Sociology/Philosophy MA
ABB – BBB at A level, A-level English or another Humanities subject; graduates earn a median £23,000 three years on.
Typical A level offer
ABB – BBB
A-level English or another Humanities subject · 61% of entrants came with A levels · 100% stay on after year 1 · Glasgow course page, Discover Uni
Year 13 · applying
What do you need to get in?
ABB – BBBtypical A level offer
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. A contextual offer can be lower for applicants from under-represented backgrounds; none is published for this course.
Glasgow course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
- 1A-level English or another Humanities subject
Who actually got in: 61% with A levels, 1% with the IB, 21% via Access courses, 7% with other higher education. 48% arrived with 208 or more UCAS tariff points — roughly A*A*A or better. Based on 105 entrants.
UCAS tariff points — a points scale for grades: A* = 56, A = 48, so A*A*A = 160. Entrants’ totals include extra subjects.
Other qualifications2
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish Highers | AAAABminimum from S5: BBBB | Higher English and a Higher Humanities subject at AA (AB may be considered). |
| IB | 34 (6,5,5) | English HL6 or Humanities HL6 with English SL6. |
Years 1–4
What do you study?
2compulsory modules in year 1
Compulsory modules this year: arts & humanities 100%.
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
Glasgow course page · optional modules vary by year
Year 1 · 2 core · 40 credits ≈ 400 hours
- Philosophy 1A: How Should I Think?
What you learn (11)
- explain core concepts of logical argument structure
- apply concepts of deductive validity and soundness to arguments
- explain the importance of critical thinking in evaluating arguments
- identify arguments presented in diverse texts
- reconstruct arguments found in varied sources
- identify common rhetorical tactics and logical fallacies
- explain how rhetorical ploys and fallacies mislead reasoning
- apply analytical reasoning to contemporary philosophical issues
- analyse theories and arguments from other philosophical fields
- evaluate the strength of philosophical arguments using reasoning skills
- explain competing theories of knowledge and its acquisition
- Philosophy 1B: How Should I Live?
What you learn (8)
- identify common argument forms used in ethical discussion
- illustrate valid and fallacious moral arguments with examples
- describe theories explaining the significance of moral discourse
- evaluate competing theories on the value of moral discourse
- analyse contemporary moral problems using philosophical methods
- discuss philosophical theories relevant to current ethical debates
- state key arguments in political philosophy debates
- evaluate arguments addressing major political philosophy issues
Year 2 · 2 core · 40 credits ≈ 400 hours
- Philosophy 2A: What am I?
What you learn (6)
- apply analytical reasoning to contemporary debates on the nature of the self
- compare rival theories of mind-body relations
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of mind-body theories
- explain competing theories of human freedom and choice
- evaluate competing theories of personal identity
- discuss key philosophical arguments on the self and its social context
- Philosophy 2B: What is there?
