MPhil/PhD in Philosophy

Programme Code: RPPH

Department: Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method

For students starting this programme of study in 2023/24

Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations

In addition to progressing with their research, students are expected to take the listed training and transferable skills courses.  Students may take courses in addition to those listed, and should discuss this with their supervisor.  All programmes of study should be agreed with the supervisor at the start of the year.

Progression and upgrade requirements

Successful completion of work required for each year is a necessary condition for re-registration in the following year; and for upgrading from MPhil to PhD status. During the first year students must write a first chapter of the thesis as well as an outline (research plan) of the rest of the thesis. The chapter should be around 40 pages and needs to be submitted on 1 September; the research plan should be around 10 pages and needs to be submitted at the end of Spring Term, the exact date to be confirmed at the start of the academic year. This upgrading will normally take place after the successful completion of Year 1 requirements in Case A, and after the successful completion of Year 2 requirements in Case B. In both cases once you are registered for the PhD that registration will be backdated to the start of your MPhil/PhD studies.

Dissertation submission

The Department allows PhD dissertations in two formats:

1. a more traditional monograph-style dissertation which forms an integrated whole,
2. a collection of papers, known as a "dissertation by papers".

A dissertation by papers in Philosophy should conform to the following rules (note that these may differ to rules adopted in other departments).

1. The dissertation must contain at least three substantial papers.  These papers need not be as tightly integrated as in a monograph-style dissertation, but there should nonetheless be some connections between them.  They should all fall within the same general area of philosophy (e.g., ethics, or philosophy of science) and should share some common themes or concepts.
2. In addition to the papers, the dissertation must also contain a substantial introduction, which explains the aims of the papers and how they are connected.  (Other sorts of content, e.g., a conclusion or appendix, are permitted but not required).
3. It is permitted for some of the papers to be co-authored, but the majority should not be. In cases of co-authored work, the contribution of the candidate in producing this work should be substantial and must be clearly stated in the dissertation.
4. The total word count of the dissertation–including all papers, the introduction, and any other material– should normally fall in the range 50,000 to 80,000 words. Longer dissertations are permitted up to the LSE limit of 100,000 words.  Shorter dissertations are permitted if the work is of exceptional quality and there is no strong intellectual reason for adding further content. (Note that the same policy applies to monograph-style dissertations).

Note for prospective students:
For changes to graduate course and programme information for the next academic session, please see the graduate summary page for prospective students. Changes to course and programme information for future academic sessions can be found on the graduate summary page for future students.