The MA Philosophy (120 EC): Philosophy of the Arts is an MA in which you combine 60 EC of  MA Philosophy courses with 40 EC Master level courses from other disciplines connected to the arts. You can do this by applying for another, relevant Master’s programme or by taking courses from (an)other master’s programme(s).

The Leiden University Faculty of Humanities provides ample possibilities to take such courses from other MA programmes on offer such as e.g. the specializations in the MA Media Studies (except for the courses in the specialization Journalistiek en Nieuwe Media, which are only open to students enrolled in this specialization) or the MA Arts and Culture. Other programmes, such as the MA Asian Studies, also offer relevant courses. You are invited to look through the prospectus, and search for coursework on the arts for which you meet the entrance requirements.

If you are eligible for the MA Philosophy (120EC): Philosophy of the Arts or not is up to the Board of Admissions. It will assess whether your degree(s) and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Philosophy on the basis of the requirements specified on the website. For this specialization, you may also be eligible with a bachelor’s degree in the academic study of the arts (such as literature, performing arts, art history, musicology). In this case, the Board of Admissions may require additional coursework in Philosophy (see below under 'Pre-master'). The fastest way to find out is to follow the application procedures and to apply through Studielink (Application procedure).

Having to take 40 EC of non-philosophical courses means that many students of the MA Philosophy (120 EC): Philosophy of the Arts opt for a double degree by writing two, separate theses: one for the MA Philosophy (120 EC): Philosophy of the Arts and one for the other master’s programme for which they sometimes also have to take one or more extra courses. Some are able to fit it all in two years, others take a semester or two extra to do so.

You can apply for a maximum of three separate programmes / specializations in one application. If you want to submit more applications please contact the Student Affairs Front Office. You have to pay the application fee only once.

If you have one or more Bachelor degrees from a research university, but do not meet (all) the requirements, you may have to take some extra courses or you may be eligible for a pre-master’s programme in Philosophy and/or the other programme. This is up to the Board of Admissions. It is important, though, to realize that you cannot apply for a pre-master's programme as such.

The non-philosophical courses can also be taken at another university. So you could, e.g. combine an MA in Arts  and Culture at another university with the MA Philosophy (120 EC): Philosophy of the Arts at Leiden University and use the ECs from the other university towards your 40 EC non-philosophical courses in Leiden subject to approval from the Board of Examiners.

If you happen to have another Master’s degree which is in e.g. Arts and Culture, you may, once being admitted, ask the Board of Examiners for an exemption from the non-philosophical courses.

The programme is formally a fulltime programme. This means that you pay the yearly fee for fulltime programmes as long as you are registered. It is, however, possible to spread the workload over more than the nominal two years and take, e.g. 20 EC of courses per semester instead of 30 EC.  It requires you to stay registered for a longer period and hence to pay the tuition fee for the extra time it will take you to finish.

For the requirement regarding English proficiency see Admission requirements. For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency. No exceptions will be made. 

The Board of Admissions may ask you for a writing sample. This can be a paper you wrote earlier for a class or, e.g., a chapter from your BA thesis. It preferably consists of no more than 3,500 words. The writing sample should convey your ability to formulate a philosophical research question and argue your own critical position.

You can find many more questions and answers on our FAQ website.