Philosophy and Literature BA (UCAS VQ52)
Find out more about our Philosophy and Literature degree at Warwick
Both philosophical and literary works ask us to reflect deeply on human experience, but often using interestingly different methods. Our Philosophy and Literature (BA) degree gives you a chance to engage with the wide range of methods and human capacities – thought experiment, dialogue, argument, storytelling, conceptual analysis, imagination and feeling – that contribute to inquiry and understanding.
General entry requirements
A level typical offer
AAB to include grade A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).
A level contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is ABB including an A in English Literature or English Literature and Language (combined). See if you're eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
IB typical offer
34 to include 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).
IB contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 32 including 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). See if you're eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
BTEC
BTECs will be considered for this course.
Scotland Advanced Highers
AA in two Advanced Highers including English Literature, and ABB/BBB in Highers in 3 further subjects OR AB in two Advanced Highers including A in English Literature, and AAB in Highers in 3 further subjects.
Welsh Baccalaureate
ABB in three A levels including A in English Literature plus grade C in the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales.
Access to Higher Education Diplomas
We will consider applicants returning to study who are presenting a QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma on a case-by-case basis.
Typically, we require 45 Credits at Level 3, including Distinction in 33 Level 3 credits and Merit in 12 Level 3 Credits. We may also require subject specific credits or an A level to be studied alongside the Access to Higher Education Diploma to fulfil essential subject requirements.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
International qualifications
English Language requirements
All applicants have to meet our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window. If you cannot demonstrate that you meet these, you may be invited to take part in our Pre-sessional English course at WarwickLink opens in a new window.
This course requires: Band B
Learn more about our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window.
Frequently asked questions
Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in a Widening Participation programme or who meet the contextual data criteria.
Differential offers will usually be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer.
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
We welcome applications for deferred entry.
We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.
Course overview
The course gives you strong training in both subjects as well as great flexibility in how you focus your studies. Year One includes an interdisciplinary core module that introduces students to joint study of Philosophy and Literature, and in Years Two and Three there is one core module and a huge array of options, including modules that combine the subjects. You have the opportunity to do a jointly supervised dissertation or independent project on a combined topic. You take module options in both departments in all years, and there is a free third year option in any subject.
You may choose to apply for an intercalated year, spent either studying abroad or on a work placement. This extends the duration of your degree to four years, with your third year spent abroad or on placement, and will be reflected in your degree qualification (i.e. BA Philosophy and Literature with Intercalated Year).
Study abroad
We run successful undergraduate exchanges with Queen’s University, Ontario, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enabling second-year Philosophy students (single or joint honours) to compete for the chance to spend a full year studying in North America. Modules and examinations taken at Queen’s and Madison count towards your degree.
All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities, which currently include: Bourgogne, Dijon; Erasmus, Rotterdam; Copenhagen; Friedrich Schiller, Jena or Cologne; Vienna; Autonoma or Complutense, Madrid or Seville; Rome or Turin; and Koc, Istanbul. The Study Abroad Team offers support for these activities, and the Department’s dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.
Core modules
Year One: 75 CATS of core modules, including 30 CATS in English, 30 CATS in Philosophy, and 15 CATS in a combined module. 45 CATS are chosen from options in English or Philosophy.
Year Two: History of Modern Philosophy (30 CATS), options in Philosophy (30 CATS), and options in English (60 CATS)
Year Three: Options in Philosophy (30-90 CATS), options in English (30-90 CATS), and up to 30 CATs of options to be chosen from any available subject.
Year One
Problems in Philosophy and Literature
This module introduces you to the combined study of philosophy and literature. You will study texts that raise philosophical questions, e.g., about knowledge, reality, values and mind, in adventurous ways. You will consider the importance of precisely how they communicate ideas, e.g., via narrative, myth, metaphor, dialogue, poetic and essay forms. You will develop your own responses to these texts and will learn to read, discuss and write reflectively about them. You might encounter authors such as Plato, Nietzsche, Muriel Spark, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, J. M. Coetzee, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson or Søren Kierkegaard.
Read more about the Problems in Philosophy and Literature moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Modes of Reading
What is a reader? How is our understanding and perception of a text formed? What does it mean to think critically when we read? This module allows you to explore these questions by putting a spotlight on the question of critical thinking in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By studying a series of literary texts in relation to some of the most influential literary and cultural theorists of the last hundred years, you will take your own position on everything from Marxism, queer and feminist theory to ecocriticism and postcolonial critique.
