"the seeker after truth must, once in the course of his life, doubt everything, as far as is possible" Descartes

Postgraduate Studies - Taught Courses

MA Courses

The following courses are administered by the Philosophy Department:

The following courses are administered by other departments:

The MAs are normally full-time courses of 12 months duration or may be taken part-time over 24 months or by modular study.  The normal prerequisite for entry to the course is a first or good upper second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in Philosophy, or a relevant discipline in the Humanities or Social Sciences.

Assessment is normally on the basis of coursework and a supervised dissertation of 15-16,000 words due by 15 September.

The MA is awarded with either a Pass, Merit or Distinction.  The pass mark for MA work is 50.  Normally all work must attain this standard.

MA Dissertation Topics

Here is a sample of past MA Dissertation titles in the Philosophy Department

A note for applicants from North America:
It is important to distinguish the Essex MA degree from the Masters degree typical of many North American universities. The MA degree at Essex is a one-year degree that prepares students for embarking on a PhD, whether in Britain, North America or elsewhere. It combines taught modules (October through April) and a supervised dissertation (to be submitted by 15th September). The structure of the programme is designed to provide both advanced module work and the opportunity for independent research, as well as assistance in preparing applications to Ph.D. programs, in the UK or abroad. The programme is suitable for applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or above for upper division module work in their major field of study.

Languages for All

As a University of Essex student, you can also study a language alongside your course for free as part of the Languages for All scheme. You can find full details of the available options on the Languages for All webpages.