Welcome to Philosophy, part of our Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy

Philosophy at Royal Holloway is a truly interdisciplinary and collaborative venture, with both contributing academic staff and students coming from subject areas across the university.

We believe that philosophical questioning is incredibly important in the world we live in today. It offers a rigorous critical inquiry into fundamental questions that help us understand politics, ethics, arts and culture, history and our connection to the natural world. Studying philosophy provides our students with important transferable skills, such as the ability to form an argument, and it is the interdisciplinary and collaborative attributes of philosophers that make them sought after for graduate employment.

Our taught MA structure offers three distinct streams of philosophy - European Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, and Political Philosophy- which provides an advanced study of concepts and debates in both analytic and continental traditions. Our research-based Masters courses allow students to focus their research on European or continental approaches, and those who wish to bridge the gap between them. Our encouragement of interdisciplinary research is designed to enable our students to use their nuanced understandings of philosophy to illuminate and inform other subjects, such as in the arts, politics and history. Whichever stream fits best with your interests, we're here to challenge your thinking and break down disciplinary boundaries. 

We offer postgraduate courses in: 

MA European Philosophy

MA Modern Philosophy

MA Political Philosophy

MA Philosophy by Research

MSc Gender Studies and Philosophy (course under development for 2023 entry)