Philosophy

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for this course have been designed to encourage applications from as wide a range of interested and able people as possible, including mature students, who may have been away from university for a long time, and international students.

As an applicant for our Graduate Diploma, you will usually have achieved a 2.1 or equivalent in a previous degree but this is not a strict requirement and decisions are made on a case by case basis.

Additional requirements:

At least one example of written work on a philosophical theme (up to 5,000 words).

Months of entry

October

Course content

The Graduate Diploma in Philosophy is a nine month conversion course (18 months part-time), designed for those who already have a degree and wish to pursue an interest in philosophy. No formal training in philosophy is required. The course provides an ideal learning environment if you are interested in progressing to an MA in Philosophy, or simply want the opportunity to learn about philosophy.

Course structure

The Diploma has two main components:

1. Four undergraduate modules. At least two of these must be at Level 3 and no more than one should be at Level 1.
2. A dissertation of 12,000 words (double module).

You can choose from a wide range of modules, which in the past have included:

Level 1:

• Ethics and Values
• Knowledge and Reality
• Introduction to Logic
• Reading Philosophy
• History and Theory of Medicine
• Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science

Level 2:

• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Religion
• Political Philosophy
• Language, Logic and Reality
• Moral Theory
• Theory, Literature and Society
• Biomedical Ethics Past and Present
• Science and Religion
• Modern Philosophy I
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Economics: Theory, Methods and Values
• Ancient Philosophies West and East

Level 3:

• Modern Philosophy II
• Aesthetics
• Applied Ethics
• Issues in Contemporary Ethics
• Twentieth Century European Philosophy
• Language and Mind
• History of the Body
• Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Science
• Metaphysics
• History and Philosophy of Psychiatry
• Gender, Film and Society
• 20th Century European Philosophy
• History and Philosophy of Psychiatry
• Ethics in Business Practice
• Formal and Philosophical Logic

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.