More info
Description of the specialisation
Objectives and achievement levels
Programme
Planning
Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation
Contact data
Description of the specialisation
Philosophy of Natural Sciences
The specialisation Philosophy of Natural Sciences covers ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues arising from the natural sciences.
Ontological issues pertain to the ultimate constitution of the world studied by natural scientists. What sorts of objects are acknowledged by the natural sciences? How are these objects defined and identified? In what senses can they be said to be real?
Epistemological issues pertain to the nature and limits of our knowledge of the natural world. How are concepts related to the world? What is the status of theoretical entities? What is the difference between observation and experiment?
Lastly, methodological issues pertain to the practice and dynamics of research in the natural sciences, including the interpretation of empirical data, theory formulation, and hypothesis test. A particular focus is the diversity of the natural sciences, which range from law formulating sciences such as physics to historical sciences such as earth science. A selection of these topics is selected for discussion each academic year.
Objectives and achievement levels
Objectives
The programme has the following objectives:
to enable students to acquire academic knowledge, understanding and skills, and train them in the use of scientific methods in the field of the philosophy of a discipline;
to enable students to develop the following academic and professional skills:
-independent academic reasoning and conduct,
-the ability to analyse complex problems,
-the ability to clearly report academic results, both in writing and orally;
to prepare students for an academic career and further education;
to prepare students for a career outside academia.
Learning outcomes
Graduates of the programme have attained the following learning outcomes, listed according to the Dublin descriptors:
Knowledge and understanding
knowledge and understanding in the field of the history, foundations, methodology and/or ethics of the discipline, based on but surpassing the level of a bachelor’s degree in philosophy of the specific discipline;
knowledge and understanding with regard to the social and cultural meaning of philosophy in general and the philosophy of the discipline in particular;
knowledge and understanding of the main elements of philosophy of the discipline and the problems, methods and key terms of these elements. This knowledge and understanding surpasses the level that is acquired upon completing a bachelor’s programme in philosophy of a specific discipline and forms the basis of the independent development and application of original ideas, understanding and analyses.
Applying knowledge and understanding
- the ability, based on the acquired knowledge and understanding, to make a contribution to ongoing discussions in the field of philosophy of the discipline, and in new and complex contexts related to philosophy.
Judgement
the ability, on the basis of the deepened knowledge of philosophy acquired during the programme, to deal with complex philosophical problems, and to formulate judgments based on information from different kinds of sources, even when this information is incomplete or uncertain;
a realistic view of the reliability of their own conclusions;
the ability to integrate different approaches to philosophical questions and/or compare them with each other.
Communication
the ability to give a clear explanation of philosophical problems, ideas, theories, interpretations and arguments, for specialist audiences as well as for a general audience;
the ability to write philosophical papers that show the potential to approach the level of articles in national and international academic journals in the field of philosophy.
Learning skills
- the possession of learning skills that allow graduates to continue their study of philosophy more or less independently within a research context, and to draw up a research proposal for a PhD.
Programme
Specialisations
The two-year MA programme in Philosophy (120 EC) offers five specialisations, in which students are able to combine the study of philosophy with a non-philosophical discipline:
Combining two master’s programmes
Students are expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in the discipline of the chosen specialisation, which enables them to follow the non-philosophical component of their master’s programme at the faculty or department of the chosen discipline. Students who have already obtained a master’s degree in the chosen (non-philosophical) discipline are normally exempted from this part of the programme.
Full-time and part-time
The programme offers both full-time and part-time tuition. The part-time programme is offered as a daytime course. The full-time programme spans two years (including the non-philosophical component), the part-time programme spans three years. The only difference between the two programmes is in the length of time required for their completion; in content they are identical.
Structure
The MA Philosophy (120 EC) consists of five components:
40 EC / MA or MSc courses in the chosen discipline outside philosophy
40 EC / Four mandatory (specialist) courses in philosophy of the chosen discipline
20 EC / Two optional courses in philosophy
20 EC / Master’s thesis and Thesis Seminar
It is required that students choose their optional courses in philosophy from the courses that are selected for their specialisation, and that the subject of their master’s thesis belongs to the field of their specialisation. Furthermore, the 500-level courses outside philosophy (for a total of 40 EC) must be completed in the academic discipline specified in the name of their specialisation.
