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MA Philosophy: Pre-master

Pre-master

Admission to the pre-master's programme

The pre-master’s programme in Philosophy is intended for students with a bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree, who do not fulfil the entry requirements regarding the knowledge, understanding and skills in the field of philosophy. It provides a bridging programme for students who have applied for the MA Philosophy 60 EC or 120 EC, but who, according to the Board of Admissions, still have deficiencies in philosophy.

During the pre-master's you will gain the knowledge, understanding and philosophical skills needed for successful participation in the Master’s programme. Upon successful completion of the pre-master's programme students will be granted unconditional admission to the relevant specialisation of the MA Philosophy 60 EC or 120 EC.

Please note

A pre-master's programme is not an independent study programme, therefore students cannot apply for admission to the pre-master Philosophy, only for admission to one of the specialisations of the MA Philosophy 60 EC or MA Philosophy 120 EC. Upon receiving your application the Board of Admission will decide whether you are eligible for admission to the master's or the pre-master's programme. This decision depends largely on your academic background and skills.

Applicants with a degree from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO) are not eligible for admission to the MA Philosophy or pre-master's in Philosophy.

Structure and duration of the pre-master's programme

The pre-master's in Philosophy offers four packages. Depending on the MA specialisation that you have applied for, one of these packages will have been (wholly or partially) prescribed.

Package A

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Modern European Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy of Humanities

Package B

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Moral and Political Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and the Economy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy of Law, Governance, and Politics

Package C

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Philosophy of Knowledge

Package D

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Global and Comparative Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy in World Traditions

Structure

The pre-master consists of a package of courses at BA level with a total course load of 60 EC's. The exact stucture and the choice of components of the pre-master depends on the chosen specialisation of the Master's programme.

  • compulsory introductiory courses of 5 EC each (level 100-200)

  • optional course of 5 EC (level 100-200), if applicable

  • advanced seminar(s) at third-year BA level of 10 EC each (level 300-400)

Students can start a pre-master's programme in September and in February.

Duration

Depending on your educational background, the pre-master’s programme will constitute a course load of max. 60 EC (1 year). The requirements for the pre-master will consist of a package of courses selected from the BA programme in Philosophy. Students who have completed relevant philosophy courses during their bachelor's may be exempted from a part of the pre-master's programme by the Board of Admissions.

The prescribed pre-master's programme must be completed within the nominal duration plus one semester (in case of a pre-master’s programme of 30 ECTS-credits or less) or within the nominal duration plus one study year (in case of a pre-master’s programme of more than 30 ECTS-credits).

Holders of an academic bachelor's degree from a research university or an equivalent diploma with no more than 15 credits of deficiencies, may be admitted to the MA programme woth a deficiency. This means that you will need to complete the deficient pre-master's courses during your enrolment in the MA Philosophy. You cannot graduate without successfully having completed the required pre-master's courses.

Tuition fee

Information on the tuition fee for a pre-master's is available on the student website.

Package A

Package A

Package A of the Pre-master's in Philosophy is intended for students who are in possession of an admission statement and have been registered as a pre-master's student for one of the following MA specialisations:

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Modern European Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy of Humanities

Requirements

Package A of the pre-master's programme consists of the following components:

  • 8 mandatory introductory courses of level 100-200, each 5 EC (40 EC in total)

  • 2 advanced seminars of level 300-400, each 10 EC (20 EC in total), to be selected from the list of seminars on offer.

Students who have completed relevant philosophy courses during their bachelor's may be exempted from a part of the pre-master's programme by the Board of Admissions.

Please note that English taught mandatory courses are available for international students, and that some of the advanced seminars on offer are taught in Dutch.

Timetables

The pre-master's courses are part of the BA Filosofie: Standaardtraject and/or the BA Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives. Timetables are to be found through the links at the right-hand side of this page. For the introductory and optional courses see under first-year and second-year courses; for the advanced seminars see under third-year courses.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Mandatory introductory courses (Dutch students)
Comparative Philosophy 5
Cultuurfilosofie 5
Ethics 5
Greek and Roman Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Continental Philosophy 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Mandatory introductory courses (international students)

The mandatory course Continental Philosophy will be offered as a supervised literature study.
Ethics 5
Comparative Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Philosophy of Culture 5
World Philosophies: Greek and Roman Antiquity 5
Continental Philosophy 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Advanced seminars
Aesthetics 10
Critical Philosophy: Feminism, Gender and Race 10
Modernity and Postmodernity 10
Introduction to Phenomenology 10
Existentialism 10
Heidegger and his Critics 10
Introduction to German Idealism 10
Critical Theory 10
Philosophy of Play 10
Twentieth Century French Philosophy 10

Package B

Package B

Package B of the Pre-master's in Philosophy is intended for students who are in possession of an admission statement and have been registered as a pre-master's student for one of the following MA specialisations:

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Moral and Political Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and the Economy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy of Law, Governance, and Politics

Requirements

Package B of the pre-master's programme consists of the following components:

  • 7 mandatory introductory courses of level 100-200, each 5 EC (35 EC in total)

  • 1 optional course of level 100-200 (5 EC)

  • 2 advanced seminars of level 300-400, each 10 EC (20 EC in total), to be selected from the list of seminars on offer.

Students who have completed relevant philosophy courses during their bachelor's may be exempted from a part of the pre-master's programme by the Board of Admissions.

Please note that English taught mandatory courses are available for international students, and that some of the advanced seminars on offer are taught in Dutch.

