Philosophy

Philosophy is concerned with fundamental questions that other disciplines either presuppose or set aside: what can we know, and how can we be certain of it? What exists, and what is the nature of mind, causation, or identity? What do we owe to each other, and what makes an action right or wrong?

How should we reason, and when are our arguments valid? These questions have occupied the most searching and influential thinkers across the past two and a half millennia, and engaging seriously with them develops a distinctive kind of intellectual rigour, the ability to construct clear arguments, identify hidden assumptions, think through implications, and hold complexity without retreating to comfortable simplifications.

At Northeastern University London, the BA Philosophy engages you with some of the great philosophers of the Western tradition alongside the questions that animate contemporary debate in ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, and logic. You will learn to read difficult texts carefully and critically, to construct and evaluate arguments, and to address philosophical questions with both creativity and precision. Northeastern's distinctive model also connects academic study to professional and real-world contexts, giving the degree a practical dimension alongside its philosophical depth.

The programme runs over three years and is taught full-time.

Graduates from philosophy degrees are highly sought after across many sectors, precisely because the skills the discipline develops, including critical reasoning, precise written communication, argument construction, and the ability to engage with complexity and ambiguity, are transferable to almost any professional context. Common career destinations include law, finance, technology, the civil service, public policy, journalism, education, and management consultancy. Many philosophy graduates also pursue postgraduate study in philosophy, law, public policy, or related fields.

Those who wish to pursue academic careers in philosophy typically go on to doctoral study.