedicated Skills Team to provide a wide range of study and research skills help.

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The Doctoral College provides support to postgraduate research students. Offering skills development opportunities and dedicated facilities, the school is here to help you achieve your potential.

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Research at Hull tackles big challenges and makes an impact on lives globally, every day. Our current research portfolio spans everything from health to habitats, food to flooding and supply chain to slavery.

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Entry requirements

For entry onto the PhD programme in Philosophy, you should normally have or expect to obtain a Master’s degree at merit or 60% and above (or international equivalent) in philosophy, although applications with different disciplinary backgrounds (including the sciences) will be considered on their individual merits.

With your application, you should submit a comprehensive research proposal, including an outline of the proposed field of study, the research methodology, a literature review, and—crucially—an indication of the significance of the research and its original contribution. You should also include an example of written work (2,000 - 3,000 words).

International students

If you require a Tier 4 student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

This course requires academic IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. For other English language proficiency qualifications acceptable by this University, please click here.

If your English currently does not reach the University's required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses.

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.