Admission

The admission requirements for the MA Philosophy Now are:

* From a recognised Dutch university programme or an equivalent qualification from an international academic institution.  

** For students with a degree from a non-Dutch university, admissions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This assessment will partly be based on detailed information concerning the level and contents of the programme through which the degree was obtained. The student in question will have to provide this information, after which it will be reviewed by Erasmus School of Philosophy in order to assess whether the programme may serve as a suitable prerequisite for the programme offered at Erasmus School of Philosophy.

*** You meet this requirement if:

• you have a Dutch ‘vwo’ grade of 7 or higher in English;
• you hold an International Baccalaureate diploma including English Standard Level (A) or English Higher Level (A or B);
• you hold a European Baccalaureate diploma including English as 1st or 2nd language;
• you obtained at least 2,5 years of English language secondary education in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South-Africa, The USA, the UK or Ireland.

Or:

• IELTS Academic (International English language Testing System) with a minimum score of 7.0 overall. All sub scores should at least be 6.5.
• TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum score of 100. All sub scores should at least be 23.
• ITP-TOEFL (Institutional Testing Programme) offered by the Language & Training Centre at the EUR, or any other Dutch University. Minimum requirement: 627.
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of at least 185.

        Only one of the options above needs to be met.

**** A total of 60 EC in philosophy courses has to be part of the standard curriculum of the bachelor programme you graduated from. This is to ensure that the applicant has the theoretical, practical and analytical knowledge and skills required for Philosophy Now. Bachelor programmes such as Political Theory and various programmes in the humanities usually meet this requirement. 
To give an example: an applicant with a bachelor in Economics with electives and a minor in philosophy worth 60 EC is not eligible to apply. An applicant with a bachelor in Political Theory with 60 EC in philosophy courses is eligible to apply. The difference is in the remaining 120 EC that gave this student a background that prepares him or her more adequately for the master Philosophy Now.

*****Assessment criteria

The Examination Board of Erasmus School of Philosophy assesses applications on the basis of all of the above mentioned admission requirements.
The assessment criteria for the master Philosophy Now are designed and applied in order for the programme to remain a top programme in philosophy, and to preserve and guarantee an excellent and inspiring study environment.

 Application process

Applications can be made throughout the year and are assessed on a rolling basis; results are typically communicated in less than a month. The programme starts annually in September; the application deadline for starting the following September is June 1st of the same year if you need to apply for a visa, or August 20th if you do not need to apply for a visa. Early applications are advised as places in the programme are limited and fill up as the application processing proceeds for each year; waiting lists or deferrals to next academic year may be handled if the number of qualified applicants exceeds the places available.

 Applicants can approach the administrative manager of the procedure for more detailed information before submitting their application, as well as after receiving the verdict (examinationboard@esphil.eur.nl).