Philosophy is a rewarding subject to study and Christ’s is an academically strong place to study it. That strength comes from our staff, who encourage your real interest in the subject rather than pressuring you to perform. You set your own priorities, we provide a friendly and stimulating intellectual environment in which to pursue them.
The way we teach Philosophy here at Christ’s and Cambridge has earned this degree a valuable reputation among employers. By learning to apply rigour to unclear or messy topics, you develop a desirable set of intellectual skills which successfully transfer to careers in areas such as law (via a conversion course), civil service, business, journalism and politics.
The Philosophy course (or ‘tripos’) is a three-year degree. Please visit the University website for full details of the Philosophy course content and structure, including the course film. You will also find information on the Faculty of Philosophy degree page . If you have further questions about course content, please contact phil-admin@lists.cam.ac.uk
You attend lectures plus some classes at the Faculty of Philosophy (a 17 minute walk / 5 minute cycle from Christ's) and have weekly ‘supervisions’ here in College. These small-group (or one-to-one) tutorial sessions are arranged by your Director of Studies and give you the advantage of personally-tailored guidance and tuition from an experienced supervisor.
Christ’s Director of Studies for Philosophy is Professor Gábor Betegh who is a specialist in ancient philosophy.
Read about the experiences of Nina and Imogen, who both wrote about their first year studying Philosophy at Christ's in their Student Profiles.
If you’d like to hear from other Christ's students, please watch the Christ's student Q&A film, and visit our Student Profiles page.
I liked that Christ's is so central and you can walk to everywhere. Now I'm here, the College has definitely lived up to my expectations; it’s been a lovely place to live and everyone has been really friendly.
How to apply
Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.
There is no assessment for Philosophy.
We don’t expect you to take any subjects in particular. However, when choosing your post-16 subjects, it can be helpful to take one or more essay-based subjects, and a mixture of arts and Maths/Science subjects. Mathematics provides useful preparation for Philosophy. Other suggestions include
> Religious Studies
> Philosophy
> English (language or literature)
> History
> Languages (ancient or modern)
We encourage students to attend one of our regular Subject Matters webinars for help with choosing Post-16 subjects for competitive university applications. This webinar is pitched for students aged 14-16 though it is also possible to attend when you have started sixth form.
Subjects: what do you need?
If we select you for interviews, these usually take place in early December. At Christ's we do all of our interviews online on Microsoft Teams. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier). The interviews last 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in Philosophy.
Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section, and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (short film here), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.
At Christ's we don’t have fixed quotas for places, so the number of students we admit in any year depends on the strengths of the applicants, regardless of their background. In Philosophy we aim to admit at least two students annually. In recent years our acceptance ratio has been between 2:1 and 3:1.
We define the terms of each offer individually, but the typical conditional offer for Philosophy is:
> A*AA at A-level
> 42 points overall in the International Baccalaureate with 7,7,6 in Higher Level subjects
> A1, A2, A2 in three relevant Scottish Advanced Highers
You need to be academically ambitious: the majority of Christ's students arrive with higher grades than are required.
If you’re taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range i.e.
> Baccalauréat français international (BFI): 17 (mention très bien) out of 20 overall, with a minimum of 17 in individual subjects
> European Baccalaureate: at least 85% overall, with 9/10 in relevant subjects
You can look up other qualifications in the offer levels for other exam systems and international entry requirements, and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the Christ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.
If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, mature students or applying from a university.
Would you like to receive these resources in an email? Please complete this brief form.
| Reading list | Suggestions to help you to develop your interest in Philosophy |
| 15 Minute Masterclasses | The Royal Institute of Philosophy have produced a number of 15 minute long videos on a range of topics in the field, matched to the A-Level syllabus. YouTube playlist here. |
| Online taster lectures | Wanting and Liking: Lessons from addiction Free Speech and Media Ethics Free will and Neuroscience Philosophy and the self |
| Ask Philosophers | Professional philosophers do their best to answer philosophical questions from the public |
| Philosophy Bites | Podcasts featuring top philosophers discussing bite-sized topics |
| The History of Philosophy | The History of Philosophy: without any gaps is a series of podcasts by Peter Adamson. |
| Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work. May be useful for Extended Projects or Essays, as well as general interest. |
| Essay competitions | Entering an essay competition is a good way to explore a relevant question and get some extra practice in writing a convincing and well-structured essay. Examples: Sheffield Philosophy Prize; Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize; Trinity Philosophy Prize; Newnham Essay Prizes |
| HE+ Philosophy | Website for secondary school students who would like to explore Philosophy |
| The Philosophers’ Arms | A series of podcasts by Matthew Sweet |
| Learn more about Logic | Logic: The Language of Truth - free online introductory course from University of York |
| If you're studying Maths in sixth form | The Advanced Maths Support Programme has resources to support transition from GCSE to A level maths and resources for A level maths. See also the NRICH resources: Post-16 homepage; podcasts, Plus Magazine (which has particles on logic, for example) and Maths at Home. You may also find these A level notes helpful. |
| If you're not studying maths in sixth form | Why not get stuck into some logic problems? If you enjoy these, you'll enjoy Philosophy. Try Puzzler's Logic Problems Magazine (normally available in WH Smith in the UK) or similar! |
| CamGuides | Introducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you would be working |
What really surprised me about starting Philosophy was the methodology, the rigour, and precision with which the subject is conducted at Cambridge.
Open days and online events
Our open days and events page advertises regular online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge. Between February and August we run regular webinars:
> Subject Matters: The importance of post-16 subject choices
> Cambridge for Beginners
> Understanding Student Finance
> Personal Statements and preparing for an application
> Webinars for applicants outside the UK
For Philosophy, see in particular
> College Open Days
> Christ's Online Subject Meetings in May
> Cambridge SU Shadowing Scheme (eligibility criteria apply)
> Sutton Trust Summer School (eligibility criteria apply)
For more detail of what the course involves, take a look at Undergraduate Philosophy admissions on the University website, and read the Faculty of Philosophy information for prospective students too.
If you have any other queries, please send them to admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk and we’ll help however we can.
