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Jesus College, Oxford

Turl Street, Oxford OX1 3DW
Telephone (01865) 279700
Email enquiries@jesus.ox.ac.uk

Psychology and Philosophy

Academic Staff

Fellows

Dr Krister Bykvist is the Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, who teaches mainly in Mill’s Moral Philosophy, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Ethics and Philosophy of Religion. His research interests lie in normative ethics, especially topics about well-being.

Professor Robert Rogers is a Senior Research Fellow of the College and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience. He supervises undergraduate teaching in Psychology and is based in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Experimental Psychology. His research interests include the psychology of gambling, Internet gambling, action selection in psychological disorders and the social neuroscience.

Lecturer

Dr Oliver Rashbrook is a Lecturer in Philosophy for Jesus College. He teaches in the areas of elementary logic, general philosophy, knowledge and reality, history of modern philosophy, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.

About the Course

Psychology and Philosophy allows you to study thought and behaviour from the perspectives of psychology and philosophy. Psychology includes subjects as diverse as social interaction, learning, child development, schizophrenia and information processing. Psychology at Oxford is essentially a scientific discipline, involving the rigorous formulation and testing of ideas. Philosophy is concerned with a wide range of questions concerning (among other things), ethics, knowledge and the nature of mind. Philosophy at Oxford has active interests in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science, and has very close links with those working in neuroscience and psychology. The cross-fertilization between the two sides of the course can be particularly valuable.

Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford is a flexible course, offering a wide range of choices within both of the two branches. In terms 1 and 2, you take courses in Philosophy, Psychology and Statistics, leading up to the Preliminary Examination at the end of the second term. The Philosophy for the Preliminary Examination is the same as in PPE, i.e., Moral Philosophy (Mill), General Philosophy, and Logic. Work is divided between lectures (about six per week), and tutorials (two to three per week).

During terms 3-9 leading to the Final Honours School examination, your time will again be divided between attending lectures (about six per week) and tutorials (average of one to two per week). You will also be given the opportunity to carry out your own research project or library dissertation. The papers most commonly taken in the Final School are:

  • History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant
  • Ethics
  • the Philosophy of Mind (a bridge-subject, addressing such topics as mind-body relations, personal identity, imagination, and the nature of actions and motives).

There is also a paper in the Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience, and in the Philosophy of Science.  There are also many options open on the psychological side.

Joint Schools

Experimental Psychology can also be studied as a separate degree course. NB Jesus College does NOT offer the new Biomedical Sciences degree (which has replaced the PPP options involving Physiology, and the Physiological Sciences course).

Philosophy cannot be studied as a separate subject at Oxford. It can be studied at Jesus College in the following combinations:

  • Maths and Philosophy
  • Philosophy and Modern Languages
  • Philosophy and Theology

Admissions

Candidates need to be academically able, with a scientific turn of mind. It is highly recommended for candidates to have studied one or more Science or Mathematics subjects to A-level.

Candidates are selected on the basis of academic record (e.g. GCSEs) and potential, as shown by their UCAS reference, performance in the written test and in interviews if shortlisted. All candidates are required to sit the ‘Thinking Skills Assessment’ (as are candidates for Experimental Psychology). Candidates will need to register with Cambridge Assessment by 14 October to take the test, either at their own school or college (or at an examination centre for individual or overseas applicants), on 2 November 2011. Please see the Cambridge Assessment website for details. No submitted written work is required for this course.

In the interview, Tutors are keen to see whether you can evaluate evidence; are able to consider issues from different perspectives; have a capacity for logical and creative thinking.

In a total College entry of about 100 undergraduates, 2 are offered places in a typical year to read either single honours Experimental Psychology or Psychology with Philosophy. Offers made to pre-A level candidates will be conditional upon A2 level results (normally AAA, with an A grade in at least one science or Maths). Offers made to post-A level candidates will usually be unconditional.

Deferred Entry: You should be aware that applicants who are offered places for deferred entry will generally be among the strongest of the cohort for their subject. We would not usually offer more than one or two deferred places per subject in order not to disadvantage the following year's candidates. You must apply for deferred entry at the time of application to Oxford: you cannot change your mind after an offer has been made. Please refer to departmental web sites for subject-specific advice. In some cases, an applicant for deferred entry may be offered a place for non-deferred entry instead. If you require any further advice, please contact the Admissions Officer.

Postgraduate Studies and Careers

The following degrees are available at postgraduate level 

  •  DPhil or MSc by Research in Psychology
  •  MSc Neuroscience
  •  MSc in Research in Psychology
  •  MLitt, DPhil, MSt or BPhil in Philosophy

Given the nature of the degree, Psychology and Philosophy students are able to consider a wide range of careers, including careers in professional psychology, education, research, medicine, the health services, finance, commerce, industry, the media and information technology. Some careers will require further study and/or training after your degree.

It is not, generally, possible to earn a living as a psychologist if one's only qualification is an undergraduate degree in the subject. For nearly all professional jobs in the subject, further qualifications are necessary, At present, some 15-20% of our undergraduates go on to take second degrees (usually a DPhil, PhD or MSc). These are usually based on independent research done under supervision at some academic institution. They are usually preludes to careers in teaching and research in one or another branch of psychology at a university.

The Psychology and Philosophy degree has been established for some time, and employers in Government and Industry appear to rate it highly as a general education, since it provides more than elementary comprehension of the scientific method as a tool for making decisions and understanding complex relationships. In this respect, degrees in Experimental Psychology are equally "marketable".

Preliminary Reading and Further Information

Further information about Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford can be found on the Department of Experimental Psychology and Faculty of Philosophy websites and the University's Undergraduate Courses pages.