Admission & Application
Admission period
Dutch degree
- Start date
- End date
International degree, EEA student
- Start date
- End date
International degree, non-EEA student
- Start date
- End date
For this master specialization it is also possible to start in February. The relevant deadlines for intake in February 2023 are as follows:
Dutch degree
Start date 01 October 2021
End date 01 January 2023
International degree, EEA student
Start date 01 October 2021
End date 01 December 2022
International degree, non-EEA student
Start date 01 October 2021
End date 01 November 2022
Admission requirements
You need a completed bachelor's degree in Philosophy or Philosophy, Politics and Society.
Moreover, you must have completed your degree with merit or distinction, or equivalent. That is, your weighted grade-point average in Philosophy in the combined 2nd and 3rd year of your Bachelor's programme must be the equivalent of 7.5 or more (on the Dutch scale of 10).
Bachelor's degree other than Philosophy
If you hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than Philosophy, you must have acquired at least 60 EC's in philosophical course work in order to be considered for admission.
Master Philosophy at a Dutch university
You need a completed master's degree in Philosophy.
Moreover, you must have completed a degree with merit or distinction, or equivalent. That is, your weighted grade-point average in Philosophy in your Master's programme must be the equivalent of 7.5 or more (on the Dutch scale of 10).
If you have a Master's degree in Philosophy, you may apply for waivers for some parts of the programme.
If you do not meet the academic requirements
Radboud University does not offer a premaster’s programme that will give admission to this research master’s. If you do not meet the requirements and wish to enrol in this programme your best option is to get a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. At Radboud University we offer a Dutch-taugh bachelor's in Philosophy and an English taught bachelor's programme called Philosophy, Politics and Society.
- A proficiency in English
You must demonstrate your proficiency in English by means of a well written motivation letter and convincing writing sample.
- Highly motivated
You must be able to demonstrate to the board of admissions that you have serious research interests and skills. You must therefore write a motivation letter and writing sample that can aid the board of admissions to evaluate your research and writing skills.
Additionally, if you are applying to the specialisation Metaphysics and Philosophical Anthropology the board of admissions also considers the extent to which you prove your familiarity with the German or French language, but this is not a tested requirement.
Admission requirements for students with an international bachelor’s degree
You need a completed bachelor's degree in Philosophy or Philosophy, Politics and Society. If you hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than Philosophy, you must have acquired at least 60 EC's in philosophical course work in order to be considered for admission.
Moreover, you must have completed your degree with merit or distinction, or equivalent. That is, your weighted grade-point average in the combined 2nd and 3rd year of your Bachelor's programme must be the equivalent of 7.5 or more (on the Dutch scale of 10).
On the page Conversions of international grades you will find an indication of what the equivalent of a Dutch 7.5 or 8 might be in the country where you obtained your Bachelor’s degree.
Admission requirements for students with an international Master’s degree
You must have a completed master’s degree in Philosophy.
Moreover, you must have completed a degree with merit or distinction, or equivalent. That is, your weighted grade-point average in Philosophy in your Master's programme must be the equivalent of 7.5 or more (on the Dutch scale of 10).
On the page Conversions of international grades you will find an indication of what the equivalent of a Dutch 7.5 or 8 might be in the country where you obtained your Master’s degree.
If you do not meet the academic requirements
Radboud University does not offer a premaster’s programme that will give admission to this research master’s. If you do not meet the requirements and wish to enrol in this programme your best option is to get a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. At Radboud University this programme is offered as the bachelor's programme in Philosophy, Politics and Society.
Proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor’s degree must either have obtained a higher diploma from an English-teaching institution or be in possession of one of the following certificates:
- A TOEFL iBT or ≥100 overall, with subscores of ≥22
- An IELTS score of ≥7.0, with subscores of ≥6,5
- A Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, with marks of C or higher
* Applicants are considered to be a native speaker of English if they are from Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, USA or South Africa.
Highly motivated
You must be able to demonstrate to the board of admissions that you have serious research interests and skills. You must therefore write a motivation letter and writing sample that can aid the board of admissions to evaluate your research and writing skills.
Additionally, if you are applying to the specialisation Metaphysics and Philosophical Anthropology the board of admissions also considers the extent to which you prove your familiarity with the German or French language, but this is not a tested requirement.
Application procedure
To apply for a programme, you need to submit a request for enrolment in Studielink before the application deadline. Before you apply, please check the admission requirements and then follow the steps below.
Steps
Step 1: Submit your enrolment request via Studielink
Apply for your chosen Master’s programme via Studielink. You can apply for a programme for the following academic year from 1 October onwards.
Step 2: Complete the digital questionnaire
If your previous education needs to be assessed, you will receive the login details for the digital questionnaire at the email address that you provided in Studielink. You will need to log in to the questionnaire, and once you have completed it you will need to upload the requested documents.
Does the programme of your choice start in September? Then please make sure that you submit your completed questionnaire and the required documents by 1 May at the latest. If your programme starts in February, then submit your completed questionnaire and the required documents by 1 November at the latest. If you complete the questionnaire after the deadline, there is no guarantee that we will be able to process your application for admission in time.
Step 3: Keep an eye on your mailbox
Your completed questionnaire will be processed. Within approximately 3 weeks after you have submitted the digital questionnaire, you will be notified by email whether you have been admitted to the placement procedure. You will receive all emails at the email address you entered in Studielink. There are three possible outcomes:
- You are admitted to the placement procedure.
