THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2026/2027

Draft Edition - Due to be published Thursday 9th April 2026

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : DPTs :  School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences DPTs
Jump to: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4

Year 1 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: September

Notes:
You will be automatically enrolled on your five compulsory courses.

You are expected to pass both of your compulsory Year 1 Philosophy courses. Students who fail any of these courses may be permitted to progress; however, the failed course(s) will need to be retaken (and passed) in Year 2.

You must also pass all three of your Mathematics courses to progress to Year 2 of the Philosophy and Mathematics programme.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 20 credits in this group.

Philosophy Electives (Pre-honours)

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
You have the option to take Introduction to the History of Philosophy A or Philosophy of Science 1 in Year 1 or Year 2, but neither is required.
OR

Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y

Notes:
You are permitted a maximum of 40 credits at Level 7 across Years 1 and 2.
OR

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking. Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.

Year 2 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will be automatically enrolled on your four compulsory courses. In order to progress into Year 3 of the Philosophy and Mathematics programme, you must:

- Pass both Mind, Matter and Language (MML) and Knowledge and Reality (K&R) with a mark of 40% or above,
- Achieve an average of 50% across both MML and K&R, and
- Pass Linear Algebra 2 and Further Analysis and Several Variable Calculus.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Philosophy Electives (Pre-honours)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
If you have not taken Introduction to the History of Philosophy A or Philosophy of Science 1, you have the option to take these courses in Year 2.
AND

Mathematics Electives (Year 2)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
You have the option to take one or both of these recommended Mathematics electives in Year 2, but they are not required.
AND

Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 7 and 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y
Notes:
You are permitted a maximum of 40 credits at Level 7 across Years 1 and 2.
AND

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking. Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.

Year 3 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will need to take 120 credits, including:

- 40-80 credits (2-4 courses) of Philosophy Year 3 courses,
- 40-80 credits (2-4 courses) of Maths Y3 / 4 Honours (M&S / M&M) courses, and
- 0-40 credits (0-4 10-credit courses) of Maths Y3 (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&P) courses (with no more than two courses per semester).

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

Philosophy Year 3 courses - Theoretical Philosophy

Select between 0 and 80 credits of the following courses
AND

Philosophy Year 3 courses - Practical Philosophy

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
AND

Philosophy Year 3 courses - History of Philosophy

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
AND

Maths Y3 / 4 - Honours Courses (M&S / M&M)

Select between 40 and 80 credits of the following courses
Notes:
You should consult the prerequisites for Year 4 Mathematics courses to ensure that you choose appropriately from the courses available in Year 3.
AND

Maths Y3 - S1 (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&P)

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
AND

Maths Y3 - S2 (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&P)

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses

Year 4 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
You will need to take:

- Dissertation in Philosophy, Project in Mathematics (Double), or two Philosophy coursework dissertations (two 20-credit courses - one in each semester) (Group A),
- Two Philosophy Year 4 courses (Group B), and
- 40 credits (2-4 courses) of Mathematics Y4 / 5 courses (Group B).

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Philosophy and Mathematics Dissertation/Project Options

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
You must select a dissertation in Philosophy or a double project in Mathematics.

There are two options in Philosophy - either an independent dissertation or two coursework dissertations:

- An independent dissertation is a single 8,000-word dissertation. You should select Dissertation in Philosophy (PHIL10026) for this option.

- The coursework dissertation option involves enrolling in two additional Philosophy Year 4 courses and submitting a 4,000-word essay in place of the standard assessment for each of these two courses. To complete the coursework dissertation option, you must select two courses from the Coursework Dissertation Options listed below. You must complete one coursework dissertation in Semester 1 and one in Semester 2. These courses are attended as normal. With this option, you will be enrolling in a total of four Philosophy Year 4 courses.
OR

Philosophy Coursework Dissertation Options - Semester 1

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
AND

Philosophy Coursework Dissertation Options - Semester 2

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
AND

Group B

Select exactly 80 credits in this group.

Philosophy Year 4 courses

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
If you are completing Philosophy coursework dissertations, you must select different courses in this group than the ones selected above.
AND

Maths Y4 - Full Year (Applied / M&P)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Statistical Case Studies is not recommended if you are completing a 40-credit dissertation or project, since these are all year-long courses with final deadlines very close together.
AND

Maths Y4 / 5 - S1 (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&B / M&P)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
AND

Maths Y4 / 5 - S2 (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&B / M&P)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
AND

Maths Y4 / 5 - PGT Courses Without Concession (BSc / MMath / MA / M&M / M&B/ M&P)

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses

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