Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER IV
pp. 404–407
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

The provisions contained in this Chapter are Regulations of the General Board

TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

PHILOSOPHY TRIPOS

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2015–16, p. 682)

1. The Philosophy Tripos shall consist of three Parts: Part Ia, Part Ib, and Part II. A separate class-list shall be published for each Part.

2. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they may deem sufficient to examine in each Part of the Tripos. The Faculty Board may also nominate one or more Assessors for each Part of the Tripos. Assessors shall be responsible for setting the questions in the subjects assigned to them by the Examiners, and for advising the Examiners on the performance of candidates in those questions. An Assessor may be summoned to meetings of the Examiners for the purpose of consultation and advice, but shall not be entitled to vote.

3. The questions proposed for each Part by each Examiner or Assessor for that Part shall be submitted to and approved by the Examiners for that Part collectively; and the answers to each question shall be examined, as far as possible, by two at least of the Examiners or Assessors. The Examiners and Assessors shall take account of the style and method of the candidates’ answers and shall give credit for excellence in these respects.

4. The papers for Part Ia shall be as follows:

 Paper  1.

Metaphysics

 Paper  2.

Ethics and political philosophy

 Paper  3.

Logic142

 Paper  4.

Set texts

 Paper  5.

General paper

Every candidate shall offer Papers 1–5.

5. (a) The papers for Part Ib shall be as follows:

 Paper  1.

Metaphysics and epistemology

 Paper  2.

Logic

 Paper  3.

Ethics

 Paper  4.

Greek and Roman philosophy (Paper 8 of Part Ib of the Classical Tripos)

 Paper  5.

Early modern philosophy

 Paper  6.

Philosophy of science

 Paper  7.

Political philosophy

 Paper  8.

Experimental psychology (the subject Experimental Psychology in Part Ib of the Natural Sciences Tripos)

 Paper  9.

General paper

(b) Subject to the provision of sub-paragraphs (c) and (d) of this regulation, a candidate for Part Ib shall offer papers as follows:

  1. either(i)Papers 1, 2, and 9, and two papers from Papers 3–7;
  2. or(ii)Papers 1, 2, and 8, and one paper from Papers 3–7.

The weighting of Paper 8, for those who offer it, shall be double that of other papers.

(c) No candidate who has previously offered Experimental psychology in Part Ib of the Natural Sciences Tripos shall offer Paper 8.

(d) In place of any one of the Papers 1–3, and 5–7 a candidate may submit two essays, each of not less than 3,000 words and not more than 4,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography, on two topics approved by the Chair of Examiners, which shall both fall within the syllabus of that paper; provided that a candidate who chooses to submit essays under the provisions of this sub-paragraph shall not write in Paper 9 an essay on a subject that overlaps significantly with either of the submitted essays.

6. The papers for Part II shall be as follows:

 Paper  1.

Metaphysics

 Paper  2.

Philosophy of mind (also serves as Paper O5 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

 Paper  3.

Ethics

 Paper  4.

European philosophy from Kant

 Paper  5.

Philosophy in the Long Middle Ages143

 Paper  6.

Philosophy of science

 Paper  7.

Mathematical logic

 Paper  8.

Philosophical logic

 Paper  9.

Wittgenstein

 Paper 10.

Political philosophy

 Paper 11.

Aesthetics144

 Paper 12.

General paper

7. Except as provided in Regulation 8 below, a candidate for Part II shall offer papers as follows:

  1. either
  2. (a)four papers from among Papers 1–11 and the papers specified in the Schedule to these regulations, and (b) a dissertation offered in accordance with Regulation 9;
  3. or
  4. (a)four papers from among Papers 1–11 and the papers specified in the Schedule to these regulations, and (b) Paper 12;

provided that a candidate who has previously obtained honours in Part II of the Classical Tripos or Part IIb of the Theological and Religious Studies Tripos shall not offer any paper that he or she offered in that examination.

