Testimonials
A selection of feedback we have received from recent graduates of our postgraduate programme.
"I chose to apply to Edinburgh because it seemed to offer more opportunities for interdisciplinary research than other philosophy departments. As it turned out, this was a major strength of the department - and of the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences to which the department belongs - in that it encourages you to interact with researchers from a range of departments. Throughout my PhD, I was involved in a range of reading groups, seminars, talks and workshops from across philosophy, informatics, linguistics, psychology and neuroscience. All my supervision meetings were attended by both my supervisors - one from philosophy and one from psychology. These meetings were incredibly helpful to me, and usually a lot of fun. Having just finished my PhD, I'm now off to do a 4 year post-doc at the Center for Integrative Neuroscience (part of Germany's 'Excellence Initiative' for research institutions) at the University of Tubingen, where I will belong to a small group of philosophers based at the neuroscience labs. My time at Edinburgh prepared me really well for this kind of position, so if interdisciplinary research is your thing, then Edinburgh is a brilliant place to be."
Dr Liz Irvine
PhD in Mind & Cognition, 2011
Currently Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Science at the University of Tubingen
"I came to Edinburgh to work with some of the best minds in the moral philosophy business but found something I didn't expect. There's a buzz here that can't be conveyed through course lists and event calendars. The faculty working in ethics and throughout the department are on the cutting edge of their fields, yet they always manage to find time to deal with my work and my concerns. When everyone's exploring new terrain it really motivates you to do original work that might not get a hearing somewhere more conservative. However, since the faculty always manage to make time for their students, you're not nearly as likely to go off a cliff. That combination of creativity and rigour make this a special place to learn how to do philosophy."
Dr Raymond Critch
PhD in Ethics, 2010
Currently Postdoctoral Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Vienna
"Edinburgh University is a fantastic place to pursue postgraduate studies in philosophy. For one thing, the atmosphere is really quite hard to beat: it was a privilege to study in a brand new, state-of-the-art (indeed, almost futuristic feeling) building within a visually stunning and culturally rich city. These perks aside, the post-graduates and faculty are skilled and diverse in their research interests and enthusiastic in their support and organization of research events based around the work of post-grads, staff as well as top-level visiting speakers. Edinburgh's philosophy department (especially in certain areas like Epistemology and Mind and Cognition) is rising quickly in its international reputation, and the quality of the staff and postgrads recruited continues to rise accordingly. It was a very intellectually productive and exciting time for me at Edinburgh, and I only expect that Edinburgh's already stellar philosophy department will continue become even better in coming years."
Dr Adam Carter
PhD in Epistemology, 2009
Currently Lecturer in Philosophy, Queen's University Belfast
"The atmosphere at Edinburgh is very supportive and collegial; it is a healthy place to learn and work. There is also quite an exciting amount of interesting research being done in many schools and departments, so there are marvellous opportunities for interdisciplinary projects. And, of course, the city is lovely."
Mikio Akagi
MSc in Philosophy (with specialization in Mind, Language and Embodied Cognition), 2009
Currently PhD student in Philosophy at Pittsburgh University
"During my time in Edinburgh the philosophy department was a vibrant research environment buzzing with seminars in all areas of philosophy. This contributed to broaden my intellectual horizons enormously and got me engaged with a variety of philosophical questions which I am still pursuing. The ancient philosophy programme on which I was on enjoyed broad collaborations at the national and international level, and also within the university with members of other departments, most notably classics. With so much to join in to, my graduate years flew in the blink of an eye! I am very grateful for all I learned from teachers and peers during that period."
Dr Anna Marmodoro
PhD in Ancient Philosophy, 2006
Currently Fellow in Philosophy at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University
"When I came to Edinburgh in 2003 to do a Masters in philosophy I was uncertain of my real interests and my long-term plans. Five years later I found myself still in Edinburgh, PhD in hand, and committed to a career in philosophy. I soon was fortunate enough to be offered a postdoc at the Institut Jean Nicod and then a permanent job at the University of Southampton. Edinburgh was where I discovered my interests and where I learned how to do philosophy. It has faculty that not only are world class in their fields, but that also care about their students and help them find their way into the profession."
