The first year of the programme consists of required and elective courses.
Period 1:
- History of the Natural Sciences (FI-MHPSHNS)
- Philosophy of Science (FI-MHPSPS)
Period 2:
- History of the Humanities (OGMV05006).
Students are expected to take at least 22.5 EC from the list of primary optional courses, which cover a wide range of topics in the history and philosophy of science, mathematics, medicine, social sciences and humanities. In addition, students can take a secondary optional course from any other Master's programme. It is also possible to include relevant courses from other universities, after consulting the study advisor and the board of examiners.
This is the complete list of primary optional courses in academic year 2020-21:.
*alternating course: will be offered in 2020-21 but not in 2021-22
Period 1
| Course | EC | Code |
| Making Modern Science | 7,5 | Beta_B3MMS |
| * Topics in Metaphysics | 5 | FRRMV1600 |
| * Topics in Early Modern Philosophy | 5 | FRRMV16010 |
Period 2
| Course | EC | Code |
| Science and the Public | 7,5 | FI-MHPSSP |
| Philosophy of Space and Time 1 | 5 | FI-MHPSST |
| * Topics in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science: Bayesianism | 5 | FRRMV16011 |
| * Topics in Moral Psychology: Moral Cognition | 5 | FRRMV16013 |
| Philosophy of the Social Sciences | 7,5 | 201600160 |
| Pharmaceutical Humanities | 7,5 | FA-MA214 |
| Art History: Knowledge, Material Culture, and Technologies | 5 or 10 | GKRMV16051 |
| Professional Skills and Identity | 5 | FI-MSECPSI |
Period 3
| Course | EC | Code |
| The Quantum World | 5 | FI-MHPSQW |
| History and Philosophy of Objectivity | 5 | FRRMV16014 |
| * History of the Modern Life Sciences | 7,5 | FI-MHPSHLS |
| History of Medicine | 7,5 | BMB507812 |
| Investigative Journalism | 7,5 | FI-MHPSI |
| Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence | 7,5 | WBMV05003 |
| Law as an Academic Discipline | 7,5 | RGMURWOM08 |
| History of the Early Modern Book | 5 | GKRMV17007 |
| Logic of Computation | 7,5 | WBMV13005 |
Period 4
| Course | EC | Code |
| * Philosophy of Space and Time 2 | 5 | FI-MHPSST2 |
| Science and the Dilemmas of Modernity | 7,5 | FI-MHPSDM |
| Geschiedenis en Filosofie van de Biologie | 7,5 | B-B3GESB05 |
| 20th century German Philosophy | 5 | FRRMV16015 |
| * tutorial: History of the Sciences | 7,5 | FI-MHPSTUT |
| Science in Society | 5 | FI-MSECSIS |
Courses not offered this year but in 2021-22:
| Course | EC | Code |
| Research Seminar History of Mathematics | 7,5 | WISM481 |
| Foundations of Quantum Mechanics | 5 | FI-MHPSQM |
| Topics in Philosophy of Language and Logic | 5 | FRRMV17003 |
| Topics in German idealism | 5 | FRRMV17006 |
| Topics in Philosophy of Mind | 5 | FRRMV17007 |