You might be full of curiosity and wonder, anger and a sense of injustice, confusion or a desire to make sense of yourself and the world. Philosophy covers all these bases. And more.
This course is designed for talented UK students with a drive to understand humanity through philosophy but whose personal circumstances make achieving our usual entry requirements difficult.
This could be your opportunity to study your subject of choice at a top 20 UK university (Times Higher Education Rankings 2024).
Through a range of engaging modules spanning the arts and humanities, the foundation year gives you an opportunity to develop key skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and digital capability. Your foundation year tutors will support you in developing the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence for undergraduate study.
During the foundation year you will be a full member of the university, with all the opportunities this offers, including the same accommodation options as direct entry students.
Upon progressing from the foundation year to the three-year Philosophy BA you'll be taught the essentials of ethics, reasoning and logic. You also explore philosophies beyond the Western tradition and learn how to apply philosophy to contemporary problems. In later years you're free to choose from our unusually wide range of optional topics.
Find out more about our Arts and Humanities Foundation Year courses.
"Despite arriving at Nottingham with less than perfect A-level results I have gone on to achieve first class marks so far during my time at university. The catalyst for that change is not only the support networks, but also the variety of assessment methods. I admit that I hate exams! But I discovered that in essays I perform really well. Because the foundation year has a really wide variety of different assessments, you can find your niche and start to improve yourself."
Calvin, a past Arts Foundation student
Important information
This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.