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printPhilosophy of Science, Technology and Society
The Master’s in PSTS is the premier programme for learning how to critically analyse and assess the impact of scientific and technological developments on society.How are information and communication technologies affecting our privacy? Can we anticipate the future implications of nanotechnology for society? Are there ethical limits to genetic modifications of animals and human beings? How do new technologies change our behaviour and our perceptions of the world? These are just some of the questions that you will explore in the Master’s in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society.
PSTS is characterized by its empirical orientation. Rather than focusing only on the philosophical tradition or aiming to understand technology in general you will analyse specific technologies and their impact on society. This combination of philosophy and technology is the hallmark of the PSTS programme, making it an ideal choice for philosophy students, for social science students and for students with a technical background. PSTS has a strong international orientation: several of our lecturers are from abroad and the programme attracts students from all over the world.
The PSTS programme has three profiles:
- Technology and the Human Being
- Technology and Values
- Dynamics of Science, Technology and Society
| institute | Universiteit Twente |
|---|---|
| location | Enschede |
| diploma | M Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society |
| degree | MSc |
| program type | regular |
| program form | full-time, part-time |
| program duration | 2 years |
| credits (ECTS) | 120 EC |
| numerus fixus | none |
| application no | 60024 |
Information events
| do | Master Last Minute day | > |
questions?
general questions | |
| telephone: | 053 4895489 |
| email: | studievoorlichting@utwente.nl |
| postal address: | Studie Informatiecentrum Drienerlolaan 5 7500 AE Enschede |
education
| instruction language | 100% en |
|---|---|
| modes of instruction | 50% self study 25% theory 25% practice |
| evening education | n/a |
| distance learning | n/a |
| faculty |
objectives
Students acquire knowledge and develop research skills that enable to reflect on technology and its social implications in a philosophically sophisticated way in an academic or professional career.instruction modes
Lectures, interactive working groups, project groups and guided self-study.Written exams, essays, presentations, final individual research paper.bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
program start and application deadline
| 1 September 2013 | admission deadline : 1 July 2013 (EU) |
|---|---|
| 25 August 2014 | admission deadline : 1 July 2014 (EU) |
admission requirements
| knowledge minimum | Sufficient proficiency in the English language. Minimal IELTS: 6.5, minimal TOEFL iBT: 90. |
|---|---|
| previous education | A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in: - (Applied) Natural Sciences, Engineering Science, - Social Science, - Philosophy, Or: Any other discipline, with an emphasis on the exact or social sciences or technology and a focus on the application of technology in a particular professional area or on technical interventions in social systems. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from the Dutch Technical Universities in Delft, Eindhoven and Enschede automatically qualify for admission. |
| personal motivation | We ask international students to complete an academic skills test, sent to you after we receive the application form. |
| knowledge minimum | Good writing skills / Computer skills. |
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
tuition fees
| 2013/2014 | part-time | statutory tarif | € 1342 |
|---|---|---|---|
| full-time | non-EU/EER tarif | € 10333 |
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
Usually you will pay the institutional or non-EU/EER tarif.
Simplified one can say:
Please note:
Tuition fee is strongly dependant on your specific situation. Be sure to check the institute of your choice for a exact figure.
Simplified one can say:
- statutory tarif is the regular tarif for students from inside the EU/EER.
- institutional tarif is for students who already hold a bachelor's or master's degree and want to start a second bachelor or a second master.
- non-EU/EER tarief is for students from outside the EU/EER.
Please note:
Tuition fee is strongly dependant on your specific situation. Be sure to check the institute of your choice for a exact figure.
estimated monthly costs
Hieronder staat een overzicht van de gemiddelde kosten die een uitwonende student ze heeft. Niet iedere student heeft met iedere kostenpost te maken. Het totaalgemiddelde is dus niet gelijk aan de optelsom van alle kostenposten.Bekijk ook de uitgebreide toelichting wat kost studeren?.
