Philosophy Welcome and Transition information

Congratulations on securing your place to study Philosophy with us - we can’t wait to meet you! On this page you’ll find useful information and tasks to help make your transition to university life as smooth as possible.

Your checklist

Explore the student handbook

The student handbook is designed to guide you through your time at Sheffield - from now until you graduate - we highly recommend that you take a look at the handbook before you arrive to find out more about your programme, how we can support you and the School community.

Choose your modules

Online module choice (OMC) is now open. Please make sure to choose your modules before you arrive so you can complete registration and get ready to start your studies. You’ll find all of the information you need to choose your modules on our programme information site here.

Please note that you’ll need to be logged into your University account to access this site.

Complete your Digital Induction

My Digital Induction is a guide to the apps and software you will use at Sheffield. You should complete this before you arrive to make sure you know how to access everything you need. 

You will receive a lot of emails during your time at University, so it’s also important that you learn how to effectively manage your University inbox making sure that you don’t miss any important information. 

Philosophy Thought Experiment

As part of your welcome week events, you’ll get to join a mini seminar where we throw you into a live thought experiment — the kind that’s puzzled brilliant minds for centuries. To prepare for this, pick a couple of topics from our Thought Experiment document and think about one of the questions ahead of time. Don’t worry, the sessions are informal, interactive, and there’s no “right” answer!

Read the welcome from your head of school

Read the Welcome from your Head of School

I'd like to welcome you to the School and wish you well as you join, or rejoin, our academic community. We're delighted that you are with us in Sheffield and we look forward to working with you both as you study on your programme and as you get involved in all that we have to offer beyond the lecture halls and seminar rooms. 

We're really keen that your views shape what we do, so please do get in touch if you'd like to give us your input on your experience. There are also plenty of people here to help if you have any questions or issues - their details are available in this handbook. Good luck with everything in the coming weeks, and I look forward to seeing many of you around the campus.

Professor Adrian Bingham

Head of School

Welcome to your new school

Welcome Week timetable

Our Welcome Week activities are a great way to meet your fellow students, and we strongly encourage your attendance.

Monday 21 September 2026

School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities Welcome Talk

Time: 12pm-2pm
Location: See your timetable for location

Tuesday 22 September 2026

Library, Digital Learning and 301 Skills Centre Welcome Talk

Time: 1.00pm-1.30pm
Location: St George's Lecture Theatre

Student Experience Team drop-in (optional)

Time: 2.30pm-4.00pm
Location: 9 Mappin Room 304

Thursday 24 September 2026

Philosophy Thought Experiments Seminar

Time: from 10am
See your timetable for exact time and location

Introduction to your programme followed by tea and biscuits

Time: 2.30pm-5.00pm
See your timetable for location

Friday 25 September 2026

Harassment and sexual misconduct training

Time: 9.00am-10.00am
Time has been put aside for you to do this training but you can complete it at any point before the end of Welcome Week Online in Blackboard

Programme Lead drop-in (optional)

Time: 11am-12pm
See our events page for location - you will be able to access this webpage once you have activated your IT account from 26 August.

Social Walk in Endcliffe Park

Time: 1.30pm-4.15pm
Location: Meet outside the 9 Mappin building at 1.30pm or outside the Endcliffe Park Cafe at 2.15pm. 
See our events page for more details and to sign-up - you will be able to access this webpage once you have activated your IT account from 26 August.

From Monday 5 October 2026

Meet your academic tutor

See your timetable for exact time and location

There is also a programme of events run via the Students' Union. 

Dual degrees

If you’re on one of our dual honours courses, you might find it useful to also take a look at the pre-arrival checklist for your other subject.

English and Philosophy
Take a look at your English Checklist.

History and Philosophy
Take a look at your History Checklist.

Politics and Philosophy
Take a look at your Politics Checklist.

Mathematics and Philosophy
Take a look at your Mathematics Checklist.

Useful information

Meet the School’s student experience team

We’re here to help throughout your studies - take a look at our student experience page  to meet the team and find out where to go if you have questions or need to access support.

If you have any questions about modules, your timetable or any other part of welcome week, please do not hesitate to contact us at hpdh-studentenquiries@sheffield.ac.uk.

Orientation events

Orientation Week is an optional programme of information sessions, social events and activities. It runs from 14th to 18th September and is a great way to start to get settled into life in Sheffield and the University ahead of welcome week. Find out more on the University webpages here.

Student Societies

The Students’ Union has a wide range of clubs and societies run by students for students, this includes School academic societies. The Philosophy Society is a really active society offering a wide range of events and activities that you can get involved with, it’s also a great way to meet other students on your programme - find out more about the Philosophy Society.

Introductory Reading

You don’t need to do any introductory reading ahead of arriving in Sheffield, but if you want to get started on some Philosophy, please take a look at the recommended reading below:

• T. Nagel’s collected papers, Mortal Questions, Cambridge University Press (1979) contains some classic papers that are simple but deep, and have shaped lots of philosophical debates.
• S. Blackburn’s Think, Oxford University Press (1999), also his Being Good: a Short Introduction to Ethics, Oxford University Press (2001).
• M. Cherry Unmuted (2019) is a collection of interviews with philosophers on pressing contemporary issues such as social protests, climate change, and education. You could look up subjects and issues in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which is published on-line at http://plato.stanford.edu/
• U. Narayan’s Dislocating Cultures (1997) is an excellent and accessible discussion of notions such as ‘nation’, ‘identity’, and ‘tradition’.
• Basil Blackwell has published a good series of Companions to the different fields of philosophy.

Other classic texts worth looking at are Plato, The Republic; Descartes, Meditations; Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion; J.S. Mill, Utilitarianism; and Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.

International Students

Arriving in Sheffield

You should arrive in Sheffield ahead of welcome week starting on 22 September. This gives you plenty of time to settle in, find out more about your course, meet other students across the School and explore Sheffield before teaching starts on the 29 September.

International student success programme

In preparation for arriving in the UK, you might like to take our international student success programme, which is designed to equip international students with the knowledge, understanding and skills that are essential to prepare for and adjust to university study in the UK. 

The programme includes four modules focussed on preparing for student life in the UK; culture: adapting and managing expectations, effective communication and looking after yourself and finding support. 

Contact us

If you have any questions about modules, your timetable or any other part of welcome week, please do not hesitate to contact us at hpdh-studentenquiries@sheffield.ac.uk.