Application and admission: Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges - national procedure

This is the national application and admission procedure for the track Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges of the MA Philosophy.

a) Check your eligibility

Students of Tilburg University

After succesfully completing one of the following Tilburg University programs, you can be directly admitted.

Bachelor Philosophy
Bachelor Liberal Arts and Sciences with the Major Arts and Humanities: Present, Past, Future
Pre-Master Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges

Are you taking a different Bachelor at Tilburg University?

With a Bachelor’s degree other than those mentioned above, you are not directly admissible to the Master, but rather to the pre-Master. Relevant disciplines increase your chances to be admitted to the pre-Master. The Admissions Committee will determine whether your Bachelor's degree is a sufficient fit to be admitted to the pre-Master.

Are you no longer enrolled as a Tilburg University student?

In that case, the Admissions Committee will determine whether your Bachelor's degree is (still) a sufficient fit to be admitted to the Master or its pre-Master.

Students of other Dutch research universities

Are you studying at or do you have a Bachelor's degree from a research university other than Tilburg University?

In that case, the program’s Admissions Committee will determine whether your Bachelor's degree is a sufficient fit to be admitted to the Master's program or its pre-Master.

Generally the following applies:

With a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from a Dutch research university: you are directly admissible to the Master's program.
With a Bachelor’s degree other than a Bachelor of Philosophy: you are not directly admissible to the Master, but rather to the pre-Master. Relevant disciplines increase your chances to be admitted to the pre-Master. After completing the pre-Master, you will be directly admitted to the Master’s track Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges.

Fields of study from which students have previously been admitted to a Philosophy pre-Master's include: Business and Economics, Management and Organization, Sustainability and Innovation, Law and Governance, Media and Communication, Art and Culture, History and Anthropology, Health and Psychology, Pedagogy and Education, Bèta-gamma.

Please note: the above-mentioned fields of study give you an indication of your chances of admission, not a guarantee. The program’s Admissions Committee assesses each application individually.

Do you have a degree in a different field than those mentioned above?

And do you feel that yours is relevant? If you are in doubt about the suitability of your university degree, we invite you to register in Studielink. The program’s Admissions Committee will assess each application individually and determine whether you can be admitted to the Master or its pre-Master.

Students from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo)

Are you studying at or do you have a Bachelor's degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo)?

The program’s Admissions Committee will assess whether your previous education is sufficiently relevant to be admitted to the pre-Master’s program of Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges.

After you have completed the pre-Master's program, you will be directly admitted to the Master's program of Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges.
You can only be admitted to the pre-Master's program with an officially recognized four-year hbo program (240 ECTS).

Previously, students with a university of applied sciences (hbo) Bachelor's degree in one of the following fields have been admitted:

Please note: The above-mentioned fields of study give you an indication of your chances of admission, not a guarantee. The program’s Admissions Committee assesses each application individually.

Do you have a degree from a different field than those mentioned above?

And do you feel that yours is relevant? If you are in doubt about the suitability of your university of Applied Sciences Degree, we invite you to register in Studielink. The program’s Admissions Committee will assess each application individually and determine whether you can be admitted to the pre-Master’s program of Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges.

b) Remember the deadline

Your application must be submitted before:

Starting end of August: July 1
Starting end of January: December 1

Are you still finishing your previous program?

Do register in Studielink now. You can send us your diploma later.

c) Follow the procedure for national applicants

Step 1: Register in Studielink

After you have registered in Studielink, the program’s Admissions Committee will assess whether your previous education is a sufficient fit with this program to be admitted. To be able to do that, they may request additional information. Studielink opens on October 1.

Register for the Master's program if:

You have a degree in Philosophy from a research university.
You have a degree from a research university in a different discipline than Philosophy with a substantial amount of philosophical courses within your Bachelor’s program. The program’s Admissions Committee will assess each application individually and determine whether you can be admitted to the Master or its pre-Master.
You have completed a pre-Master’s program. If you took a pre-Master other than Tilburg University’s Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges pre-Master’s program, the Admissions Committee will request additional information to assess your eligibility.
The name of the Master’s program in Studielink:
In Dutch: M Filosofie
In English: M Philosophy
- After selecting this program, you will be asked to select the track of your choice.

Register for the pre-Master's program if:

You have a degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo).
You have a degree from a research university without a substantial amount of philosophical courses within your Bachelor’s program.
The name of the pre-Master's program in Studielink is:
B Filosofie (pre-Master Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges)

Enter an e-mail address in Studielink that you use regularly. Tilburg University will use this e-mail address to send you important information on your application and admission.

Step 2: Admissions Committee's decision

You will receive the Admissions Committee's decision within six weeks after application at the e-mail address you have provided in Studielink. The e-mail will also contain a description of the further steps you need to take for your admission.

Students from a research university

The Admissions Committee will make one of the following decisions.

You are unconditionally admitted to the Master (you meet all the conditions).
You are conditionally admitted to the Master (you do not, or not yet, meet all the conditions, for example, because you have not yet obtained your Bachelor's degree).
The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
You are not directly admissible to the Master, but you are admissible to the corresponding pre-Master, a transition program.
Unfortunately you cannot be admitted.

Students with a degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo)

The Admissions Committee will make one of the following decisions.

You are unconditionally admitted to the pre-Master (you meet all the conditions).
You are conditionally admitted to the pre-Master (you do not, or not yet, meet all the conditions, for example, because you have not yet obtained your Bachelor's degree).
The Committee needs additional information to assess your admissibility.
Unfortunately you cannot be admitted.

Step 3: Admitted, what's next?

Congratulations on being admitted to Tilburg University, either conditionally or unconditionally! 

You may be wondering what the next steps are. To ensure a smooth (and stress-free) start of your studies, we have prepared a timeline to give you an overview of the things you need to arrange before the start of your studies.

On the timeline you can find information about:

Completing your enrollment
Paying your tuition fees
Tips on finding accommodation (if applicable)
Books and schedule
Introduction activities like TOP week and your (mandatory) Study Program Introduction

Go to the Welcome page

Do you have any questions?

Please feel free to contact us for your personal queries. You can contact us on every page of the Master's website.