You are eligible to apply for the MA Philosophy: Philosophy of Knowledge if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Philosophy; or       
• 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; and
• general academic skills (research/heuristic skills, written/oral presentation skills, learning skills), 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); and
• relevant knowledge of theoretical philosophy and its history, equivalent to the knowledge obtained in the pre-master’s programme for Philosophy of Knowledge.

The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree 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 above. 

Bachelor in Philosophy from Leiden University

Students with a Bachelor in Philosophy from Leiden University are directly eligible for admission. Students can apply in Studielink. There is no need to submit an application for admission using the online application portal.

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 (60 EC) and its pre-master’s programme.

February 2024 intake:

In order to successfully participate in this programme, you must be proficient in English. The following requirements apply:

• IELTS: 7.0; with a score of at least 7.0 for each component.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator.
• TOEFL (Internet based) 100, with a score of at least 25 for each components
  • We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situations only:
    You took the test before 1 Sept 2022 (and it is not more than 2 years old), or 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.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.

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.

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

From September 2024: