You are eligible to apply for the MA Philosophy in Philosophy of Humanities (120 EC) if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree, or demonstrate to meet the requirements for such a degree, including general academic skills (research/heuristic skills, written/oral presentation skills, learning skills), and
• either the bachelor's degree is in a discipline relevant to the chosen specialisation (modern European languages and cultures, classics, (art)history, culture, or religious studies) and you possess knowledge, understanding and skills comparable to those acquired upon completion of the pre-master's programme, for example by having earned a bachelor’s degree in a programme in which philosophy is combined with the chosen discipline;
• or the bachelor’s degree is in Philosophy; and you possess knowledge, understanding and skills comparable to those acquired upon completion of the pre-master’s programme in one of the relevant non-philosophical disciplines, and
• the ability to formulate a clear philosophical research question, to develop and formulate a critical view on that question, and to support this view by means of argument and analysis (to be determined on the basis of a writing sample).

If you have a bachelor’s degree from a research university that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for the pre-master’s programme. If you have completed the imposed pre-master’s programme, you will be admitted to the relevant specialisation of the Master’s programme. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

Applicants with a degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo) or equivalent are not eligible for admission to the Master’s programme in Philosophy (120 EC) and its pre-master’s programme.

The following requirements apply*: 

• IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
• TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
  • We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
    You are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country.
  • We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™  or institutional tests such as ITP.

• Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.

*You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university or (for September intake) a diploma of an English-taught higher professional education (hbo) programme completed at a Dutch university of applied sciences.

For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.