Global and Comparative Philosophy (MA)

Chiara Trauttmansdorff

Student

"The Global and Comparative Philosophy Master's first and foremost taught me that philosophy is not geographically bound, as love for wisdom is not exclusive to one particular people. In the course of studying the philosophy of different world traditions, I learnt how to read and write critically, to detect faulty arguments, and slowly but surely also formulate my own line of thought. All of this was embedded in an intimate learning environment, where students know one another and students and professors also."

Naomi Grooteboer

Graduated in Philosophy, Global and Comparative philosophy

"Having finished my bachelor’s in philosophy, this master’s has offered me the deepening of my studies that I was looking for. I was able to focus my studies on those contexts that I found most interesting, whilst also keeping an eye on philosophies from other cultures. Especially the discussions with teachers and fellow students were wonderful; those were exactly the intercultural philosophical debates that this program wants to accentuate."

Why study Global and Comparative Philosophy at Leiden University?

Leiden is the only Dutch university—and one of only a few in the world—to offer a master’s programme that combines Western perspectives with those of India, Africa, East Asia, and the Arab world, taught by internationally renowned experts in their fields. Leiden University is home to various institutes dedicated to studying these traditions. In addition, the Leiden University Library has world-famous collections of East Asian, African, and Arabic manuscripts and materials. This programme is philosophy at its broadest. In addition to western philosophy, the programme features philosophies from India, Africa, East Asia, and the Arab world, combining conceptual analysis with hermeneutics and phenomenology, and historical contextualisation with cross-cultural comparison. In this way, you will learn from the world’s traditions of thought and how they mutually inform and enrich each other.

Learn more about the study programme

What are your career prospects?

Our graduates are currently employed in a wide range of professions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Successful completion of an MA can also lead to PhD research and a career in academia. Currently 100% of our students find employment at university-graduate level within one year of completing our one-year MA in Global and Comparative Philosophy. We can attribute this both to the high quality of the programme and the talent and ambition of our students.

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Is Global and Comparative Philosophy the programme for you?

This programme is suitable for you if you enjoy discussing current issues in science, culture, and society, and want to know more about the history of the concepts we use for framing these issues, or alternative conceptions used in different cultures. You will relish the programme in Global and Comparative Philosophy if you sometimes feel that current debates fail to address the right questions but you are unsure how to articulate this feeling.

Do you want to find out if you are eligible for this Master's programme?

Check the admission requirements