Dr Conor McHugh
PhD in Epistemology and Mind & Cognition, 2009
Currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton
"Reflecting on my MSc studies at Edinburgh, what I most appreciated was how the faculty and teaching leadership created an intellectually demanding yet remarkably open and collaborative community. Before my arrival, I had been concerned that the presence of brilliant thinkers and competition between diverse philosophical specializations might have made it hard for new MSc students to carve out their own projects. My actual experience was quite to the contrary: not only were students supported and treated as respected peers, but the diverse specializations, at all levels, also actively participated in the advancement of each others' thinking and research. In this sense, I came to understand more deeply the idea and ideal of a community of philosophers committed together to a life of the mind. (Put more simply, it was really fun!)
Studying for my MSc played a specific and formative role in my overall career development and refinement of what I see as my basic intellectual project. Prior to the MSc, I had studied cognitive science and had empirical experience as a cognitive ethnographer - studying cognition in groups. I took the MSc specialization in Mind, Language and Embodied Cognition which allowed me to examine specific philosophical issues inherent in theories I had come to take for granted as suitable for explaining the human behaviour I observed. After the MSc, my desire to conduct further fieldwork brought me to Stanford University's Center for Work, Technology, and Organization, where my research is primarily aimed at advancing varieties of organizational theory.
While my empirical research has taken me across the world, conducting deep ethnographies of organizations in East Asia, Europe, and across the US, my PhD program specifically has brought me into contact with top theorists, experimentalists, and field researchers across sociology, social psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology (as well as a number of other disciplines). In this context, I have found that the single most important skill that has enabled me to synthesize these numerous literatures and empirical methodologies is the ability to rigorously think and reason about fundamental questions that underlie all of the these literatures and all of these empirical methodologies.
The mentorship and pedagogical structure of the MSc Phil at Edinburgh thus affected me in ways I could not foresee until thoroughly engaged in my PhD program at Stanford: although I specialized in philosophy of cognition at Edinburgh, I came to realize that the program as a whole prepared me to robustly generalize as a competent scholar in numerous other fields. My current field is a heterogeneous mix of many ideas and approaches from numerous disciplines; it turns out that being prepared to meaningfully synthesize across these disciplines was the greatest intellectual gift I didn't know the Philosophy department at Edinburgh was giving me. In this sense, aside from my fond memories of Edinburgh, I see the influence of my peers and teachers in the Philosophy department in all of my current research and all of my current thinking. I couldn't have asked for more."
Joachim B. Lyon
MSc in Philosophy (with specialization in Mind, Language and Embodied Cognition), 2008
Currently PhD Student at Stanford University's Center for Work, Technology, and Organization
"I applied to the University of Edinburgh for the taught MSc in Mind, Language and Embodied Cognition right out of my undergrad degree in Cognitive Science. This programme was uniquely equipped amongst the various others I researched to provide a stepping-stone from a non-philosophy degree into the realm of academic philosophy. During this year-long programme, I found that both the postgraduate community and university faculty were extremely active, friendly and helpful. This was the case not only within philosophy, but also within the school to which philosophy belongs (the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences).
As the time came to look forward to PhD programmes, Edinburgh topped my list for numerous reasons, not the least of which was the aforementioned faculty and postgraduate communities. Beyond this, taking up a PhD position in philosophy at the University of Edinburgh offered opportunities to attend numerous workshops, conferences and reading groups on a variety of topics within my philosophical research area, as well as the philosophical and scientific disciplines related to my own, narrower focus. (Of special note, I think, was the eager attendance of faculty and reading groups initiated by postgraduate students. This evinced an interest on the part of the faculty to academically engage with students beyond the requirements of supervision.) Additionally, through the Career Development Fellowship awarded to me, I gained invaluable experience teaching at several different stages in the students' learning process and development (i.e., tutoring, pre-honours lecturing and honours lecturing). Along with this award, there were more general career development initiatives within the department for all PhD students. Regularly throughout the term, faculty members would give talks about a variety of topics relevant to careers in philosophy (e.g., applying for jobs, getting published, giving lectures, etc.)
Concerning the PhD project itself, the system in place at University of Edinburgh's philosophy programme was excellent and efficient. In each year of my project, I had to submit work to be reviewed by both faculty involved in my project and others charged with overseeing postgraduate matters. These yearly reviews helped to provide important feedback and keep me on track to finish my degree in just under three years. Nor did I only receive feedback at yearly intervals: schedules permitting, I received feedback from my advisors and other philosophy faculty whenever I had new work to present. Beyond simply giving comments, the faculty actively encouraged me to work on papers for submission to journals and conferences. When the deadline for submission began to loom, my advisors stepped-up their efforts in proportion to mine, providing timely feedback during a crucial time. Moreover, I was also given guidance concerning the viva for my PhD in the form of a mock viva - an opportunity afforded to every PhD student and which advisors encourage their students to take.
Finally, the philosophy programme at Edinburgh offers assistance when the time comes for students to apply for jobs. In addition to the professional development talks already mentioned, students can get individual assistance with drafting CVs, giving job talks and handling interviews. My advisors' assistance with my CV has been helpful, as it can be difficult to know what to include in these documents, and how to present your qualifications. Due in large part to the assistance of the philosophy faculty at Edinburgh, I secured a postdoctoral research position at the University of Geneva starting but one month after I had defended my PhD.
Overall, I have found my experience as a postgraduate student in philosophy at the University of Edinburgh extremely useful and rewarding. The research and teaching staff are all of a high calibre and the other postgraduates are friendly and research active. This excellence is not limited to a narrow band of philosophical topics either, making the University of Edinburgh an excellent place for those interested in a broad range of philosophical topics."
Dr Evan Butts
PhD in Epistemology and Mind & Cognition, 2011
Currently Postdoctoral Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Geneva
"One of the most striking things about studying at Edinburgh is the enthusiasm and supportiveness of the philosophy faculty. I would frequently approach faculty for feedback on my work or ask them to explain something to me, and they would always be very willing and welcoming. It never seemed to matter whether they were officially my supervisor or if I was taking their class, they were always generous with their time. For instance, when I gave a paper at a conference outside of my area, one of the Professors spent many hours helping me with the topic, even though he was never officially my teacher. Faculty will also send you their work for comments, and this is a great opportunity to hone your philosophy skills: they spend time taking seriously your comments, and this is excellent training for a career philosophy.
Edinburgh has an exceptional graduate community. It is large and active. We frequently met together to talk philosophy, whether through organised events, such as mini-workshops, reading groups, and the weekly work-in-progress meetings, or less organised events, such as the pub nights, staff-grad coffee time, and simply meeting in the corridor. There are so many graduate students, and they have such great enthusiasm for philosophy, that there is always philosophy going on. This is paramount - as a philosophy graduate a great deal of your training comes from philosophising among peers, and at Edinburgh the peer group is excellent. It certainly puts you at an advantage to study in such an active community.
The third striking thing about the University of Edinburgh philosophy department is their programme of events. I have participated in the graduate community of four universities (Saint Louis, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Edinburgh), and in my experience Edinburgh equals or surpasses these when it comes to frequency and quality of events. The weekly visiting speaker seminar series allowed me to hear from, and chat with, many prominent philosophers during my time at Edinburgh. It is rare for a philosophy department to host an excellent speaker every week. And I was always welcome to join the group for dinner afterward - this was a real privilege, and one that is rare for philosophy graduates. I certainly had many excellent philosophy conversations as a result of this practise. Edinburgh also hosts fortnightly epistemology talks, the aforementioned staff-graduate coffee, the professional development series (where faculty present insights into the profession of philosophy for the benefit of graduates), the graduate work-in-progress series (where graduates present work in a supportive setting), the staff colloquium (where Edinburgh staff present their research to the Edinburgh community), many reading groups, and many conferences and workshops… And that is not to mention the series of talks organised by the Undergraduate Philosophy Society. Indeed one of the skills you need to develop at Edinburgh is saying "no" to worthwhile events!
My MRes supervisor was exceptionally supportive. Whenever I send him work he always replies with comments with unbelievable speed (even when I leave it unreasonably close to an approaching deadline!). He offers great advice, both about philosophy and 'around' philosophy, such as which conferences and journals to submit to, and is very supportive. He cares about his students. When Edinburgh hosted the annual Episteme conference in 2010, for example, there were philosophers from around the world in Edinburgh, yet at the conference and in the pub afterwards he found an enormous amount of time to chat to the postgraduate students. My supervisor has frequently helped me since I left Edinburgh, both with applications and with new work in philosophy, and I think he very much sees his role as supervisor for life, not just until you pass the course. I still go to him for advice, and expect I will continue to do so in the future.
I would thoroughly recommend doing a Masters in Philosophy at Edinburgh."
Georgi Gardiner
MSc by Research in Epistemology, 2011
Currently PhD student in Philosophy at Rutgers University