簡介：Philosophy confounded the sceptics who predicted a decline for subjects without a clear pathway to employment in the era of ￡3,000 fees. With almost six applications to the place in 2011, it was one of the most competitive subjects in the arts and social sciences. Eight universities have average entry scores of more than 500 points and almost half more than 400 in the latest table. But there were ominous signs in March 2012, as fees rose again, with applications dropping by 16 per cent. Cambridge has retaken the top place in philosophy that it lost to Oxford two years ago. Oxford still has the highest entry standards in the table, but Cambridge has the most satisfied students. The London School of Economics, in third place, has much the best employment record. Other employment scores are extremely variable, with over a quarter of all universities failing to secure “positive destinations” in employment or further study for at least 50 per cent of their graduates. Philosophy remains just in the bottom 20 subjects in the employment table, and nearly a third of leavers start their working life in non-graduate jobs. As in previous years, scores in the National Student Survey were high throughout the table: none of the 46 universities failed to satisfy at least 70 per cent of its students. University College London, in fifth place, produced the best results in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, when three quarters of its submission was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Fourth-placed St Andrews was close behind on research and remains the top university in Scotland. Cardiff remains top in Wales, while Brighton records the highest finish outside the old universities. Relatively few philosophy undergraduates studied the subject at A level – indeed, Bristol warns that even an A in the subject is “not necessarily evidence of aptitude for philosophy at university”. Degrees can require more mathematical skills than many candidates expect, especially when there is an emphasis on logic in the syllabus. The subject has usually resided in the bottom half of the earnings table, but a ￡1,000 increase in average starting salaries for graduate-level jobs has taken it close to the top 20 in the latest table.以下是2013年Times哲學排名。