Marie van Loon (Switzerland):

'I truly loved doing my research master at the UvA because it gave me the opportunity to interact with students who were as passionate about philosophy as I was. In that sense the research master helped to understand the value of sharing my thoughts and my knowledge with my peers. I was able to develop and refine my intuitions and my arguments by confronting them with those of others. In addition to the stimulating philosophical cooperation with my fellow students, I very much enjoyed the program of the research master. Because I am both curious and conscientious, going through the classics of western philosophy while at the same being able to discover different topics from applied ethics, phenomenology to contemporary metaphysics made my studies very satisfying.' 

Allegra Reinalda (Australia):

'What makes the Philosophy Research Masters programme at the UvA such an outstanding postgraduate programme is the people. The philosophy department has exceptional professors from diverse fields of inquiry. These are thinkers whose pedagogical practice seems to reflect both a tremendous enthusiasm for their subject matter and a generosity of spirit. Professors are not only approachable and generous with their time but indeed supportive of and engaged with students. This openness and commitment is also reflected in the student body. Students who have come through the UvA undergraduate program have built up a remarkably vibrant community of philosophy students who discuss, debate, laugh and think together. As a foreign student, it is a very welcoming and rich environment to step into. 

The combination of core courses, electives and small tutorial groups enables you to follow your own set of philosophical questions and themes but not to do so in a detached or rigid manner. There is a core program for research masters students which is very demanding. You come into contact with something like a canon, while at the same time critically, historically and reflexively interrogating what a canon might be. This structure means that you cannot shy away from or maintain an ignorance of thought outside your comfort zone. In my experience, such a confrontation with the new not only deepened existing lines of inquiry but has lead me in some surprising and thrilling new directions.'

Ziggy Schilpzand (The Netherlands)

'The research master in philosophy provides its students with ample opportunities for exploring the quirkiest corners of pretty much any debate, while also forcing us to pay attention to the Western canon in order to become knowledgeable yet specialized academics. It's especially in the so called 'tutorials' that one is left to one's own interests and devices, which makes for an interesting exercise in self-discipline and philosophical soul-searching. As someone with an interest in the crossroads between philosophy and the social sciences, the tutorial-system allowed me to further my interests by enabling to set up tutorials on recent developments in historical materialism, phenomenological sociology and various currents in science and technology studies. On the other hand, the core courses that are part of the programme too, rooted me more firmly in much older (longlasting, yes; 'classical'!) debates and made me reconnect to thinkers like Aristotle, Spinoza and Locke, but also forced me (ultimately to my joy!) to pick up thinkers like Frege and Wittgenstein that I never considered reading ever again after having had to do it during my Bachelor.

Added bonus to the wonderful programme, I think, is the presence of foreign students. It really changed my ideas on how to do philosophy as a collective effort. Of course I can't promise any future student the same experience, but I hope that the selection criteria to this Master help selecting people that tend to over-reflect on what they do, turning studying philosophy into a very educative experience.'

Vasileios Koutsogiannis (Greece):

'I was attracted by this specific programme in philosophy due to its unique structure, which I think provides a considerable advantage over similar English-speaking programmes in the world. In Amsterdam, a thorough knowledge of classic philosophers, from Plato to Adorno, goes hand in hand with specialisation and the advance of personal research. Here, I found what I consider the best formal education in philosophy: attention to the history of the discipline alongside introduction to contemporary debates; a diversity of courses that reflects recent scholarship combined with the opportunity to advance my individual interests. I had a lot of space to do philosophical research in the fields I was interested in, while simultaneously I was always challenged to rethink what I thought I knew about philosophy. Also, what is important is that this structure is flexible: I was able to study abroad (France) for a semester, since my thesis research led me towards French philosophers.

This unique structure of the programme is combined with an excellent, active and diverse faculty, which not only has great knowledge of their field, but also is always approachable and eager to help.'