Read more about the Modes of Reading moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Introduction to Philosophy
You'll study a wide-ranging introduction to philosophy, including ancient, continental, moral and political philosophy, followed by epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and aesthetics, and logic. You'll learn to engage critically with different viewpoints and critically analyse and evaluate arguments central to philosophy.
Read more about the Introduction to Philosophy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Year Two
History of Modern Philosophy
You will discover the metaphysical and epistemological ideas of great Empiricist philosophers Locke, Berkeley and Hume on substance, qualities, ideas, causation and perception. You will then explore Kant's ideas, including metaphysics, space, self-awareness, causation, scepticism and freedom. You will develop skills in critical engagement, articulating your own views of the relative strengths and weaknesses of these arguments and interpreting key philosophical ideas.
Read more about the History of Modern Philosophy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Year Three
No core modules.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Nietzsche in Context
- Philosophy through Film
- Philosophy of Photography
- Ecopoetics
- 20th Century Avant-Gardes
- Topics in Philosophy and Literature
- The Question of the Animal
- Philosophy of Evil
- Aesthetics: Art, Beauty and the Sublime
Read more about our optional modules.Link opens in a new window
Assessment
We track your progress and provide you with a variety of opportunities for getting feedback on your work for your course.
Your final degree classification is based on assessed essays, other assessed work (which may include, for example, group work or video presentations), examinations and an optional dissertation or individual project (in Philosophy, English or jointly between the two). Your second and third year work carries equal weight in determining your final degree classification, with each counting for 50% of your degree.
Teaching
Our main teaching methods are lectures, lecture-discussions, and seminars, alongside private study and study skills sessions.
Our students benefit from expert guidance from staff in developing strong analytical and critical skills, and our students highly rate the feedback they receive. In addition to compulsory teaching, we also offer many extra academic activities, including optional lectures, colloquia, discussion groups and workshops.
Class sizes
Seminar sizes are typically 12-18 students. Lectures vary by module from 20-300.
Typical contact hours
Typically three hours of contact time per week per module, in most cases this would be two hours of lectures and a one-hour seminar but is variable depending on teaching methods.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees cover the majority of the costs of your study, including teaching and assessment. Fees are charged at the start of each academic year. If you pay your fees directly to the University, you can choose to pay in instalments.
Undergraduate fees
If you are a home student enrolling in 2024, your annual tuition fees will be £9,535. In the future, these fees might change for new and continuing students.
How are fees set?
The British Government sets tuition fee rates.
Undergraduate fees
If you are an overseas or EU student enrolling in 2024, your annual tuition fees will be as follows:
- Band 1 – £24,800 per year (classroom-based courses, including Humanities and most Social Science courses)
- Band 2 – £31,620 per year (laboratory-based courses, plus Maths, Statistics, Theatre and Performance Studies, Economics, and courses provided by Warwick Business School, with exceptions)
Fees for 2025 entry have not been set. We will publish updated information here as soon as it becomes available, so please check back for updates about 2025 fee rates before you apply.
Fee status guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status.Link opens in a new window
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on this web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module CatalogueLink opens in a new window (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2024/25 year of study). Information about module specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Further information
Find out more about tuition fees from our Student Finance team.
Scholarships and bursaries
Learn about scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students.
We offer a number of undergraduate scholarships and bursaries to full-time undergraduate students. These include sporting and musical bursaries, and scholarships offered by commercial organisations.
Find out more about funding opportunities for full-time students.Link opens in a new window
If you are an international student, a limited number of scholarships may be available.
Find out more information on our international scholarship pages.Link opens in a new window
You may be eligible for financial help from your own government, from the British Council or from other funding agencies. You can usually request information on scholarships from the Ministry of Education in your home country, or from the local British Council office.
Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship
We believe there should be no barrier to talent. That's why we are committed to offering a scholarship that makes it easier for gifted, ambitious international learners to pursue their academic interests at one of the UK's most prestigious universities.
We provide extra financial support for qualifying students from lower income families. The Warwick Undergraduate Bursary is an annual award of up to £3,000 per annum. It is intended to help with course-related costs and you do not have to pay it back.
As part of the 'City of Sanctuary' movement, we are committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for those seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. We provide a range of scholarships to enable people seeking sanctuary or asylum to progress to access university education.
Further information
Find out more about Warwick undergraduate bursaries and scholarships.
Eligibility for student loans
Your eligibility for student finance will depend on certain criteria, such as your nationality and residency status, your course, and previous study at higher education level.
