Degrees by research (PhD and MPhil)
The principal degree by research is the PhD, and it is this which is becoming effectively the basic qualification for a career in teaching and research in universities. The PhD takes a minimum of three years' full-time study, or four years part-time. It is awarded on the basis of a substantial thesis (60 - 100,000 words) which must be seen as making an original contribution to its field.
Admission to a PhD programme is dependent on your showing evidence of your capacity to work at the appropriate level, beyond that which is demonstrable through first degree work. This means that a year's preliminary postgraduate work is, in effect, a prerequisite.
This is why graduates aiming for a doctorate should plan to take an MA as a first step. The year spent on the MA can be regarded retrospectively as the equivalent of the first year of a (full-time) PhD registration, so that it is possible (with full-time study) to complete the PhD at the end of a total of three years of postgraduate work.
Note though that the British Academy is now willing to fund four years of study leading to the PhD: a first year working for an MA followed by three years working on the PhD itself. (The British Academy, is the relevant government funding agency for Philosophy research studentships.)
If you want to do research but are not wanting to go to the lengths of the PhD, you will find in the MPhil an intermediate qualification. As with the PhD, you would take (if you were full-time) a first foundational year of the MA pattern, but then transfer to the MPhil in a second year to concentrate on developing and completing a thesis of some 40-60,000 words. There are equivalent arrangements for part-time study.
At the end of your second, (final) year of the MPhil (if you are a full-time student), if your work is reaching the appropriate level, you may transfer from a MPhil to a PhD registration. After a further year of study you should then be in a position to complete your PhD.
(Please notice that the MPhil is not to be confused with the MA in Philosophy . We apologise for the unhelpful labelling.)
Fees and studentships
Tuition fees are under annual review, but the figures for the 1998-9 session are:
Home & EC students Overseas students
Per year full-time £2610 £ 6550
Per year part-time £1305 £ 3275
The British Academy is the relevant British Government funding agency for Philosophy research studentships in England and Wales. Competition for its funds is fierce. The closing date for applications to the Academy is 1st May, but you need to have been offered a postgraduate place in a university before then. If you currently belong to a UK university, Academy application forms will be obtainable from them.
There is a national Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme funded via the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals.
The University here also offers a number studentships and bursaries which are open to competition. Details are available in our Guide to Postgraduate Funding, which contains a number of pointers to sources of funding of various kinds.
There is some teaching experience to be had in the department. We are able to support one or two postgraduates through teaching fellowships (they continue with their research part-time), and we pay a number of others on an hourly basis.
Career development loans are available via the national scheme. They are low-cost, but repayments begin soon after the end of the course.
The British Council is a useful source of ideas and information on funds for prospective visitors from abroad.
A good number of our postgraduates find ways of supporting themselves.
Taking things further
Normally you should have a good first degree (First or 21) . It is not essential for this to be in Philosophy, though you will need to show enough familiarity with the discipline for you to know what you are proposing to take on.
We like to discuss your plans with you, and what we have to offer, before offering a definite place.
Application forms for graduate study are available from the department, which will be glad to advise further.
Send Mail to the Philosophy Department.
Department of Philosophy
Furness College
The University
Lancaster, LA1 4YG
Telephone: (0) 1524 592490
Fax: (0) 1524 592503
What a Masters programme will do for you
The MA will take to a new level your ability to gather and grasp intellectually demanding material, your capacity to articulate and marshal arguments, as well as your knowledge of your chosen specialism. There is within the MA a programme of classes specifically devoted to developing the skills required for research and scholarship in the humanities. We conceive of the MA as equally a platform from which to launch doctoral work and as the basis for moving on to high-level professional work outside the University.
At the end of the MA programme you may wish to pursue your interest in your chosen field further. You would then apply to transfer to a research degree programme. This would mean at Lancaster transferring to a registration for a PhD, or possibly an MPhil.
If you have (or intend shortly to complete) a first degree, and are planning to pursue research you should think of completing an MA programme of this type as a first step.