Internship
A maximum of 10 EC of the non-philosophical component of the MA programme in Philosophy 120 EC can be replaced by an internship. If more than 10 EC have been obtained for the internship the extra credits will be recorded as extra-curricular components on the diploma supplement.
Planning
A possible planning of the two-year programme is presented below. Please note that the sequence of the various components of individual programmes may deviate from the scheme proposed due to the availability of courses in a particular semester, or to the extent to which the non-philosophical part of the programme has already been completed. Keep in mind that there will be one specialist course on offer each year, therefore one of these mandatory courses must be completed in the first year and the other one in the second year.
As students will generally be enrolled in two master’s programmes the MA Philosophy 120 EC requires a careful planning. Students are strongly advised yo discuss their programme with the Coordinator of Studies before the start of their first semester.
First Year
30 EC / MSc courses in one of the natural sciences
20 EC / Two mandatory (specialist) courses Philosophy of Natural Sciences
10 EC / One optional course in philosophy (each 10 EC)
Second Year
10 EC / MSc courses in one of the natural sciences
20 EC / Two mandatory (specialist) courses Philosophy of Natural Sciences
10 EC / One optional course in philosophy (each 10 EC)
20 EC / MA thesis and Thesis Seminar
Depending on the number of enrolments the specialist courses will be offered either as a full seminar or as a series of tutorial sessions.
Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation
Requirements for graduation
In order to graduate, students must have successfully completed the 120 EC programme and have completed their final thesis as a component of that programme. The master’s thesis is an independent academic contribution to philosophy in the field of the chosen specialisation. The student is required to write a master’s thesis in the second year of the MA Philosophy (120 EC) – normally in the last semester.
Attainment levels
The master’s thesis should clearly show that the student meets the attainment levels which have been set for this programme in terms of knowledge and skills. More specifically, the master’s thesis and the working method for the thesis should demonstrate that the student:
has acquired knowledge of systematic philosophy and its history, and of recent developments in contemporary philosophy, that is founded upon and extends that associated with the bachelor’s level, and that provides a basis for originality in developing and applying original ideas and analyses;
knows the discussions in the forefront of their field, and is able to take part in them;
is able to contribute to current discussions on philosophy and in new and complex contexts related to philosophy;
is able to handle philosophical complexity and to formulate judgments based on information from diverse sources, even if this information is limited or incomplete;
has a realistic view of the tenability and reliability of his/her own conclusions;
is able to integrate or confront different approaches to philosophical questions;
in short, is able to write philosophical papers, the quality of which comes close to that of articles in refereed journals in the field.
Formal requirements and assessment criteria
The thesis for the MA Philosophy (120 EC) has a workload of 20 ECs, and the length of the thesis is normally approximately 20,000 words. Depending on the subject, the student and the supervisor may agree on a different length. Other formal requirements that the thesis must satisfy are listed in the Protocol Graduation Phase
Agreements and supervision
The thesis must be supervised by a staff member of the Leiden Institute for Philosophy. The agreements relating to the planning and supervision of the writing of the MA thesis are set out in writing by the student and the supervisor in the Agreements relating to the MA thesis form (see Protocol above). The agreements include details on the choice of subject of the thesis, on the frequency of sessions with the thesis supervisor and the manner of supervision, and on the phasing of the research leading up to the thesis.
Final examination
The master’s thesis shall be defended as part of the final examination. The grade of the master’s thesis is determined by the examiners after the questioning (defense of the thesis) in the MA examination. Graduation is possible at any time during the academic year, except for July. However, graduation within the current academic year is only guaranteed when the final draft of the thesis has been approved of by the supervisor and sent to the Board of Examiners not later on June 15th.
Contact data
Specialisation coordinator
Dr. J.W. (James) McAllister
For questions relating to the contents of the programme.
Coordinator of Studies
Coordinator of Studies of the MA Philosophy 120 EC.
For questions relating to programme requirements, planning, regulations, graduation, etc.
