PhD Philosophy

For our PhD in Philosophy, we offer supervision in a wide range of fields including: continental philosophy, history of philosophy, social and political philosophy, and medical humanities. We have an established international reputation and a strong tradition of postgraduate education, particularly in the specialist area of continental philosophy and - more recently - in the middle-ground between continental and analytic philosophy. Moral and political philosophy is another notable area of research concentration. We are also very active in the emerging field of medical humanities.

Duration: typically 3 years

We also offer an MPhil and Masters by dissertation.

Our expert staff

PGR students are allocated a supervisor whose role is to guide the student through the different stages of the research degree. In some cases, students may have joint supervision by two members of staff.

Initially, supervisors help with the development of the research topic and plan. Students have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on research.

Our open-minded and enthusiastic staff are known for our unique combination of Anglo-American and European philosophy, and as a leading centre for critical theory, phenomenology, German idealism and medical humanities. Some recent projects and publications include:

• Timo Jütten's major new Leverhulme-funded research project, Competition and Competitiveness
• Irene McMullin's Existential Flourishing: A Phenomenology of the Virtues (Cambridge, 2018)
• Steve Gormley's Deliberative Theory and Deconstruction: A Democratic Venture (Edinburgh, 2020)

Specialist facilities

By studying in the School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, you will have access to a range of outstanding facilities to aid your learning and research.

We have a large well-equipped room for use by our research students. There are desks and computers, a sprinter/fax machine and some comfortable seating, so our students use this room for meetings and reading groups, as well as private study. There are two additional rooms with desks and chairs for the use of research students, including one which overlooks a quiet courtyard.

Your future

Many of our graduates have progressed successfully to further research and an academic career. Philosophers with a PhD from Essex now teach at many UK universities, including Warwick, Oxford, Sussex, Reading, Bolton, Manchester Metropolitan, and Keele, and also at numerous institutions abroad (such as University College Dublin, the University of Malta, and Grand Valley State University, USA). Our other Philosophy graduates have gone into careers in law, the media, local administration, HM Revenue and Customs, and top jobs in the Civil Service.

UK entry requirements

You will need a good honours degree and a Masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

You will normally be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.

English language requirements

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Assessment

Within the School of Philosophy and Art History, students invest time mainly working on their thesis with the help of the PGR Supervisor

Twice a year, students have a supervisory panel meeting, which provides a formal opportunity to discuss progress with both the student's supervisor and another member of the faculty. The purpose of the Supervisory Panels is to form an overview of the student's work and to monitor progress, taking into account both academic and personal issues.

During their first Supervisory Panel in January, new PGR students are required to submit material in a specific form: a 5,000-word Critical Literature Review (i.e. an evaluative account of a selection from the most relevant scholarly literature in their area of research), and a 2,000-word detailed Project Outline. The Project Outline should locate the student's research in the field described in the Critical Literature Review. In the case of PhD students, this material – coupled with a substantial piece of research toward the PhD (10,000 words) will form the basis of the Confirmation Panel's assessment of the student's progress in June, and, subsequently, of the Progress Committee's recommendation to the Graduate School concerning the continuation of the student's studies after the first year. At subsequent Supervisory Panels students are expected to submit draft chapters of their thesis totaling no more than 10,000 words in length.

PhD students are also required to present their work to the Departmental Research Colloquium at least once in the student's PGR career. The Colloquium allows three research students to present their current work (a 30 minute presentation followed by 30 minutes of questions). Both staff and students are in attendance and the format is informal. The Colloquium allows research students to improve their confidence, and to gain experience of defending their ideas in discussion.

We also encourage our PGR students to attend training courses whenever their research requires acquiring new skills and to take part in our many research seminars, reading groups and mini-courses.

Dissertation

You can enter into completion if, by the end of your third year, you have a complete draft of all thesis chapters (excluding introduction and conclusions) and these are of good quality.

Examiners look for evidence of training in the appropriate methods, for knowledge of relevant literature concerning the topic in question, and for general competence in background related to the topic. In the case of a PhD thesis, in particular, examiners look for evidence of originality. A doctoral thesis must show evidence of being a significant contribution to knowledge and of the capacity of the candidate to pursue further research without supervision.

The maximum length for a PhD thesis, whether by research or as part of the Integrated PhD, is 80,000 words; for the MPhil it is 50,000 words; and for the MA by Dissertation it is 30,000 words.