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Course work

The total study load of the Research Master programme amounts to 120 EC. The programme is composed of the following four components:

  • Methods and Skills (20 EC). The course Philosophical Research: Methods and Skills (20 EC), which is mandatory for all first-year Research Master students, runs the entire first year. This course trains the following skills: methodological perspectives on philosophical texts; the writing of research articles and proposals; academic writing and oral presentation. For a detailed description of this seminar, see the section Programme 2022-2023 in this course guide.
  • Elective Master Courses (2x10 EC). In the two years of the Research Master programme, you will follow two courses at the master level taught at the Radboud University or at another Dutch university. It is also possible to fill in 20 EC with activities organized by the OZSW (Nederlandse Onderzoeksschool Wijsbegeerte), such as study groups, workshops, summer schools or the winter school for Research Master students.
  • Research Master Seminars (4x10 EC). In the two years of the Research Master programme, you will follow four research master seminars, two of which must be taught by the section in which you are enrolled. This is the framework within which you are introduced to the academic research done in your chosen field of specialisation. Each Research Seminar consists of at least ten research meetings, which are sometimes complemented by guest lectures or symposia. You are expected: to actively participate in the seminar, to present the preliminary results of your research orally, to give feedback on the presentations of your fellow students, and to articulate the outcome of your research in a long final paper or in a series of short papers. For a list of the Research Master seminars offered in the academic year 2020-2021, see the section Programme 2022-2023 in this course guide.
  • State of the Art paper (10 EC) and Research Master Thesis (30 EC). These components are directly linked to your own research. At the beginning of the second year, you are expected to write a State of the Art paper for an equivalent of 10 EC. This paper constitutes a first step towards the Master thesis and typically consists of an analysis of the relevant primary and secondary literature. The aim of the State of the Art paper is to establish the status quæstionis in the area in which you will write your thesis. The Research Master thesis, in turn, is composed of two elements, namely a journal article (20 EC) and a research proposal (10 EC). The criteria for these two elements are specified in detail in the section Programme 2022-2023 in this course guide.