This Master’s program is specially designed for students with a health-related background – such as health sciences, medicine, psychology, or biomedical sciences – and a deep interest in the ethics behind medicine and health. It’s a challenging proposition because students will follow another Master’s program at the same time, meaning that students can come out with two Master’s degrees – one in Philosophy and another in a health-related subject. A unique selling point, as students will have an all-round training that’s both broad and deep – as well as being a very attractive offer for future employers, like healthcare organizations. 

This two-year Master’s program is a unique collaboration between the Faculty of Philosophy at VU Amsterdam and the Department of Medical Humanities at VU Medical Centre. It’s also one of the only such programs with a focus on mental health and neuroscience. As a graduate with two Master’s degrees – one in Philosophy, Bioethics, and Health, and one in student's original discipline – they’ll be in great demand by many healthcare organizations.

The program is highly interdisciplinary, consisting of introductory philosophy courses, courses in bioethics, and health-related courses that are part of student's other Master’s programme. students will also do practical training – involving a once-in-a-lifetime study trip to the University of Oxford in the UK plus an internship at a hospital, healthcare institute, or other organization.

This is a small-scale program, meaning students will work a lot in small groups and receive plenty of attention from the teaching staff. Many of the teachers work in the field themselves, giving them the opportunity to take advantage of their first-hand experience. But students will also benefit from working with students and teachers whose backgrounds are in different disciplines. All students following a Philosophy specialization take the core introductory philosophy courses, which means students will come into contact with people specializing in neuroscience or law as well.