What you learn (8)
- apply analytical reasoning to contemporary debates about reality
- explain key logical concepts such as quantification and predication
- apply concepts of premise, conclusion and validity to construct arguments
- explain metaphysical arguments about what kinds of entities exist
- evaluate competing metaphysical positions on existence
- analyse arguments for the existence of God and supernatural beings
- evaluate the strength of theories concerning supernatural entities
- discuss critically major viewpoints on the goals of scientific methods
Year 3 · 32 core · 620 credits ≈ 6,200 hours
- Contemporary Ethics
What you learn (8)
- analyse recent forms of consequentialist ethical theory
- analyse recent forms of virtue ethics theory
- evaluate competing and alternative ethical theories to these positions
- explain how epistemological questions affect ethical theorising
- evaluate the significance of epistemological issues for moral theory
- critique arguments presented by contemporary ethics scholars
- describe the relationship between practical moral wisdom and normative theory
- evaluate interrelated debates linking moral wisdom to philosophical theory
- Directed Individual Research/Dissertation (Semester 2)
What you learn (3)
- identify a viable research topic with sufficient philosophical depth
- plan and manage time to meet submission deadlines
- use library and other research sources independently
- Directed Individual Research/Dissertation (Semester 1)
What you learn (3)
- select a viable research topic with sufficient philosophical depth
- schedule research tasks to meet submission deadlines
- locate relevant sources using library and research tools independently
- Epistemology
What you learn (6)
- explain core concepts, theses and arguments in epistemology
- restate epistemological positions in own words
- critique arguments and positions in epistemology
- formulate a personal philosophical stance on epistemological issues
- justify a personal stance using reasoned argument
- apply epistemological theories to everyday situations
- Formal Logic
What you learn (10)
- apply induction on formula length to prove logical properties
- apply induction on proof length to establish logical results
- construct a disjunctive normal form formula from a truth table
- evaluate whether a set of logical connectives is expressively complete
- construct proofs of propositional logic sequents
- construct proofs of simple predicate logic sequents
- prove the soundness theorem for propositional logic
- prove the completeness theorem for propositional logic
- explain the main ideas behind soundness and completeness proofs for predicate logic
- identify simple properties of binary relations
- History Of Western Philosophy
What you learn (6)
- explain key philosophers' positions on classical metaphysical and epistemological topics
- critically evaluate philosophers' views on the self, freedom and mind-world relations
- explain the central arguments presented in canonical Western philosophical texts
- reconstruct historical philosophical arguments in their strongest form
- evaluate critically the validity and soundness of reconstructed arguments
- situate philosophical theories within their historical and intellectual context
- History of Moral and Political Philosophy
What you learn (6)
- evaluate influential historical moral theories in western philosophy
- explain central claims in historical ethical and political texts
- interpret philosophical texts within their historical context
- reconstruct arguments presented in historical philosophical texts
- evaluate the validity of arguments from historical texts
- apply a moral theory to analyse a practical case
- Mind and Knowledge in the Scottish Enlightenment
What you learn (4)
- explain Hume's theory of ideas
- explain Hume's account of causation and personal identity
- compare sceptical and naturalist interpretations of Hume's philosophy
- explain Reid's common sense philosophy
- Virtue Epistemology
What you learn (6)
- identify the defining features of virtue epistemology as an epistemological approach
- explain the distinction between virtue reliabilist and virtue responsibilist paradigms
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of virtue reliabilist and responsibilist paradigms
- explain virtue-epistemological accounts of propositional knowledge
- evaluate virtue-epistemological accounts of propositional knowledge
- explain virtue responsibilist accounts of open-mindedness and intellectual humility
- Metaphysics
What you learn (7)
- describe competing theories relating to key metaphysical questions
- compare and contrast differing metaphysical theories
- identify influential arguments supporting or opposing metaphysical theories
- evaluate the strength of arguments for and against metaphysical theories
- assess possible responses a theory's supporters could offer to criticisms
- research relevant literature independently on a chosen metaphysical topic
- engage critically with scholarly sources on a metaphysical topic
- Moral Philosophy
What you learn (5)
- describe key doctrines in moral philosophy
- critically evaluate competing moral philosophy doctrines
- apply contrasting theories of morality to specific cases
- identify distinct positions in normative and meta-ethics
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of ethical positions
- Philosophy Of Art
What you learn (7)
- summarise Hume's philosophical objectives in his essay on taste
- evaluate criticisms of Kant's account of aesthetic judgement
