Philosophy Research

Cristobal
Chilean
Philosophy Research MPhilStud/MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with NUS or Humboldt
The main reason why I chose King’s to continue with my postgraduate studies in Philosophy was because I want to be a well-rounded philosopher. Internationally renowned and with one of the biggest staffs in the UK, the Philosophy Department covers an impressive philosophical spectrum.

In my case, the MA in Philosophy and the MPhilStud in Philosophy were the programmes that best matched my purposes. As a taught degree, and along with its flexible structure, the former offers a wide variety of courses, which fitted perfectly with my intention of combining the study of different areas of Philosophy.

As a research degree, the latter helps me to develop important research skills required to progress on to independent research; through individual tutorials it gives me the adequate training that I need to strengthen and consolidate a philosophical grounding. Whilst the MA let me expand my philosophical background, the MPhilStud gives me the opportunity to go deeper in three different areas of Philosophy, acquiring solid and still broad expertise at an advanced level before the more narrow specialization of the PhD, which after the two first years of MPhilStud can be completed after two further years.

Cutting-edge research activity and academic excellence are without a doubt part of what characterises a Philosophy Department with a long-standing tradition. However, it is the approachability of a friendly teaching-staff, the permanent activities that generate an intellectually stimulating environment, and the thriving postgraduate community what makes me feel very comfortable at King’s.

Felix
Hong Kong
Philosophy Research MPhilStud/MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with NUS or Humboldt
King’s was the obvious choice for me, because of its reputation, location, resources, and quality of teaching. I plan on becoming a professional philosopher, so being able to work with some of the top people in my field was as important to me as being able to access high-quality research libraries through the University of London system and being able to attend philosophical conferences, which are regularly hosted in London.

For me, attending King’s ensured that I would not only get excellent training for my future career, but that I would also have easy access to the most important new research in my field. Out of all of my experiences with King’s, my work with my supervisors has been the thing that stands out the most in my mind. While the school supports and enables my research, the supervisors act as my guides. My research is focused on fiction, and at King’s I’m able to work with top researchers like David Papineau, who routinely shows me new ways to evaluate familiar arguments and encourages me to actively seek out problems with my research and come up with innovative solutions.

I also still work closely with my supervisor from my MA, Mark Textor, whose detailed advice for my PhD proposal greatly helped me to secure the King’s Alumni Bursary. This has been of great assistance in funding my studies, allowing me to focus purely on my research without worrying about the financial aspects of studying.

Overall, I’ve had a great time studying here. The insightful supervision, the interesting discussions with colleagues both in and out of the classroom, and the inspiring location all make for a truly valuable and engaging study experience.

Jekatarina
Estonian
Philosophy Research MPhilStud/MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with NUS or Humboldt
I chose to study at King’s because of its reputation as one of the best and most respected universities in the UK. Needless to say, it is impossible to ignore the fact that King’s is situated right in the heart of London.

The main focus of my research is probabilistic semantics, which is a relatively new discipline combining topics from philosophy, linguistics, logic, natural language processing, and psychology. I believe that King’s is an excellent place for undertaking research in this direction, as the Philosophy Department here has a long tradition of interest in linguistics. The department also has very good connections with students and researchers from other universities in London who work on similar issues in both theoretical and applied domains. All of this creates a friendly environment for engaging in interdisciplinary research.

I was awarded a studentship in an ESRC funded research project 'Probabilistic Representation of Linguistic Knowledge’ currently held by Professor Shalom Lappin in our department. I believe that having studied at King’s will certainly work to my advantage in the future, regardless of whether I choose to stay in academia or pursue a different career path.

Poppy
Philosophy Research MPhilStud/MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with NUS or Humboldt
Having completed a Philosophy BA at King’s, I knew that there was nowhere I’d rather go for my postgraduate studies. Throughout my time as an undergraduate, I found the other students and the staff to be incredibly friendly. It was this sense of a lively academic community, combined with the excellence of the teaching staff, which influenced my decision to continue at King’s.

Another part of the appeal of the MPhilStud course at King’s was the opportunity for fortnightly meetings with supervisors. The topics that I’m currently interested in (associated with Philosophy of Language, Linguistics, Logic and Metaphysics) are particular strengths of the King’s department, and I hope that my research will benefit from discussions with a range of professors.

The main benefit of studying Philosophy in London is the ability to also attend philosophical talks outside of King’s. There are a range of lectures and conferences at other colleges within the University of London, and at the Institute of Philosophy. King’s has a generous system of scholarships associated with a simple application process. My MPhilStud is funded by an Arts & Humanities Research Council studentship, which allows me to focus on my studies without worrying about how I will afford fees and living costs. After completing the MPhilStud, I hope to go on to study for a PhD in Philosophy, with the aim of ultimately ending up working in academia. I feel that King’s is preparing me extremely well for such a future.