8. In place of any one of Papers 1–11 and the papers from the Classical Tripos specified in the Schedule to these regulations, a candidate for Part II of the Philosophy Tripos may submit two essays, each of not less than 3,000 words and not more than 4,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography, on two topics approved by the Chair of Examiners, which shall both fall within the syllabus of that paper, provided that

  1. (i)a candidate who chooses to submit essays under the provisions of this paragraph shall not write in Paper 12 an essay on a subject that overlaps significantly with either of the submitted essays;
  2. (ii)a candidate who chooses to submit essays shall not write in place of Paper 12 a dissertation on a subject that overlaps significantly with either of the submitted essays.
  3. (iii)a candidate for Part II under Regulation 7(b) may not offer both two submitted essays in accordance with this regulation and a dissertation in accordance with Regulation 9.

9. (a) A candidate for Part Ib who chooses to offer two submitted essays under the provisions of Regulation 5(d), or a candidate for Part II who chooses to offer a dissertation under the provisions of Regulation 7 and/or two submitted essays under the provisions of Regulation 8 shall submit the proposed title of the dissertation or the proposed titles of the essays, together with a statement of the papers to be offered in the examination, and in the case of essays a statement of the paper which they are intended to replace, to the Chair of Examiners so as to arrive not later than two weeks before the last day of Full Michaelmas Term. A candidate must obtain the approval of the Chair of Examiners for the proposed title or titles not later than the last day of Full Michaelmas Term.

(b) Essays shall be submitted to the Chair of Examiners, in accordance with detailed arrangements approved by the Faculty Board, so as to arrive not later than the last day of the Lent Term next preceding the examination.

(c) Dissertations shall be submitted to the Chair of Examiners, in accordance with detailed arrangements approved by the Faculty Board, so as to arrive not later than the second Friday of the Easter Term in which the examination is to be held.

(d) Every candidate submitting a dissertation or a pair of essays will be required to sign a declaration that the work submitted is her or his own work, unaided except as may be specified in the declaration, and that it does not contain material that has already been used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose. The Examiners shall have power to examine any candidate viva voce on the dissertation or the essays.

(e) A dissertation, which shall be on a topic of philosophical interest approved by the Chair of Examiners, shall be of not more than 8,000 words and (except with the permission of the Chair of Examiners) not less than 6,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography.

10. The Faculty Board shall have power to publish supplementary regulations for the topics included in the several subjects before mentioned, and to issue a list of books in relation to which questions shall be set. They shall also have power to modify or alter the supplementary regulations and the list from time to time as they see fit, due care being taken that sufficient notice is given of any change. Public notice of the texts prescribed for special study shall be given by the Faculty Board before the end of the Easter Term in the year next preceding the examination to which they apply; provided that the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for doing so and if it is satisfied that no student's preparation for the examination is adversely affected.

11. A student may be a candidate for honours in Part Ia if at the time of the examination he or she has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

12. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part Ib:

  1. (a)a student who has not obtained honours in an Honours Examination, provided that he or she has kept four terms and that six complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Philosophy Tripos or in another Honours Examination, in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

13. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part II:

  1. (a)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the Philosophy Tripos in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that at the time of the examination the student has kept seven terms, and that twelve complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence;145
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination in the year next after or next but one after so obtaining honours, provided that at the time of the examination the student has kept seven terms, and that fifteen complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence;
  3. (c)an Affiliated Student as allowed by the Faculty Board of Philosophy in accordance with the regulations for Affiliated Students.

14. No student shall be a candidate for more than one Part in the same year. No student who has been a candidate for any Part shall again be a candidate for the same Part.

15. In each Part, the names of the candidates who obtain honours shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order. Each class-list may show, by some convenient mark, whether a candidate has passed with special distinction.

SCHEDULE

Papers from other Triposes that may be taken in Part II

A candidate for Part II of the Philosophy Tripos may take one or two of the following papers:

Classical Tripos, Part II

Group B (Philosophy)

 B1.

Plato

 B2.

Aristotle

 B3.

A prescribed subject or period in Greek and Roman philosophy

Theological and Religious Studies Tripos, Part IIb

Group C

 C11.

God, metaphysics, and the modern challenge

Footnotes

  1. 142. This paper is also available to up to six candidates for Paper B17 in Part IIa of the Theological and Religious Studies Tripos; see p. 411.a
  2. 143. This paper is also available to candidates for Part IIb of the Theological and Religious Studies Tripos; see p. 417.a
  3. 144. This paper is also available to candidates for Part II of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos; see p. 385.a
  4. 145. See also the regulations for Affiliated Students (p. 166).a