MA in Philosophy (Research) University of Groningen

What is freedom and why is it valuable? What makes an argument convincing? How do body and mind interact?

The Research Master Philosophy offers you the opportunity to work with leading scholars in the history of philosophy, practical philosophy, and theoretical philosophy. It prepares you for an academic career but also teaches useful skills for other jobs.
The program offers a core curriculum on philosophical problems related to ongoing research in the faculty, as well as many opportunities to pursue your own interests.

Our personal approach makes the Faculty a wonderful place to study, and our program is consistently ranked highly by independent assessors.
The Master's program in Philosophy is offered both on a full-time and part-time basis.

Attractions of the Research Master in Groningen

Talent grants, tuition waivers, scholarships, TA-ships, Ph.D. positions.

• We offer talent grants of €5000 for the best non-EU/EEA applicants.
• Half the tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is covered by the Faculty of Philosophy.
• Admitted prospective students from outside the EU/EEA can apply for the Holland Scholarship.
• Students can apply for paid Teaching Assistantships.
• One fully-funded Ph.D. position is reserved for students of our Research Master's every year.

Why study this program in Groningen?

Results of the National Student Assessment (NSE) have shown that our students are very satisfied with the contents of our programs and that they value the expertise of our teaching staff.

Year 1

The first year involves four 'core issue' courses of 5 EC each. These relate to core research interests of our staff, such as Kantian ethics, methods in the history of philosophy, and the problem of induction.

You also choose three specialization courses of 10 EC each. At least two of these should normally be in your area of specialization (history of philosophy, theoretical philosophy or ethics, social and political philosophy).

Finally, you follow Research in Practice 1 (10 EC), which involves training in academic English, research ethics, and presenting your research.

• Core Issues I-II (10 EC)
• Specialization I (10 EC)
• Research in practice I (10 EC)
• Specialization II (10 EC)
• Core Issues III-IV (10 EC)
• Specialization III (10 EC)

Year 2

In the first semester, Dutch students go abroad. International students can do this too but are not required to go abroad. It is up to you which courses you pick during this period (30 EC).

The second semester consists of writing a thesis (25 EC), and Research in Practice 2 (5 EC), which involves training in writing a research proposal for application to Ph.D. programs.

• Term abroad (30 EC)
• Research in practice II (5 EC)
• RM thesis (25 EC)

The Research Master in philosophy prepares you to do a Ph.D. in philosophy, but it also provides vital skills for other jobs where research and presentation skills are needed, such as journalism, government work, consultancy, publishing, and education.

For those who want to pursue an academic career in philosophy, Groningen offers many opportunities. We reserve two Ph.D. places per year for students who have completed their own Research Master's and offer several additional places for both internal and external applicants. Furthermore, the Faculty of Philosophy in Groningen is very successful at securing research grants, which fund many additional Ph.D. and postdoc positions.