Location:

Stoke-On-Trent, United Kingdom

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Philosophy

Program Overview

Program Description:

Based in a small city in the centre of the UK, the Philosophy Department at Staffordshire University has a fine and growing reputation for its research in European Philosophy. Key staff include Professors Douglas Burnham and David Webb. We are also known for the care and personal attention we give to all postgraduates, and the informal but rigorous education we provide. We offer three different postgraduate programmes in Continental Philosophy: a distance learning MA; a Masters by negotiated research, and a PhD programme (which can be pursued either by attendance, or by distance learning). Distance Learning Masters Degree: The distance learning Masters degree is fully online. All the materials, and all the support from members of staff here, are available online. You should expect to buy some books or papers, but otherwise its all here. The degree is part time only, meaning pursuing it should be compatible with the rest of your busy life. The usual length of study is 28 months. Each unit or module that makes up the MA has a particular delivery schedule, so it is not study-at-your-own-pace. This means also that you will be in constant contact with, and online discussion with, fellow students working on the same unit. The MA is designed to be comprehensive, working forward from Kantian thought to recent developments. Importantly, we do not just give you materials to read and let you get on with it; rather, week by week, you will be supported by world-class academics. You will study the following modules: Transcendence and the Body (conceptions of immanence and transcendence from Kant to Nietzsche); Phenomenology and Ontology (20th century thought, including Heidegger and his critics); Knowledge and Politics (recent work, especially in France, on the relationships between politics, power and various conceptions or practices of knowledge). You will also have the opportunity to choose an optional course offered by our colleagues in Sociology, Politics or History. The Masters culminates in a research dissertation of approximately 15,000 words. This MA will serve as excellent preparation for doctoral studies here, or elsewhere. It will also suit students who are just fascinated by philosophy, and want to pursue that fascination for its own sake. Entry requirements are a good quality, first (undergraudate or Bachelors) degree in philosophy, or in a cognate subject (e.g. something in the humanities or liberal arts that included theoretical elements). Masters degree by negotiated Study: The Department offers a taught Masters (MA) course under the umbrella of Negotiated Studies. Although not distance learning, this programme is very light touch and may suit your needs even if you cannot come to our campus very frequently. This flexible framework permits students to customise their study in interdisciplinary directions (for example, philosophy's relation t literature or literary theory, fine art, film, social theory). Although broken down into individual modules, these will be designed to build up towards a final research project; thus, the negotiated Masters is best thought of as a Masters degree by research. The entry requirements are as for the distance learning degree. Doctoral Study: We also offer supervision for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in areas of research specialism of staff. These areas include: Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Hermeneutics, French epistemology and philosophy of science, Foucault, as well as many aspect of contemporary ethical, political and aesthetic theory. Please contact us for a discussion of your research interests. Also, in conjunction with the Fine Art or Photography Departments, we offer the rare opportunity of supervision for a PhD that combines philosophical work with artistic practice. Entry requirements are a Masters degree in philosophy or a relevant other subject. The attendance version of the PhD is available both part time and full time. We also offer a new fully distance learning version of the PhD, meaning you can pursue your research with us from wherever you happen to live. For all the above, all teaching and supervision is in English. Tuition fees vary depending upon the course, whether you are part or full time, and whether your are a UK, EU or international student. Please see the University website, or contact Professor Burnham, for details.

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

The University is fully accredited within the English higher education system.

Financial Aid:

No

Requirements:

First degree for the Masters programmes; Masters degree for the PhD programme

International Requirements:

If English is not your first language, you will need to supply evidence of advanced competence in English.