Check if you're eligible for student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your tuition fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you can receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won’t have to set up any payments.
Maintenance Loan for living costs
You can apply for a Maintenance Loan towards your living costs such as accommodation, food and bills. This loan is means-tested, so the amount you receive is partially based on your household income and whether you choose to live at home or in student accommodation.
If you’re starting a course on or after 1 August 2021, you usually must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement SchemeLink opens in a new window to get student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
If you are an EU student and eligible for student finance you may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you may receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won't have to set up any payments.
Help with living costs
For the 2024 academic year, you may be eligible for help with your living costs if both of the following apply:
- You have lived in the UK for more than 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
And
- You have Settled Status (see further details on Settled Status)Link opens in a new window
If you are coming to the UK from 1st January 2021, you may need to apply for a visaLink opens in a new window to study here.
Please note: Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Find out more about government student loans for EU studentsLink opens in a new window
Repaying your loans
You will repay your loan or loans gradually once you are working and earning above a certain amount. For students starting their course after 1 August 2023, the repayment threshold is £25,000. Repayments will be taken directly from your salary if you are an employee. If your income falls below the earnings threshold, your repayments will stop until your income goes back up above this figure.
Find out more about repaying your student loanLink opens in a new window.
Employability
Study skills will be built into your core modules in the first year. In those modules, you will develop skills in close reading, essay writing, exam technique, critical thinking and presentation. As well as the opportunity of individual careers appointments, there are a wide range of events and workshops – including small workshops for people with no career ideas, speaker events for people interested in a certain sector, and large career fairs for organisations wanting to recruit a large number of graduates each year.
We also offer specific sessions for second and third years, directed as honours level assessed work. Warwick also offers the Undergraduate Skills ProgrammeLink opens in a new window and Academic Writing ProgrammeLink opens in a new window to help you further develop academic and career-related skills.
Your career
Graduates from our Philosophy single and joint honours degrees have gone on to pursue careers as:
- Authors, writers and translators
- Legal professionals
- Marketing professionals
- Management consultants and business analysts
- Chartered and certified accountants
- Teaching and educational professionals
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you. They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- Identifying Your Skills, Strengths and Motivators for Philosophy Students
- Thinking about Work Experience for Philosophy Students
- Philosophy with Placement Year – “My Experience” Sessions
- Sector events with industry and alumni speakers, for students who want to pursue a career in a specific sector such as Banking and Finance, Consulting, Charities and Campaigning, Law and the Public Sector
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
Find out more about careers support at Warwick.
See how the Department of Philosophy at Warwick helped Jasmine reach their career goals, providing the skills and connections to succeed. Discover how Warwick could shape your future.
Explore the career journeys of Warwick Social Sciences alumni. See how their university experience opened doors across industries and imagine where a degree from Warwick could take you.
Philosophy at Warwick
Can living morally be too demanding? Could what you see be just an illusion? How do we know what’s going on in other people’s minds?
Explore these questions with our expert teachers and researchers. Learn how to think independently and analytically and take on different points of view. Interact with other subjects, like psychology, law, politics, economics or literature.
Join our open and friendly learning environment and become a confident communicator with the resilience to thrive in the pursuit of your goals.
Find out more about us on the following websites:
- PhilosophyLink opens in a new window
- Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)Link opens in a new window
- Politics, Philosophy and Law (PPL)Link opens in a new window
- Economics, Psychology and Philosophy (EPP)Link opens in a new window
Our courses
- Philosophy (BA)
- Economics, Psychology and Philosophy (EPP) (BA/BSc)
- History and Philosophy (BA)
- Mathematics and Philosophy (BA)
- Philosophy and Global Sustainable Development (BASc)
- Philosophy and Literature (BA)
- Philosophy, Literature and Classics (BA)
- Philosophy with Psychology (BA)
- Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) (BA/BSc)
- Politics, Philosophy and Law (PPL) (BA)
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Our campus is in Coventry, a modern city with high street shops, restaurants, nightclubs and bars sitting alongside medieval monuments. The Warwickshire towns of Leamington Spa and Kenilworth are also nearby.
The University is close to major road, rail and air links. London is just an hour by direct train from Coventry, with Birmingham a 20-minute trip. Birmingham International Airport is nearby (a 20-minute drive).
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Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Our Chaplaincy is home to Chaplains from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. We provide regular services for all Christian denominations and a Shabbat meal every Friday for our Jewish students. There is also an Islamic prayer hall, halal kitchen and ablution facilities.
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