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Professor Stephen Mumford chairs the new edition of the Philosophy Statement!

12 June 2025
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Stephen Mumford chaired the panel that produced the new QAA Philosophy Subject Benchmark Statement

An academic from Durham University chaired the expert panel which formulated the revised Subject Benchmark Statement for Philosophy, published on Thursday 10 April 2025.

Subject Benchmark Statements are curated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) as the UK-sector-led descriptors of taught disciplines. They describe the nature of study and the academic standards expected of graduates in specific subject areas. They show what graduates might reasonably be expected to know, do and understand at the end of their studies, and are used as reference points in the design, delivery and review of academic programmes.

Durham University's Professor Stephen Mumford chaired the panel for the new edition of the Philosophy Statement.

Professor Mumford said: "I found it really rewarding. It was a really collaborative effort, working with a great team – and working with people from every nation of the UK. What I really loved was taking it as an opportunity to sell our subject and explain what our subject is. It was almost a philosophical exercise in itself, defining the nature and boundaries of philosophy. I think it's important that the world knows what it can expect of a philosophy graduate. We found it a great opportunity to talk about the skills that a philosophy graduate will have."

Also on 10 April, QAA published revised editions of the Statements for Accounting, Finance, Education Studies and Music, as well as for Librarianship, Information, Knowledge, Records and Archives Management, and Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and a new Statement for Public Policy and Public Administration.

Andy Smith, Quality & Standards Manager at QAA said: "We're hugely grateful for the work of all those who join the advisory groups and particularly the chairs and deputies who engage so enthusiastically and meticulously to produce statements that are so valued by their subject communities."

QAA is an independent charity working to benefit students and higher education, and one of the world's experts in quality assurance. QAA works with governments, agencies and institutions globally to benefit UK higher education and its international reputation.

 

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