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 2019-20:.
*alternating course: will be offered in 2019-20 but not in 2020-21
Period 1
| Course | EC | Code |
| Topics in Philosophy of Language and Logic* | 5 | FRRMV17003 |
| Making Modern Science | 7,5 | SK-B3MAMO |
| Logic of Computation | 7,5 | WBMV13005 |
Period 2
| Course | EC | Code |
| Science and the Public | 7,5 | FI-MHPSSP |
| Space and time: an introduction | 5 | FI-MHPSST |
| Topics in German Idealism* | 5 | FRRMV17006 |
| Topics in Philosophy of Mind* | 5 | FRRMV17007 |
| Philosophy of the Social Sciences | 7,5 | 201600160 |
| Pharmaceutical Humanities | 7,5 | FA-MA214 |
| Art, Material Culture, and Technology | 5 or 10 | GKRMV16051 |
| Special Topic #1 | 2,5 | FI-MHPSTOP |
Period 3
| Course | EC | Code |
| The Quantum World | 5 | FI-MHPSQW |
| History and Philosophy of Objectivity | 5 | FRRMV16014 |
| Investigative Journalism | 7,5 | FI-MHPSIJ |
| History of Medicine | 7,5 | BMB507812 |
| Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence | 7,5 | WBMV05003 |
| History of the Early Modern Book | 5 | GKRMV17007 |
Period 4
| Course | EC | Code |
| Foundations of Quantum Mechanics* | 5 | FI-MHPSQM |
| 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 |
| Law as an academic discipline | 7,5 | RGMURWOM08 |
| Science in Society | 5 | FI-MSECSIS |
| Professional Skills and Identity | 5 | FI-MHPSPSI |
| Special Topic #2 | 2,5 | FI-MHPSTOP |
Courses not offered in 2019-20 that will be offered in 2020-21:
| Course | EC | Code |
| History of the Modern Life Sciences* | 7,5 | FI-MHPSHLS |
| Topics in Metaphysics* | 5 | FRRMV16008 |
| Topics in Early Modern Philosophy* | 5 | FRRMV16010 |
| Topics in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science* | 5 | FRRMV16011 |
| Topics in Moral Psychology* | 5 | FRRMV16013 |
| Research Seminar History of Mathematics* | 7,5 | WISM481 |
| Philosophy of Relativity and Spacetime* | 5 | FI-MHPSRS |