Global and Comparative Philosophy Leiden University

Overview

This Global and Comparative Perspectives Master’s programme is unique in Europe. It offers comparative perspectives from around the world that will enable you to be part of the next generation of thinkers, someone studying and shaping philosophy for a globalised 21st century.

Leiden is the only Dutch university, and one of only a few in the world, to offer a master’s programme that combines Western perspectives with those of India, East Asia, and the Arab world, taught by internationally renowned experts in their fields. Leiden University is home to various institutes dedicated to study these traditions. In addition, Leiden University Library has a world-famous collections of Asian and Arabic manuscripts and materials.

This programme is philosophy at its broadest. In addition to western philosophy, the programme features philosophies from India, eastern Asia and the Arab world, combining conceptual analysis with hermeneutics and phenomenology, and historical contextualisation with cross-cultural comparison. In this way, you will learn from the world’s traditions of thought and how they mutually inform and enrich one other.

What you will learn

The master’s programme in Philosophy at Leiden University aims to equip you with a range of intellectual skills and academic attitude that will help you thrive in any future position. Your high-level skills in abstraction, reasoning and critical thinking can be applied within any role, to any conceptual problem, helping you come up with innovative and out-of-the-box solutions.

Every student is encouraged to apply what they learn in a professional, practical or foreign situation. This may include studying abroad, working as an intern at an organisation, or getting involved in extracurricular activities. These experiences are valued by organisations, as are strong communication skills. In class, every student is invited to participate in discussions, learning how to confidently and clearly articulate their ideas.

Career prospects

The one-year master’s programme in Global and Comparative Philosophy prepares you for any career in which reasoning skills, high levels of abstraction and critical thinking are valued. Our graduates are currently employed in a wide range of professions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Successful completion of an MA can also lead to PhD research and a career in academia.

Currently 100% of our students find employment at university-graduate level within one year of completing our one-year MA in Global and Comparative Philosophy. We can attribute this both to the high quality of the programme and the talent and ambition of our students.

Examples of the diverse roles of our graduates include:

• Policy Officer at a ministry
• Copywriter at a media company
• Freelance editor
• PhD candidate at a university abroad
• Editor at a communications consultancy firm
• Consultant at an IT consultancy firm
• Editor at a company specialising in reviewing theses and dissertations
• Coordinator at an international human rights watch organisation

Accreditation

Accredited by NVAO, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.