History and Philosophy of Science

Overview

You will be educated in developing a professional attitude which enables you to enroll in a PhD programme in the HPS field, or start (on the job training) for a career in science education and communication, in museums, in science policy or science management.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the History and Philosophy of Science at Utrecht University covers courses on selected subjects in:

• History of Science or the Humanities

• Philosophy of Science or the Humanities

• Foundations of Physics

Programme Objective

You will be educated in developing a professional attitude which enables you to enroll in a PhD programme in the HPS field, or start (on the job training) for a career in science education and communication, in museums, in science policy or science management.

Career Prospects

Academic Careers 

Graduates are exceptionally well prepared to enter PhD programmes in the Netherlands or abroad. A PhD position in the Netherlands is usually fully funded for a four-year period. 

Almost half of our graduates have continued to a PhD project in the field in Utrecht or elsewhere. Recent Utrecht University PhD projects have included studies of the history of the law of energy conservation in 19th-century German culture, the role of correlations in physical theories and what these say about the world, the teaching of pharmacology in the 16th century, and the role of genetics in animal breeding.. 

Some graduates have entered PhD programmes in fields outside of HPS and successfully continued their graduate studies in either the sciences or humanities. 

Accreditation

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