- assess the strengths and weaknesses of expression theories of art
- describe attempts to construct a substantive definition of art
- assess the feasibility of defining art substantively
- explain Danto's theory of art
- discuss the institutional theory of art in relation to Danto's view
- Philosophy Of Language
What you learn (6)
- explain classical theories of linguistic meaning
- explain contemporary theories of language use
- evaluate arguments supporting theories of meaning
- evaluate arguments challenging theories of meaning
- formulate a personal position integrating theories and evidence
- apply philosophical theories of language to everyday examples
- Philosophy Of Mind
What you learn (7)
- evaluate substance dualism as an account of mind-body relation
- evaluate behaviourism as an account of mind-body relation
- evaluate central state materialism and functionalism as accounts of mind
- evaluate theories of phenomenal content and subjective experience
- evaluate accounts of mental representation
- construct original philosophical arguments responding to theories of mind
- apply philosophy of mind theories to concrete real-world cases
- Philosophy Of Perception
What you learn (4)
- explain accounts of the mental states involved in perception
- explain how perception can generate knowledge or justified belief
- assess whether perception theories adequately explain its epistemology
- evaluate hypotheses about experiences across different sensory modalities
- Philosophy Of Religion
What you learn (5)
- analyse religious beliefs and supporting or opposing arguments
- construct a coherent argument about religious ideas
- evaluate philosophical issues in classic arguments for God's existence
- evaluate philosophical responses to the problem of evil
- evaluate the nature and significance of religious experience
- Political Philosophy
What you learn (8)
- describe the nature and purpose of political philosophy as a discipline
- identify major theories of individual rights and state legitimacy
- explain theoretical justifications for democratic governance
- evaluate competing accounts of equality, liberty and autonomy
- apply political philosophical concepts to analyse real-world situations
- relate political philosophical concepts to personal experience
- formulate an original position on a political philosophical question
- construct a rigorous philosophical argument supporting a stated position
- Senior Honours Reading Seminar
What you learn (3)
- write clear, analytically rigorous essays on selected philosophical topics
- contribute productively to seminar discussions on set topics
- apply conventions of scholarly dialogue and debate
- Senior Honours Reading Seminar
What you learn (3)
- write analytically clear essays on selected philosophical topics
- contribute productively to seminar discussions on set readings
- apply habits of constructive academic dialogue
- Wittgenstein
What you learn (9)
- evaluate Wittgenstein's conception of the nature of philosophy
- describe the Augustinian theory of language as discussed by Wittgenstein
- explain the significance of Wittgenstein's critique of the Augustinian theory
- describe the problem of ostensive definition in the Philosophical Investigations
- describe Wittgenstein's account of pictorial representation
- evaluate Wittgenstein's criticisms of theories of representation
- explain Wittgenstein's treatment of meaning and understanding
- explain Wittgenstein's rejection of mentalist accounts of understanding
- describe the philosophical method used in the Philosophical Investigations
- Liberalism
What you learn (8)
- explain major theories of neutrality in liberal thought
- evaluate the role of neutrality within liberal theory
- discuss the dispute between comprehensive and political liberal positions
- explain philosophical accounts of the nature of culture and community
- assess the value attributed to cultures and communities in political philosophy
- apply liberal theories to analyse real-world political policies
- apply liberal theories to analyse economic institutions
- present original philosophical arguments clearly in written or spoken form
- Distributive Justice
What you learn (6)
- describe competing views on the appropriate currency of distributive justice
- compare differing theories of distributive justice against one another
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of distributive justice theories
- apply theories of distributive justice to analyse real-world political policies
- apply theories of distributive justice to assess economic institutions
- present original philosophical arguments on justice clearly in written or spoken form
- Moral Epistemology
What you learn (9)
- construct a sustained and coherent written argument
- evaluate reflective equilibrium as a method of moral knowledge
- evaluate moral intuition as a source of moral knowledge
- explain findings from empirical psychology relevant to moral knowledge
- evaluate the implications of neuroscience research for moral epistemology
- analyse arguments about the defeasibility of moral knowledge
- evaluate whether moral testimony can justify moral belief
- explain the proposed link between forgetting and moral knowledge
- critically assess arguments linking forgetting to moral knowledge
- Pain and Pleasure
What you learn (8)
- formulate major philosophical theories of affective experience
- explain the reasoning underlying theories of pain and pleasure
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of philosophical approaches to affect
