Physics & Philosophy
Physics and philosophy is one of the oldest and most natural of interdisciplinary pairings. Physics asks what the universe is made of and how it works, pursuing answers through mathematics and experiment. Philosophy asks how we know, what knowledge means, and what the deep structure of reality is, pursuing answers through rigorous argument and conceptual analysis.
The two disciplines have been in deep conversation since the scientific revolution: questions about the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the nature of space and time, the meaning of probability, and the relationship between mind and matter are simultaneously questions in physics and questions in philosophy.
At King's College London, this three-year full-time programme includes a year abroad and provides a robust foundation in both disciplines, exploring the fascinating connections between them at the frontiers of human knowledge and understanding. You will study mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, quantum physics, and modern physics alongside logic, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind. The physics strand develops your mathematical and experimental skills alongside your theoretical understanding, while the philosophy strand develops your capacity for rigorous conceptual analysis and the construction of careful arguments.
The combination is genuinely challenging and genuinely enriching, producing graduates who can think at the boundaries of two of the most demanding disciplines in the university curriculum.
A typical entry tariff of 152 points reflects the combined academic demands of the programme at one of the UK's leading research universities. Graduates of physics and philosophy programmes move into research, data science, technology, finance, the civil service, law, and academia. The combination is particularly valued in roles that require both quantitative rigour and philosophical depth, including work in artificial intelligence ethics, science policy, risk analysis, and technology philosophy.
Postgraduate study in physics, philosophy, or philosophy of science is a natural next step.