Application

Detailed information on applying for the Master’s degree programme in Philosophy (Faculty of Social Sciences)

Basic information

Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy or Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Teacher Training in Psychology and Philosophy or Teacher Training in Ethics at the University of Salzburg can enrol in the Master’s degree programme in Philosophy without any further requirements.

For all other students seeking admission to the Master’s degree programme in Philosophy, a qualitative selection procedure is carried out by the Department of Philosophy. A maximum of 20 students are admitted to the programme each year. Applications are possible throughout the year, but we recommend that you apply early. To be able to start in the autumn semester, students from the EU should apply by 30 June, students from non-EU countries by 30 April. Later applications will be considered for the next academic semester, which starts at the beginning of March of the following year. The admission procedure is essentially the same for EU and non-EU students, with two exceptions mentioned in Step 2 and Step 5 below.

While the application is done online with electronic copies of all relevant documents, once you arrive in Salzburg you will have to present your documents in paper form at the Admissions Office. Only then will you receive your matriculation number and student ID card and be able to complete the enrolment process.

The application process step by step

Step 1: Qualitative selection process

Philosophy is a wide-ranging discipline that deals with a variety of topics and uses a variety of methods. The philosophers teaching in our department see themselves as part of the analytic tradition and therefore expect students to be interested in the debates that have shaped this tradition. Students are also expected to already have some basic knowledge of the formal methods used in this tradition.

Students applying for this programme will therefore be selected according to the following criteria:

  • The extent to which they will be able to successfully complete the courses that form part of the MA programme.
  • The extent to which they have the skills required to engage with the views and arguments represented in contemporary analytic philosophy.

If you apply for this programme, we ask you to explain in a personal statement (approx. 500 words) why you believe you meet these two criteria. The statement should include information about (i) your general interest in studying philosophy, (ii) the specific areas of philosophy that interest you most, and (iii) your expectations with regard to studying philosophy at the University of Salzburg.

You must also submit a writing example (up to 8000 words). This written work could be an essay you have written for a seminar in your Bachelor’s programme or something you have written specifically for this application. The essay should have a clear argument and refer to philosophical literature. It can deal with a current topic in philosophy or a topic from the history of philosophy. It does not have to deal with the topics you wish to focus on in the Master’s programme.

The written work must contain the following declaration of authorship: ‘I hereby declare that this text is entirely my own work and that all additional sources of information have been properly cited. I am aware that failure to cite sources of information or aids may result in my being withdrawn from the MA programme.’

Applicants whose native language is English or whose previous education was largely in English are exempt from providing proof of English language proficiency at C1 level. Otherwise, you must provide a scan of your C1 certificate. If you are in doubt as to whether a C1 certificate is required, please explain your individual circumstances in an email to Ms Hommel (see address above).

In addition to the personal statement and written work, you must submit the following documents:

  • A CV listing your postal and email addresses, your educational background, language skills and any relevant academic achievements.
  • A complete list of the courses you have taken at the undergraduate level, including the titles of the courses, the grades earned in those courses and, if unclear, information about the grading system. An official transcript must be submitted only for formal admission (see below).

All documents should be summarised in a single PDF file with a title in the following format: LastNameFirstName.pdf. Please assemble the components in the following order: 1) CV, 2) courses and grades (or transcript), 3) personal statement, 4) written work, 5) a scan of the C1 certificate, if required.

Applicants will be notified by e-mail if they are invited to an online interview (the format and date of which will be agreed in a personal conversation with the student). If you have not received a decision after one month, you can contact Ms Hommel to enquire about the status of your application.

Step 2: Formal authorisation procedure

Students who have passed the qualitative selection procedure can submit an application for formal admission to the degree programme to the Admissions Office. The following documents must be submitted to the Admissions Office at least two months before the start of the semester.

  1. A completed and signed application form, which you can download here.
  2. A copy of the page of your passport on which your photo is shown. (The copy does not have to be certified by an authority).
  3. Your BA degree certificate. (If your certificate is not in English or German, you must also provide a certified English or German translation).
  4. A copy of the complete list of courses you have taken as part of your BA programme.

Note: You must have all documents notarised. We recommend the simplified ‘Hague Apostille’ procedure for this purpose. You can find information on this procedure  here.

You can submit the above-mentioned documents in electronic form by e-mail or send them in paper form to the following address:

University of Salzburg

Admissions Office

Kapitelgasse 4

5061 Salzburg

Austria

Step 3: Confirmation by the university and queries

After you have submitted your documents, you should receive a confirmation e-mail from the Admissions Office. This email will also inform you of any problems with your documents. If your application is complete and successful, you will receive the official letter of acceptance by email and post. If your application is not accepted, you will be informed of the reasons for the rejection.

If you do not receive a decision on your application within two months, please enquire about the status of the procedure at the Admissions Office.

Please note: You should also contact the Admissions Office if your application is delayed for any reason or if you are unable to submit your documents on time.

Step 4: Get more information from the International Relations Office

The Office for International Relations is a service institution of the University of Salzburg that supports international students with information and organisational assistance, e.g. about accommodation, scholarships, social and cultural activities etc. Visit the website of the International Relations Office with this link.

Step 5: Enrolment for the Philosophy MA

To enrol for the Philosophy MA, you should proceed as follows:

  1. Start the online enrolment here.

Following the instructions on this website, you will need to do the following:

  • Upload your personal and statistical data
  • Select your degree programme
  • Upload a passport photo of yourself for the student ID card
  • Make an appointment to register in person at the Admissions Office, Kapitelgasse 4

2. You should bring the following documents with you to the agreed appointment at the Admissions Office:

  • Passport
  • Official letter of admission
  • All original documents that you have submitted to the Admissions Office

3. Pay the student union fee (€ 20.20) as soon as your student account has been set up.

4. Only for non-EU students: additional € 726 tuition fee (per semester, as of 2023).

Once you have received your student ID and paid the fees, your admission procedure is complete. You can now use your student ID to access PLUS-online. There you will find the full range of courses offered by the university and can register for your chosen courses.