You are eligible to apply for the MA Philosophy in World Traditions (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 the degree is:
  • either in a discipline relevant to Philosophy in World Traditions: Asian studies or Intercultural Philosophy are considered as relevant to the discipline; and you possess knowledge, understanding and skills comparable to those acquired upon completion of the pre-master’s programme in philosophy, 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.