Please note that most of our courses are held in German. Therefore, sufficient knowledge of German is required in order to successfully attend the master degree programme in Philosophy.
In our research colloquia on theoretical and practical philosophy, you come into contact with contemporary research: we discuss present literature and you get to know the authors. Talks by guest speakers and conferences offer you a good overview of the international landscape of philosophical research.
Here you will find information on the structure of the Master's programme in Philosophy. In the following, the programme is described in general, in the fold-out elements you will find a detailed description of the individual modules as well as a graphic of the structure of the Master's programme at the end.
Detailled information can also be found in the subject specific regulations and the module handbook.
The MA program usually lasts four semesters. It can be divided into three phases.
In the first phase of the program you will take the Basic Module Practical Philosophy and the Basic Module Theoretical Philosophy (15 ECTS each). The first phase takes place in the first and second semester.
One basic module each in Practical Philosophy and Theoretical Philosophy must be completed. A basic module consists of two graduate seminars and one workshop seminar. The seminars must be thematically appropriate to the module (theoretical or practical). The module is completed with a term paper of 6,000 words. Please note the additional information on the supervision of term papers and please hand in the validation sheet with your term paper.
In the second phase of the program in the second and third semesters, you will complete three additional modules (15 ECTS each). You can choose between the following modules, but you must choose three different Modules, taking at least one Specialisation Module and one Presentation Module. The following modules are available:
The Specialisation Modules Practical and Theoretical Philosophy are structured like the Basic Modules. The only difference is that the module is completed with a term paper of 8,000 words. The additional information on the supervision of term papers also applies here, and here too please hand in the booking sheet with your term paper.
The Presentation Module can be theoretical or practical. It consists of two graduate seminars and a presentation workshop. The graduate seminars must either both be in the area of Practical Philosophy or both in the area of Theoretical Philosophy. The module is completed with a graded presentation in the presentation workshop. The presentation should last approximately 20 minutes and the discussion that follows will also last 20 minutes.
The practical module serves both career orientation and the additional acquisition of key qualifications such as the ability to work in a team, planning management, conflict management and practical problem-solving skills.This is accomplished through an internship of approx. 300 working hours. The internship colloquium provides a forum for the exchange of internship experiences and the discussion of other career orientation issues. In addition, a short internship report (1,500 words) is to be written.
The third phase of the degree is the Master's Thesis Module (30 ECTS). The fourth semester is set aside for this.
In addition to a basic education in Practical Philosophy and Theoretical Philosophy, you will have the opportunity to specialise in one of the two areas through the choice of modules in the second phase and the thematic orientation of your Master's thesis. The academic advisor as well as teaching staff, instructors, and lectures from both areas are available to advise you.
The specialised studies are accompanied by the Individual Subsidiary Area (15 ECTS), in which non-specialised courses can also be studied.
The fourth semester of the MA programme is reserved for writing the Master's thesis of approx. 25,000 words. The thesis must be registered.
Finally, the contents of the Master's thesis are discussed in a disputation colloquium (60 minutes).
In the Individual Supplementary Area, at least one complete module must be studied; the remaining credit points can be earned through individual courses. The modules or courses can be freely selected from the courses offered by Bielefeld University. Detailed information on the Individual Supplementary Area can be found on the dedicated page.
The workshop seminar is a fixed and regular component of the MA programme. While conventional philosophy courses usually focus on the reception of philosophical literature, the workshop seminars are intended to train students specifically and systematically in the development of their own ideas and arguments and the production of their own philosophical texts.
In a workshop seminar, all students present their own text for discussion. (The text is thematically related to one or both graduate seminars). The texts are distributed before the session and intensively prepared by all participating students. After the discussion in the workshop seminar, the text can be revised again on the basis of the discussion. The finished, revised text is the final result of each workshop seminar (and the basis of the module grade).
Every semester, the Philosophy Department offers a colourful range of courses on all topics of philosophy. These include seminars and lectures that are generally assigned to philosophy as well as those that are specific to your degree programme.
Here you will find the present selection of courses within the Master's in Philosophy.
Students can start their studies in the winter or summer semester.
Here you will find all information on application and enrolment. Please note that there may be special requirements for applicants with foreign educational qualifications. Special conditions also apply to those qualified in vocational education.
Should you have questions on the Master's programme, you can contact the Department's Master's representative, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Kiesewetter, or the student advisor.