Few students study philosophy at school, and so nearly all philosophy undergraduates enter Cambridge fresh to the subject. In the first year they do ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, the philosophy of language, some introductory logic, and study historical texts (Plato, Descartes, Mill). In the second and third years there is the opportunity to specialise further in some of these areas and to study other areas, including epistemology, aesthetics, the philosophy of science and mathematics, Greek and Roman philosophy, 17th-18th century European philosophy, 18th-19th century German philosophy, and 20th century analytics philosophy.

People can be drawn to Philosophy for any number of reasons, from an interest in moral questions to puzzlement about the nature of numbers. The only essential qualifications are curiosity about large intellectual issues and the desire to resolve them by careful argument.

Subject Requirements

Essential: No special subject requirements.

Highly Desirable: Arts/Science mix useful.

Written Work

None.

Admission Assessments

Written assessment: Cambridge College registered

Director of Studies - Dr Nikhil Krishnan

Further information –

Philosophy Faculty Admissions pages

Philosophy (information from the Cambridge Admissions website)

For incoming 1st year students, the following reading list will be helpful: Philosophy Reading List. 

Updated April 2024