Why this Master

1. Get ready for a PhD

The MAP is designed to prepare its students for the most demanding PhD programmes and supports them in assembling their PhD applications. Since the a.y. 2019-20, 93% of graduates interested in an academic career have continued with a fully funded PhD. The MAP’s support comes mainly in two ways. Firstly, each student is assigned a personal tutor, chosen among the professors of the MAP, who can give valuable advice on how to improve their PhD applications and, in general, their philosophical work. Secondly, students attend specific courses dedicated to research skills and PhD applications during the first, second, and third semester. More time for individual study is scheduled in the third semester, when students typically start applying for PhD positions. Thanks to these and several other peculiarities of the MAP, most of our students who applied to a PhD programme received an offer before graduating.

2. Study with a clear disciplinary focus

The Master focuses on four core areas: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Logic, Philosophy of Physics.

3. Pursue your own research

The research-oriented approach of the Master quickly introduces students to some of the many lively contemporary debates in philosophy. Eminent scholars teach and discuss their own work in Masterclasses. Students significantly improve their writing and research skills: this is ensured thanks to the structure of the master and its well-designed didactic. MAP students not only receive feedback from their professors on the essays they write, but are also provided with suggestions on how to professionalise their written works for future publications.

4. Study with some of the most eminent scholars in the world

Many of our professors are among the best scholars in the world in their respective fields. Guest professors come from prestigious universities (New York University, Oxford, Cambridge, Geneva, …), and many are members of national academies:

• Academia Europaea (5),
• British Academy (4),
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences (3)
• Polish Academy of Sciences (1),
• Royal Swedish Academy of Letters(1).
• Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (2)
• Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences (1)
• Royal Irish Academy (2)

5. Assessments and personal supervision

The Master requires students to submit regular written work, produce research papers and improve their speaking skills by giving several presentations. Moreover, each student is assigned a personal tutor, chosen among professors of the MAP. This one-to-one supervision includes regular meetings, feedback on written work and guidance about how to pursue an academic career.

6. Personalise your curriculum

MAP students have various ways to personalize their curriculum:

• a pool of many MAP elective courses in our four core areas,
• elective courses chosen from MA programmes in Philosophy from any Swiss university,
• elective courses chosen from Master programmes in other disciplines,
• one semester as exchange students at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München or any Swiss university,

Overall, the number of ECTS that a student can get from other universities cannot exceed 30.

7. Students can apply for various scholarships that can facilitate their study and living expenses:

• USI scholarships
• Student assistant positions
• Scholarships for students in philosophy and offered by private foundations (write to [email protected] for more information)