Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Philosophy starts with wonderment. Philosophers are prone to asking critical questions about humankind, the world and society, in order to shed a light on these issues by looking at them from all the relevant angles. Not satisfied with simple answers, philosophers will always insist on the quality of argumentation. In their search for answers, they delve deep for underlying motives and rational explanations.

Bachelor's Programme
3 year 180 credits
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Dutch
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About the programme
Programme summary
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Postgraduate studies

What

Philosophy starts with wonderment. Philosophers are prone to asking critical questions about humankind, the world and society, in order to shed a light on these issues by looking at them from all the relevant angles. When can we say that we actually know something? Are all value judgements always subjective? Not satisfied with simple answers, philosophers will always insist on the quality of argumentation. In their search for answers, they delve deep for underlying motives and rational explanations. A philosopher’s search has no fixed end point and yields no definitive answers. In this rational search for fundamental insights many great philosophers have of course preceded you. For that reason, our Philosophy programme comprises a thorough historical study of philosophical texts since antiquity. You will learn to position yourself vis-à-vis that tradition. You will also learn to consider contemporary issues from an ethical, epistemological (i.e. the theory of knowledge), and other philosophical disciplines. For this, you will be able to call on a solid foundation in logics. Philosophy students study the history of philosophy, the legacy of important thinkers from history, and the specialist literature on these matters. The historical perspective, however, will always be at the service of the critical, autonomous approach to contemporary issues. This historical and systematic baggage will enable you to contribute to contemporary and socially critical debates.

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For whom

Have you always been a deep thinker? Are you undaunted by questions that others would rather give a wide berth, or would only deal with very shallowly? Do you refuse to have your reason curtailed by convention or bypassed by ‘easy ways out’? If the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘yes’, Philosophy - mother of all sciences - is something you might want to consider. What are the possibilities and limitations of reason? Why is there ‘something’ instead of ‘nothing’ - what is it, and how? What are humans? And how free are we, really? This is the type of questions you will be dealing with in the Philosophy programme, although without any of the ready-made answers.

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Structure

  • Bachelor

We offer a three-year Bachelor’s programme, which combines a broad, general training with gradual specialisation. The first year offers a broad introduction to the Humanities. Together with students from other study programmes, you will take on a number of general introductory course units in literature, and psychology, among others. Four main modules contain the curriculum’s programme-specific course units: Logic, Knowledge and Science; Man, Ethics and Aesthetics; History and Text; and Skills and Methodology. From the second year onwards, the curriculum works towards a more in-depth and specific study of one of the main modules. The focus broadens to include more practical applications of philosophical insights and to textual studies. This in-depth study and specialisation continues in the third year. Staggered over the second and the third year, you take on a number of ECTS credits of a minor of your choice, i.e. a coherent set of course units from one or more other discipline(s). The choice of minors offers an indispensable acquaintance with other disciplines. In some cases, it even facilitates a transition to another Master's programme. In the course of the three-year Bachelor’s curriculum you will also take on methodology course units, in which you will acquaint yourself with general and philosophy-specific research skills such as researching and assessing information, formulating research questions and critically reading texts relevant to your research question, elaborating and presenting your findings orally and in writing. In the third year, the skills that you have acquired throughout the Bachelor’s programme culminate in a Bachelor’s dissertation, an independent research assignment you conduct under the guidance of a supervisor.

  • Master

The Master’s programme contains the actual discipline-specific expertise through a choice of Philosophy electives that are for a large part based on ongoing doctoral research in our Department. These are best chosen in line with your Master’s dissertation topic. There is also room for a number of non-philosophical course units. Distinguished students of Philosophy or Moral Studies can also choose apply for the two-year interuniversity Philosophy Research Programme.

In addition to the (domain) Master’s programme described above, you can also choose a Master’s Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: Educatieve Master) (120 ECTS-credits).

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Labour Market

Our programme usually does not lead to a fixed or rigid career path. Career opportunities that are directly in line with the programme are all situated in the academic research and/or education sectors. Research has shown that our graduates also end up in cultural, sociocultural, ideological and other organisations, and even in less obvious sectors such as government services, journalism, librarianship or in the business world.
Take a look at our website for a list of specific professions www.philosophy.ugent.be (in Dutch).

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