Moral, political and legal philosophy have implications for law, and philosophers can learn from lawyers too in various ways. Our course offers plenty of opportunity to study, not only what the law is, but also what the law ought to be.

You study topics including:

Ethics

Political philosophy

European philosophy (including critical theory, phenomenology, and existentialism)

Medicine and the law

Cybercrime

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

Your future

Many employers want graduates with critical thinking skills who can think logically and creatively about practical problems.

Our students are in demand from a wide range of employers in a host of occupations, including law, PR, project management, journalism and the media, teaching, librarianship, the Civil Service, banking, the police and fashion design.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies.

Philosophy develops your transferable skills, providing you with:

The ability to understand all sides of a dispute objectively and without forming a premature opinion

The ability to work in a team, taking a collaborative approach to problems

The ability to interpret dense text and to communicate effectively

Analytical and problem-solving skills