Bachelor's Philosophy - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Decipher truth and reality

A play of question and answer. How do we deal with the free market? Am I complicit in climate change? Does the use of arguments ever really change a person’s mind?

You are curious by nature and interested in answers to fundamental questions such as these. The Bachelor's programme of Philosophy is a broad, classical programme in philosophy. The programme is bilingual and has an English and a Dutch track.

You learn to think independently and critically about philosophy's fundamental questions and the relationship between philosophy, science, and society. Gain insight into historical and systematic philosophy, and understand classical philosophical skills such as argumentation, analysis and interpretation, and general skills enabling you to present thoughts clearly and convincingly.

This programme covers courses in practical philosophy, theoretical philosophy and the history of philosophy. In addition, there are courses aimed at acquiring scientific and philosophical skills. In the first year, you follow introductory courses; in the second year, in-depth courses and electives. Finally, in the third year, students are able to follow a minor, optional courses, and write a final bachelor's thesis.

Philosophy as second study programme

If Philosophy is your second study programme, you will be able to combine an academic bachelor with courses from the regular Philosophy programme. As a result, you connect your professional knowledge with philosophical skills and develop your analytical skills. You are eligible for exemptions (via the Examination Board), and upon completion of the programme, you will receive a full-fledged Philosophy diploma.

If you would prefer to follow this programme in Dutch, see Filosofie.

The start date of this programme is September 1^st.

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1st year
2nd year
3rd year

First year

In the first year, you will become familiar with the great philosophers, from Greek antiquity up to the present day. You will be introduced to practical philosophical disciplines such as ethics and social philosophy. You will take courses in theoretical philosophy, and develop competence in propositional logic and logical argumentation. And you will be diving into the field of epistemology, posing the question: What is knowledge?

Subjects

Bachelor Seminar: Philosophical Encounters I
Ancient Philosophy
English Language Test
Epistemology
Ethics
Medieval Philosophy
Argumentation: Theory and Praxis
Logic
Modern Philosophy
Continental Philosophy
Social Philosophy
Skills: Academic English

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.

Second year

In the second year, you will be immersed in the three main areas of philosophy: historical, practical, and theoretical philosophy. You will take part in two ‘text’ seminars, involving close-reading and analysis of a key philosophical work. In addition you will select two elective courses within these three main areas, e.g., an in-depth course on the history of philosophy, ethics, or the philosophy of science. This helps you to identify the area that holds the most interest to you to explore further in due course, providing the initial impetus for writing a thesis.

Subjects

Bachelor Seminar: Phil. Encounters II
History of Analytic Philosophy
Political Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
Text Course I
Issues in Contemporary Ethics
Theoretical Philosophy: Capita Selecta
History of Philosophy: Capita Selecta
Intercultural Philosophy and Postcolonial Theory
Metaphysics
World Philosophies and the Construction of Traditions I
Text Course II

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.

Third year

The first semester you will be following a minor at another faculty, allowing you to broaden your understanding and to apply philosophy to other disciplines. During the the second semester you will again (as in the second year) be taking two elective courses in historical, practical , or theoretical philosophy. You will also receive training and tutoring in writing a thesis. Unique to the VU Amsterdam among Dutch universities, you are free to select the topic, philosophical problem, and supervisor for your thesis

Subjects

Bachelor Seminar: Philosophical Encounters III
Thesis Bachelor Philosophy
Issues in Contemporary Ethics
Theoretical Philosophy: Capita Selecta
History of Philosophy: Capita Selecta
World Philosophies and the Construction of Traditions I

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.

1st year
First year

In the first year, you will become familiar with the great philosophers, from Greek antiquity up to the present day. You will be introduced to practical philosophical disciplines such as ethics and social philosophy. You will take courses in theoretical philosophy, and develop competence in propositional logic and logical argumentation. And you will be diving into the field of epistemology, posing the question: What is knowledge?

Subjects
Bachelor Seminar: Philosophical Encounters I

Ancient Philosophy

English Language Test

Epistemology

Ethics

Medieval Philosophy

Argumentation: Theory and Praxis

Logic

Modern Philosophy

Continental Philosophy

Social Philosophy

Skills: Academic English

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.
2nd year
Second year

In the second year, you will be immersed in the three main areas of philosophy: historical, practical, and theoretical philosophy. You will take part in two ‘text’ seminars, involving close-reading and analysis of a key philosophical work. In addition you will select two elective courses within these three main areas, e.g., an in-depth course on the history of philosophy, ethics, or the philosophy of science. This helps you to identify the area that holds the most interest to you to explore further in due course, providing the initial impetus for writing a thesis.

Subjects
Bachelor Seminar: Phil. Encounters II

History of Analytic Philosophy

Political Philosophy

Philosophy of Science

Text Course I

Issues in Contemporary Ethics

Theoretical Philosophy: Capita Selecta

History of Philosophy: Capita Selecta

Intercultural Philosophy and Postcolonial Theory

Metaphysics

World Philosophies and the Construction of Traditions I

Text Course II

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.
3rd year
Third year

The first semester you will be following a minor at another faculty, allowing you to broaden your understanding and to apply philosophy to other disciplines. During the the second semester you will again (as in the second year) be taking two elective courses in historical, practical , or theoretical philosophy. You will also receive training and tutoring in writing a thesis. Unique to the VU Amsterdam among Dutch universities, you are free to select the topic, philosophical problem, and supervisor for your thesis

Subjects
Bachelor Seminar: Philosophical Encounters III

Thesis Bachelor Philosophy

Issues in Contemporary Ethics

Theoretical Philosophy: Capita Selecta

History of Philosophy: Capita Selecta

World Philosophies and the Construction of Traditions I

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide.

After the bachelor phase, you can specialise further by following a master’s programme. As a Philosophy graduate, you can work as an ethics advisor to a committee or board; a policy consultant for a hospital or government agency; a teacher at an educational institution; or a journalist or editor for print or online media, magazines, and television programmes.

Explore your future prospects