Timetables

The pre-master's courses are part of the BA Filosofie: Standaardtraject and/or the BA Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives. Timetables are to be found through the links at the right-hand side of this page. For the introductory and optional courses see under first-year and second-year courses; for the advanced seminars see under third-year courses.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Mandatory introductory courses (Dutch students)
Ethics 5
Greek and Roman Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Political Philosophy 5
Epistemology 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Mandatory introductory courses (international students)
Ethics 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Political Philosophy 5
World Philosophies: Greek and Roman Antiquity 5
Epistemology 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Optional courses (Dutch students)
Cultuurfilosofie 5
Comparative Philosophy 5
Logic 5
Philosophy of Science 5
Continental Philosophy 5
Medieval Philosophy 5

Optional courses (international students)
Comparative Philosophy 5
Logic 5
Philosophy of Culture 5
Philosophy of Science 5
Medieval Philosophy 5

Advanced seminars
Capitalism and Beyond 10
Classics of Practical Philosophy 10
Global Justice 10
Metaethics 10
Philosophy of Neuroscience 10
Ethics II 10
Critical Theory 10
Moral Psychology 10
Plato Politeia 10
Political Obligation 10
Continental Political Philosophy 10

Package C

Package C

Package C of the Pre-master's in Philosophy is intended for students who are in possession of an admission statement and have been registered as a pre-master's student for the following MA specialisation:

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Philosophy of Knowledge

Requirements

Package C of the pre-master's programme consists of the following components:

  • 9 mandatory introductory courses of level 100-200, each 5 EC (45 EC in total)

  • 1 optional course of level 100-200 (5 EC)

  • 1 advanced seminar of level 300-400 (10 EC), to be selected from the list of seminars on offer.

Students who have completed relevant philosophy courses during their bachelor's may be exempted from a part of the pre-master's programme by the Board of Admissions.

Please note that not all mandatory courses are available in English. International students will have to take some of the required courses as an supervised literature study.

Timetables

The pre-master's courses are part of the BA Filosofie: Standaardtraject and/or the BA Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives. Timetables are to be found through the links at the right-hand side of this page. For the introductory and optional courses see under first-year and second-year courses; for the advanced seminars see under third-year courses.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Mandatory introductory courses (Dutch students)
Analytical Philosophy 5
Greek and Roman Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Logic 5
Metaphysics 5
Philosophy of Mind 5
Philosophy of Science 5
Epistemology 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Mandatory introductory courses (international students)

The courses Metaphysics, Analytical Philosophy, and Philosophy of Mind will be offered as a supervised literature study.
Analytical Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Logic 5
Metaphysics 5
Philosophy of Mind 5
Philosophy of Science 5
World Philosophies: Greek and Roman Antiquity 5
Epistemology 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5

Optional courses (Dutch students)
Comparative Philosophy 5
Cultuurfilosofie 5
Ethics 5
Continental Philosophy 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Medieval Philosophy 5

Optional courses (international students)
Comparative Philosophy 5
Ethics 5
Philosophy of Culture 5
History of Political Philosophy 5
Medieval Philosophy 5

Advanced seminars
Metaethics 10
Philosophy of Language 10
Wittgenstein's Tractatus 10
Kant's First Critique 10
Kripke's Naming and Necessity 10
Modal, Epistemic, and Temporal Logic 10
Philosophy of Technology 10

Package D

Package D

Package D of the Pre-master's in Philosophy is intended for students who are in possession of an admission statement and have been registered as a pre-master's student for one of the following MA specialisations:

  • MA Philosophy 60 EC: Global and Comparative Philosophy

  • MA Philosophy 120 EC: Philosophy in World Traditions

Requirements

Package D of the pre-master's programme consists of the following components:

  • 9 mandatory introductory courses of level 100-200, each 5 EC (45 EC in total)

  • 1 optional course of level 100-200 (5 EC)

  • 1 advanced seminar of level 300-400 (10 EC), to be selected from the list of seminars on offer.

Students who have completed relevant philosophy courses during their bachelor's may be exempted from a part of the pre-master's programme by the Board of Admissions.

Please note that English taught mandatory courses are available for international students.

Timetables

The pre-master's courses are part of the BA Filosofie: Standaardtraject and/or the BA Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives. Timetables are to be found through the links at the right-hand side of this page. For the introductory and optional courses see under first-year and second-year courses; for the advanced seminars see under third-year courses.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Mandatory introductory courses (Dutch students)
Cultuurfilosofie 5
Ethics 5
Greek and Roman Philosophy 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
World Philosophies: China 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5
World Philosophies: Africa 5
World Philosophies: India 5
World Philosophies: Middle East 5

Mandatory introductory courses (international students)
Ethics 5
History of Modern Philosophy 5
Philosophy of Culture 5
World Philosophies: China 5
World Philosophies: Greek and Roman Antiquity 5
Philosophical Skills (pre-master) 5
World Philosophies: Africa 5
World Philosophies: India 5
World Philosophies: Middle East 5

Optional courses
Concepts of Selfhood 5
Language and Thought 5
History of Political Philosophy 5

Advanced seminars
African Political Theory 10
Buddhism: Topics 10
Avicenna and his Critics 10
Intercultural Philosophical Hermeneutics 10
Environmental Philosophy and Ethics in Buddhism 10
Buddhist Moral Philosophy 10
Conceptions of Knowledge in India and China 10
Feminist Theories in Asian Philosophy 10
Philosophy and Decolonization 10