Well Liverpool is where I live and study atm and my partner is at Manchester Uni, plus Manchester is the only place (I know of) that offers an MRes in Philosophy, which I'm increasingly liking the sound of. I know both cities amazingly well and I love both of them; when you add all that up; its pretty illogical to move away

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it! You've replied quicker and with more info. than either of the uni's respective departments!

Another problem I have is that I can't really afford to move further than the general merseyside/manchester area

Manchester also offer a straight MA, but this is identical in structure to the one offered by Liverpool (exams and coursework)

Oh yeah and of course the MA dissertation!

(I like the idea of 'research papers' sounds like good academic training. Instead of just re-hashing others arguments, your actually considering contemporary authors and where the field is going!)

No, for the MA its pretty much bog standard procedure i.e. module score broken down into 50/50 coursework/exam and I think also some modules include 15% participation/attendance mark.

Another benefit of the MRes is the chance to write 4 'research papers' based on the content of the taught modules, throught the year, around 4,000 words each.

Bearing in mind your point about the length of Phd dissertations, does this then make the MRes more of an attractive choice?

Thanks for everyone's comments, I'm a bit lost in making this choice and I appreciate every constructive contribution :)

I only posit that an MRes is an 'easier' route because of the element of extended research undertaken of your own accord (20,000 word original research led dissertation, as opposed to the 10,000 word MA dissertation)

Thats exactly my problem, Liverpool has a slightly better dept. with a more exciting variety of research interests (continental philosophy, a world exepert in Indian Philosophy and a national expert in Kierkegaard) whereas Manchester offers an MRes with an easier route into a Phd (however the dept. is not that great and offer modules on ageing, autonomy etc which just frankly seems weird!)

Hi,

I am currently an Undergrad at Liverpool University (BA Philosophy) considering an academic future in Philosophy.

The thing is, I am torn between applying for an MRes at Manchester University (which is a more highly rated Uni) or a straight MA at Liverpool (which although rated lower as a whole, has a much more highly ranked Philosophy Dept. . 8th overall)

Also; Liverpool offer to pay half my tuition fees for a postgrad course!

Should I go for the more creative aspect of an MRes with an extended dissertation and the prospect of an easier career in academia *easier route into a Phd* , or stick to my smaller but more esteemed dept?