LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Philosophy and Economics BA
UCAS code: VL51
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/philosophy
Philosophy and Economics BA
This three-year programme aims to provide an
understanding of a range of central
philosophical debates, together with a detailed
education in economics. All major areas of
philosophy are available for study, and the
programme is run jointly with the
highly-regarded UCL Economics, where half
your courses are taken.
Degree summary
•
UCL Philosophy was one of the top-rated departments in the UK in
the most recent (2014) Research Excellence Framework. The
research interests of the academic staff are wide-ranging, covering all
the main areas of philosophy.
•
You will learn economics in one of Europe's leading centres for
research. In the RAE 2008, an unsurpassed figure of 95% of
research in the UCL Department of Economics was rated either
'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'.
•
A rich array of extracurricular philosophy events is available in
London. As a UCL philosophy student you will be able to attend the
meetings of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, the Aristotelian Society
and the University of London's Institute of Philosophy.
The first year includes several introductory lecture courses, which provide
a foundation for later studies. The programme covers political philosophy,
examining questions about the state, liberty and laws; moral philosophy,
questioning distinctions of right and wrong, and our motivation for
choosing between the two; epistemology which investigates the nature of
knowledge and belief; metaphysics, which attempts to grasp the nature of
things; and logic, which imparts principles of sound reasoning.
You will study Philosophy and Economics on a roughly equal basis.
Your learning
Our teaching is based on lectures and seminars that complement each
other. In your first year, you will be introduced to the basic elements of
philosophical reasoning through lectures, seminars and small-group
tutorial classes. In years two and three your chosen courses will be
taught by an expert from within our department through a combination of
lectures, related seminars and classes.
Assessment is by a mixture of coursework (essays) and written
examination. You may also elect to submit a dissertation as one of your
philosophy options.
Your career
This programme will assist you in constructing and assessing
philosophical positions and arguments, thereby teaching you how to
analyse and present complex ideas. Furthermore, it will provide you with
an understanding of a wide range of traditional and contemporary
philosophical theories. Such skills are transferable to non-philosophical
contexts.
The discipline of philosophical training, and in particular its emphasis on
rigorous argumentation, logic, and clarity of thought and expression,
makes philosophy graduates highly suitable for a wide variety of careers.
Many recent UCL graduates have excelled in the legal profession,
training as both solicitors and barristers, while others have entered
publishing, journalism, finance, the civil service, Parliament, or local
government. Philosophy graduates are also sought after as programmers
and systems analysts. A high proportion of students go on to further
study in philosophy.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2010-2013) of this
programme, apart from graduate study, include:
•
•
•
•
•
Analyst, Credit Suisse
Graduate Scheme, HSBC
Account Manager, Amazon
Analyst, Morgan Stanley
Audit Associate, Ernst and Young
Degree structure
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses,
normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for
the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are
taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from
programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered
equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Year One
Compulsory courses
Economics (1.0 credits)
Introduction to Mathematics for Economics (0.5 credits)
Optional courses
Four philosophy courses from the following:
History of Philosophy I
History of Philosophy II
Knowledge and Reality
Introduction to Logic I
Introduction to Logic II
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Introduction to Political Philosophy
Philosophy Tutorial: Texts and Debate
You will also take one optional course from Economics
Year Two
Compulsory courses
Macroeconomics (1.0 credits)
Macroeconomic Theory and Policy (1.0 credits)
Optional courses
You will select 2.0 credits of optional courses from Philosophy, including
courses from at least two of the groups A, B, and C:
Group A
Theoretical Philosophy (e.g. Knowledge; Metaphysics; Mind and Body;
Language)
Group B
Normative Philosophy (e.g. Aesthetics; Applied Ethics; Global Justice and
Health; Morality and Literature; Normative Ethics; Political Philosophy)
Group C
History of Philosophy (e.g. Adorno: Art and Politics; Aristotle; Kant;
Marxism; Plato)
Final Year
Compulsory courses
All third year courses are optional.
Optional courses
You will select 4.0 credits of optional courses, including:
2.0 credits from a wide range of economics options
2.0 credits from the wide range of philosophy options.
You must pass at least six level III courses and have passed one course
from group A, B, and C respectively to graduate. You can take a total of
1.0 credit in other UCL departments in years two and three.
Entry requirements
A levels
A level grades
A*AA
A level subjects
Mathematics A* required.
AS levels
For UK-based students a pass in a further subject
at AS level or equivalent is required.
GCSE
English Language at grade B, plus Mathematics
at grade C. For UK-based students, a grade C or
equivalent in a foreign language (other than
Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is
required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the
foreign language requirement following
enrolment, further details at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs
Selection will be made on the basis of information contained in the UCAS
application: achieved and predicted academic grades, the level of interest
in, motivation towards, and experience of the subject as indicated in the
personal statement, the reference supplied, and any relevant contextual
factors.
Fees
UK/EU fee
£9,000 (2016/17)
Overseas fee
£16,130 (2016/17)
Notes
Details about financial support are available at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contacts
Contact
Dr Sarah Richmond
Admissions Tutor
IB diploma
Email
philosophy@ucl.ac.uk
IB points
39
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7679 7116
Subjects
A total of 19 points in three higher level subjects
including Mathematics grade 7, with no score
below 5.
Prospectus entry
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/philosophy
Key facts
Other qualifications
REF
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be
found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
75% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3*
(‘internationally excellent’)
Department
Philosophy
Faculty
Arts & Humanities
Undergraduate Preparatory
Certificates
UCL's Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive
one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic
potential, who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree
programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.
For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc
Your application
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at
school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however,
applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United
Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
In addition to looking for outstanding grades in your academic record, as
a whole and in mathematics in particular, we also assess your application
for evidence of your ability to engage with philosophical arguments and
your skills in reasoning.
PDF Updated: February 19, 2016
Information correct at time of going to press. See website (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/philosophy) for latest information