Philosophy and Psychology

How do our minds develop and function? How do we think about our lives, relationships, and society? In philosophy, you’ll reflect on the foundations of world beliefs, while in psychology you’ll adopt a scientific approach to explore how belief, judgement, and general cognition act as central aspects of human existence and experience.

By combining philosophy with psychology, you’ll develop a broad range of skills highly valued by a wide range of employers. You’ll graduate with advanced analytical and practical skills, as well as exceptional communication and persuasion, enabling you to articulate complex ideas with clarity and confidence.

Philosophy
The first year gives you a solid foundation in essentials such as ethics, reasoning and logic. From then on, you're free to choose from our wide range of optional topics, including:

crime and justice, race and gender, politics and religion
emerging areas like artificial intelligence, environmental ethics, and social philosophy
global philosophical traditions - Western, Indian and Chinese

Psychology
Learn about the structure of the brain, as well as the perceptions, thoughts, feelings and actions of people. We'll give you a thorough grounding in key theories and concepts of biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology.

Engaged Arts
All students within the Faculty of Arts can select ‘Engaged Arts’ modules where you’ll approach real world challenges across contemporary themes such as sustainability or equity and justice. These modules have been newly designed to help you gain the skills and analytical abilities valued by employers.

Why choose this course?

• Research-driven learning – engage with cutting-edge research and teachings from experts in the fields of philosophy

• Confidence of thinking - develop the skills and confidence to argue your views

• A degree to match your interests – with our wide range of modules, you can tailor your degree to study what you love most

• Future-proofing – learn to apply what you learn to a wide range of professions

• Career-ready - develop your presentation, organisation, teamwork and leadership skills

• Work experience -Work with our dedicated Faculty of Arts Placements Team to assist with your employability skills development via a range of placements, internships and volunteering opportunities.

• Explore real-world challenges across interdisciplinary themes with our ‘Engaged Arts’ optional modules

Some key statistics
Top 100 in the world for Philosophy (QS World University Rankings 2024)

Top 10 in the UK for research power – the School of Psychology is ranked by Times Higher Education as 8th in the Uk for research power