The University of Sheffield
Prospective Postgraduates

MA Political Theory

Briana Toole, postgraduate student in the Department of Philosophy

Key facts

  • Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
  • 1 year full-time / 2 years part-time

Fees and funding

Financial information for postgraduate taught courses

Entry requirements

You’ll need a first-class or strong 2:1 honours degree in philosophy, politics or another social science.

English language requirements: overall IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students

Any questions?

If you'd like to know more about any aspect of our courses, contact us:

Joanne Elliot
E: j.m.elliott@sheffield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)114 222 0587

Apply now

About the course

This course is taught jointly by the Departments of Philosophy and Politics. It's designed to help you develop advanced knowledge and understanding of the philosophy of politics. The research track provides you with the research skills you need for a PhD in political theory.

Optional modules

Choose from a range including:

  • Aristotle
  • Ethics: theoretical and practical
  • Feminism: rationality and politics
  • Hegel and His Critics
  • Human Rights
  • Morality, Identity and Freedom
  • Plato; Political Thought and the Rights of War and Peace
  • Politics and Value seminar
  • Pragmatism
  • Value Theory
  • Theories of Rights
  • Theory and Practice of International Relations
  • The Social Contract
  • Wars, New Wars and the Liberal State
  • Global Justice
  • Human Rights
  • Researching Socio-Political Change
  • Politics and Values

Teaching

All taught modules (not the dissertation) are taught in seminars.

Assessment

You'll be assessed continuously through essays.

To complete the MA successfully you must earn a total of 180 credits. Most core and optional modules count for 30 credits each. Your dissertation, produced over the summer after the taught element, counts for 60 credits.

For the module assessments and the dissertation, you'll need a mark of 50 per cent or above. If you don't complete the dissertation, achieving 120 credits in taught modules will get you a Graduate Diploma.

Where your masters can take you

A masters from Sheffield is excellent preparation for a PhD at any leading university. Many of our MA students take their PhDs with us, then go on to academic posts at places such as Aberdeen, Birkbeck, Cambridge, Essex, Keele, Kent, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Manitoba, Newcastle, Nottingham, the Open University, Oxford, Sheffield, Stirling and Zurich.

A lively study environment

We want your time here to be rewarding, a positive experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

The Philosophical Gourmet Report 2011 recognised our strengths in Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Philosophical Logic, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Art, Kant, 19th Century Continental Philosophy, American Pragmatism and Feminist Philosophy.

The department is home to The Hang Seng Centre for Cognitive Studies and the Leverhulme-funded Implicit Bias and Philosophy Project..

Apply now

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It is a quick and easy process.

Postgraduate Online Application Form