Build your degree from an expansive range of options in different philosophical fields and traditions. Learn from world leading philosophers working at the cutting edge of contemporary research. Join a vibrant and supportive student community that is passionate about all things philosophy

Our teaching

Our department offers an exceptionally wide range of learning opportunities from day one. From your very first year of study you will be able to engage with both the analytic and the continental traditions of western philosophy. As you progress in your degree programme, you can choose from a range of optional modules across a broad spectrum of fields in philosophy – from logic, metaphysics and the philosophy of mind, to ethics, aesthetics and political philosophy. There are also opportunities for genuinely interdisciplinary learning, especially as part of our multi-disciplinary degree programmes. You could find yourself being taught by leadingexperts from different departments as part of the same module, or by a lecturer who is an active researcher in more than one discipline.

We strongly believe that an essential part of learning about philosophy is doing philosophy. For this reason, the teaching provision for our modules includes small-group seminars as well as lectures. In these environments we encourage you to share your ideas with your peers and tutors, develop and test your newly acquired knowledge and abilities, and fine-tune the art of good philosophical thinking and discussion.

Our research

The breadth of learning opportunities in our department is a reflection of the fact that our staff are active researchers in a wide range of fields in philosophy. This ensures that our teaching is informed by cutting-edge research and the latest developments in the field. It also means that our range of optional modules includes unique offerings that depend on the specific research expertise of our staff.

Our research is motivated by questions such as:

Philosophy of mind, psychology, and perception - What is consciousness? What are the differences between dreaming and waking consciousness? What do I learn about the world through sensory perception? Am I able to perceive what goes on in the minds of others?
Aesthetics, philosophy of art, philosophy of poetry and literature - What do we learn about ourselves by engaging with art, literature and poetry? Why do we care about the fate of fictional characters? When is a photograph a work of art and when is it not? Can meals be works of art?
Moral philosophy, political, and social philosophy - What are human rights? Do humans have a right against social deprivation? Is there a duty to obey the law or should we be anarchists? What should we do when we are ordered to fight an unjust war? What are our duties concerning the global poor?

The department of Philosophy is affiliated with, or home to, active research groups such as:

The Research Group in Post-Kantian European Philosophy - reflecting our department's expertise in the continental tradition in Western philosophy, staff associated with this group investigate the continuing relevance of the works of such figures in the history of philosophy as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Foucault, and Deleuze.
The Warwick Mind and Action Research Centre (WMA) - a legacy of our department's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project 'Consciousness and Self-Consciousness' (1997-2001); promoting work in the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of action, and fostering collaborative research by philosophers and psychologists.
The Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts (CRPLA) - a unique forum for interdisciplinary enquiry into the intersections between philosophy, literature, the arts, classics, television and film.
The Centre for Ethics, Law and Public Affair (CELPA) - established in 2008 to coordinate and develop the activities of Warwick researchers with interests in inquiry into public affairs, CELPA promotes close collaboration between the departments of Philosophy, Politics and International Studies (PAIS), and Law.

But don't just take our word for it! Our excellence in teaching and learning is reflected in our rankings in top university guides. In the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 and the Complete University Guide 2019, Warwick's department of Philosophy is ranked 9th out of all UK philosophy departments. We also rank 13th in the Guardian University Guide 2018. Furthermore, in the latest National Student Survey (NSS), 87% of students reported overall satisfaction, and over 90% agreed that our staff are good at explaining things and that our programmes are intellectually stimulating. Plus, the University of Warwick as a whole was awarded silver status in the government's recent Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) exercise.
As for our research, in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, over 90% of our department's publications were deemed 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.

Support, development, and community
We aim to give our students all the personal and academic support they need to progress and excel in their chosen studies. One of the first members of staff you will meet - and then meet many times again - is your personal tutor. Your personal tutor is a guaranteed familiar face in the department and a source of support, advice and guidance for when you are making important personal and academic decisions. You can gain further support from our Director of Student Development and Progression (DSEP), who is specially responsible for ensuring that measures are taken to enhance student experience and opportunities, whether it be through academic writing skills workshops, careers events, or helping to support self-organised student ventures and activities. Our DSEP also helps to represent the student voice by regularly advising staff about how best to implement your feedback about our teaching and your learning experience.

And our students support each other, too! Through our student mentoring scheme you have the opportunity to be paired with one of our current students who will gladly introduce you to life as a Warwick philosophy student. We are also proud to have a very active Philosophy Society (PhilSoc), a student-run organisation which aims to build a supportive community for any Warwick student with an interest in philosophy. PhilSoc organise regular social events and outings, film screenings, academic talks, and study and revision sessions. They are just one example of the many student-organised activities that happen in the Department of Philosophy; another recent example is Pharos, Warwick's own student-run undergraduate philosophy magazine, founded as a platform for students to showcase their own philosophical works, as well as to publish interviews, module reviews, and society news.