- You are admitted to the placement procedure under certain conditions. There are conditions that you must first meet in order to be admitted.
- You will not be admitted to the placement procedure. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn.
Step 4: Participate in the placement procedure
Have you been admitted to the placement procedure? Then you will receive an email from the Master's programme about what this placement procedure looks like and what actions are expected of you. Based on the placement procedure, it will be assessed whether you will be selected for the Master’s. There are two possible outcomes:
- You are offered a place in the Master’s.
- You are not offered a place in the Master’s. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn and unfortunately you cannot enrol for this programme.
Have you been offered a place in the Master's?
Congratulations! Then go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
In order to apply you must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's programme you would like to apply for. The application procedure then consists of three steps: creating an enrolment application in Studielink, uploading documents in OSIRIS, then the placement procedure.
Steps
Step 1: Create an enrolment application in Studielink
To apply for a Master’s programme, you have to create an account and an enrolment application in Studielink (the national online registration system for Dutch universities). First you will be asked to fill in your previous education, then select the programme you wish to apply for in the list that appears. In order to submit an enrolment request in Studielink, you will need the following:
- Your own DigiD account. If you do not (yet) live in the Netherlands, you cannot use DigiD and you will need to log in with a Studielink username and password. Do you live in the Netherlands but do not have a DigiD account? Make sure that you apply for an account well before the application deadline. It usually takes 5 working days for a DigiD account to be activated.
- Contact information, such as your phone number and email address.
Step 2: Upload documents in OSIRIS Application
After you have created an enrolment application in Studielink, you will receive an email with personal login details for OSIRIS Application. You have a maximum of 56 days or until the application deadline to upload your documents and submit a complete application. After this period, if you have not submitted your application, it will be automatically cancelled.
You will be asked to upload the following documents:
- Bachelor’s diploma or equivalent
In OSIRIS Application, list the full, official name of the diploma that you have or will receive. Use the language and name in which the diploma is issued. If you have graduated, we require you to upload your diploma.
- An official transcript of your Bachelor's degree or equivalent
If you have not obtained your degree, upload the list of grades received so far. If you have obtained your degree, upload your full and complete transcript of grades. Also, upload the description of the grading scale on the overleaf page of your transcript (if applicable).
If you have already graduated from your previous education and are currently still studying please upload transcripts and diplomas from all degrees (post-secondary school).
- Sworn translations of diploma and transcript
Translations need to be made by an officially recognised translator. Official translations are not required if your diploma and transcript are originally in Dutch, English or German. If your school provides English versions of your documents, upload those along with versions of the documents in the original language.
- Course description for unfinished courses
If you have not yet completed your degree, upload a list of the courses that you are currently taking or still need to take, including the course content, the number of hours and the literature used per course, see example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and a thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Course description for finished courses
Upload a list of all the courses you have taken during your degree, including the course content, the number of hours and the literature used per course, see example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and a thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Personal statement/motivation letter (depending on programme)
Your personal statement should contain, at least, a brief description of why you have chosen this specific Master's programme and how it fits your previous education.
For the motivation letter please describe your future plans and what you would like to learn and research at Radboud University. What are the topics of the research you would like to do? Please be specific about your ambitions and explain how your previous education prepared you for this specific Master's programme. This will allow us to find out if your previous education is appropriate. Last but not least, include your interest in studying at Radboud University (specific disciplines, facilities or other considerations).
- Writing sample
A writing sample is any essay, thesis or article that demonstrates your ability to write an academic philosophical text. The writing sample should be in English and preferably in the field of your chosen specialisation.
- Reference letter(s)
Reference letters are required if you are applying for a scholarship and/or a Selective Masters programme and you will be asked to upload them to your OSIRIS Application. Please note, these must be signed and stamped or signed and on official letterhead.
- Overview of education/experience
Please upload an overview that contains, in chronological order, information about your education and knowledge/experience acquired during an internship, training, or work; for example, a resume.
- English language certificate
You are permitted to apply without a language certificate. However, if you are admitted to the programme and a language certificate is listed as a requirement in your admission email, you will be required to provide proof of proficiency before the enrolment deadline. If you can prove English proficiency through your previous education, a certificate is not required. Visit the Language Requirements website for full details.
- Handling fee
Non-EU/EEA applicants must pay a handling fee before their application can be processed. Visit the Handling Fee page for full details and how to pay.
- Nuffic Certificate (Chinese students only)
Chinese students are required to apply for a Nuffic Certificate regardless of the level and location of their previous education. The certificate is not required for the application, but if you are admitted to the programme, you will need this certificate by 1 June for the visa procedure. Find more information about it on the Study in Holland and Neso China websites.
Step 3: Participate in the placement procedure
After you have completed your application in OSIRIS Application, the Admission Board will assess your application. Keep in mind that next to eligibility you must also participate in a placement procedure.
Have you been admitted to the placement procedure? Then you will receive an email from the Master's programme about what this placement procedure looks like and what actions are expected of you. Based on the placement procedure, it will be assessed whether you will be selected for the Master’s. There are two possible outcomes:
- You are offered a place in the Master’s.
- You are not offered a place in the Master’s. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn and unfortunately you cannot enrol for this programme.
You will receive the outcome via the email address you entered in Studielink.
Have you been offered a place in the Master's?
Congratulations! Then go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.