MPhil (Research) Philosophy at University of Glasgow

Programme overview

Research degrees in philosophy supervised across the core areas of the discipline, including aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of language, mind and mathematics, and political philosophy. Students join an active postgraduate and staff research community.

Duration: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time | Location: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Independent research leading to a thesis, supervised in areas such as ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and perception, moral psychology, social epistemology and virtue ethics. Thesis of 30,000-40,000 words.

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Application information

Entry requirements

Usual standard of admission is a 2.1 honours degree with a significant component in Philosophy; candidates are also usually expected to have completed or be undertaking a Master's qualification. Required documents: academic transcripts and degree certificate, CV, research proposal outline of about 1,000 words, two references, named supervisor information and a single-authored philosophical writing sample of under 7,000 words. International applicants from non-English-speaking countries: IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with no subtest below 6.5 (one-skill retake accepted; General Training not accepted); TOEFL iBT 96 overall with Reading, Listening and Speaking 23 and Writing 24 for tests taken up to 20 January 2026, or 98 overall for tests taken from 21 January 2026; PTE Academic (test centre) 70 overall with Reading 62, Listening 62, Speaking 75, Writing 68. Tests must be taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start.

Domestic applicants: GBP 5,238 a year (2026/27). UK annual fee for full-time study at 2026/27; the 2027/28 UK fee is to be confirmed; part-time is half the full-time fee Source

International applicants: GBP 28,275 a year (2027/28). International & EU annual fee for full-time study; part-time is half the full-time fee Source

Intake: September

Duration: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time

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