- analyse debates on how affect relates to representational content and perception
- evaluate how affective states connect to desire, motivation and action
- describe anomalous affective cases such as phantom limb pain and anhedonia
- explain the theoretical significance of anomalous pain and pleasure cases
- construct clear written arguments on complex philosophical issues
- Gender and Race
What you learn (6)
- describe competing philosophical positions on gender and race
- critique competing philosophical positions on gender and race
- assess ethical arguments relating to gender and race
- assess epistemological arguments relating to gender and race
- evaluate the strength of key positions on the nature of gender and race
- construct original arguments on philosophical issues of gender and race
- Virtue Ethics
What you learn (4)
- compare different approaches to defining virtues
- critically assess competing definitions of virtue
- explain key theories defining right action through virtue
- evaluate theories defining right action in terms of virtue
- Philosophy of Law
What you learn (4)
- explain major philosophical theories about the nature of law
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of legal theories
- apply concepts from other philosophical fields to analyse legal questions
- construct rigorous written philosophical arguments
- Marxism and Anarchism
What you learn (11)
- explain Marx's concept of species-being
- analyse Marx's conception of freedom
- analyse Marx's conception of economic justice
- explain anarchist arguments against the state
- evaluate the strength of anarchist critiques of the state
- describe anarchist alternatives to state governance
- assess the viability of anarchist alternatives to the state
- compare marxist and anarchist conceptions of freedom
- evaluate differences between marxist and anarchist views of freedom
- apply marxist and anarchist theories of freedom to current political issues
- apply marxist and anarchist theories of justice to debates on democracy and incarceration
- Causation
What you learn (5)
- explain the role of causation in epistemological and metaphysical debates
- explain how causation functions within ethical and legal reasoning
- explain the counterfactual theory of causation
- evaluate the modal metaphysics underlying the counterfactual theory of causation
- identify contested causal assumptions in philosophical literature beyond metaphysics
- Consciousness: Brains, Artificial Intelligence, and Subjective Experience
What you learn (6)
- identify key philosophical questions surrounding consciousness
- describe major scientific challenges in explaining consciousness
- evaluate arguments for and against machine consciousness
- assess theories concerning animal consciousness
- construct a reasoned philosophical argument on consciousness
- defend a chosen position against counterarguments
- Inquiry, Science, and Democracy: The Philosophy of Susan Stebbing
What you learn (4)
- explain key theories of susan stebbing within their historical context
- identify barriers to clear reasoning caused by condensed language in political debate
- compose extended written arguments comparing competing accounts of philosophical analysis
- evaluate differing perspectives on communication found in stebbing's circle
“What you learn” restates each module’s published learning outcomes in our own words, as short skill statements in the same form as the GCSE and A level curriculum, with the help of an AI model; fields of knowledge follow the twelve fields of the knowledge sphere. The university’s module page, linked from each title, is the authoritative description.
After graduating
Where does it lead?
£23,000median pay three years after graduating
Lower quarter£19k
Median£23k
Upper quarter£30k
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 75 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 23, 24, 13
Half of graduates earned between £18,500 and £30,000. Five years on, the median is £29,000. 75% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 25% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 10% left | 100% | 10 |
| In work or study, 15 months on0% studying | 75% | 45 |
| Professional or managerial job | 25% | 30 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £25,000 | 15 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £23,000 | 75 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £29,000 | 75 |
National Student Survey 2025-26
What do students say?
76%agreed the course was good overall (question 26)
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 64% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 75 students answered
Highest: 96% agreed on question 1; lowest: 58% on question 14.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 96% |
| Question 2 | 94% |
| Question 3 | 93% |
| Question 4 | 86% |
| Question 5 | 86% |
| Question 6 | 84% |
| Question 7 | 88% |
| Question 8 | 80% |
| Question 9 | 72% |
| Question 10 | 77% |
| Question 11 | 82% |
| Question 12 | 75% |
| Question 13 | 82% |
| Question 14 | 58% |
| Question 15 | 96% |
| Question 16 | 91% |
| Question 17 | 89% |
| Question 18 | 93% |
| Question 19 | 85% |
| Question 20 | 93% |
| Question 21 | 92% |
| Question 22 | 87% |
| Question 23 | 89% |
| Question 24 | 60% |
| Question 25 | 75% |
| Question 26 | 76% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of Glasgow’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of Glasgow is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.