| € | 147 | collegegeldop basis van € 1771 per jaar |
| € | 36 | studieboeken |
| € | 67 | vervoernaast de OV-kaart |
| € | 492 | huisvestinggemiddelde voor Enschede (gemiddeld) |
| € | 88 | verzekeringen |
| € | 228 | boodschappen |
| € | 105 | kleding |
| € | 85 | levensonderhoud |
| € | 112 | uitgaan en sport |
| € | 50 | telefoon |
| € | 103 | overig |
| € | 1233 | aan totale maandelijkse uitgaven landelijk gemiddelde is € 1264 |
bron: SUM 2011, OCW/ITS 2008 -- gecorrigeerd voor inflatie
program structure
curriculum
Besides courses that deal with topics regarding the philosophy, history and sociology of science and technology, students are individually supervised and prepared for conducting their own research.bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
courses roster
2nd year
| sept - nov | dec - feb | mrt - mei | jun - jul | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| graduation assignment | ||||
| internship |
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
cooperative partners
| se, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden samenwerking Students have the opportunity to spend the second year of the programme, or part of it, abroad e.g. in Stockholm, Delft, Aalborg, Lisbon, Manchester, Madrid, Paris, or Atlanta. |
| nl, Delft University of Technology samenwerking Students have the opportunity to spend the second year of the programme, or part of it, abroad e.g. in Stockholm, Delft, Aalborg, Lisbon, Manchester, Madrid, Paris, or Atlanta. |
| nl, Eindhoven University of Technology samenwerking |
study association
bron: Universiteit Twente
student testimonial
student talks about Philosophy of Science, Technology and SocietyMy interest in philosophy and the possibility to do a philosophical Master’s made me decide to study PSTS. The Master’s is about reflecting on technology and science. PSTS students learn to reflect and use empirical data to arrive at better informed discussions about actual problems in society. I can use insights from my Bachelor’s and combine my knowledge about medicine and the medial practice with the skills and insights from my Master’s.
During the Master’s you will write a lot of papers and essays, which will help you to develop your writing and argumentation skills. My most important insights came when I was still writing as a scientist, which has a major impact on the eventual structure and argument of the paper. I think that all of the papers helped me to become a better philosopher and assisted me in assessing technology and science differently.
I don’t think society or human beings can live or exist without technology, but I think that it is important to evaluate what is desirable and whether some technology is in fact controversial. For me, the question often is: how do we want to implement the technology or how do we want to use scientific information?
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
student testimonial
student talks about Philosophy of Science, Technology and SocietyThe possibility to combine my background in Computer Science with Philosophy is why I came to the University of Twente. I had never heard of the university before, but the correspondence with various administrators and professors was really helpful in understanding what this university and programme are all about. The excellent international student office offered me so much in terms of assistance in making the transition to this university.
I came into this programme with an extremely critical attitude. I think that we are adopting technologies so fast, focusing only on the good things they bring us without stopping to consider the negative side effects. The mobile phone (and now the smart phone) has led to the expectation that you are connected to a specific place, with specific people, never letting you truly live in the moment. For me, this splintering of our attention is causing us to do everything haphazardly, superficially. I am not saying we shouldn’t have these things at all. We just need to accurately understand what these things mean for our lives in a positive sense, and we need to comprehend the negative side effects in order to use technology appropriately.
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
Although I find laboratory work to be very interesting, I was no longer interested in specializing at the microscopic level. I really wanted to zoom out and work on the interface between people and technology. The PSTS programme ticked all the right boxes for me. After completing my degree, I went to work for COGEM, the commission on genetic modification.
COGEM is an independent expert commission that advises the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment on the potential risks involved in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If parties intend to work with genetic engineering, they must first submit an application for a permit. We consult with our experts before issuing our recommendation to the Ministry, which nearly always adopts our recommendations.
I am now the coordinator of the COGEM subcommittee on ethics and society, which informs the government about new developments in genetic engineering and about the societal aspects of these developments. For example, we have published reports on GM animals and synthetic biology and sustainability criteria for GMOs. These are fascinating subjects, because they are about technology and its implications for society.
bron: Universiteit Twente (hodex)
NVAO geaccrediteerd
The quality of this program is assured by: NVAO (nl)This program has been accredited on July 19 2011 by the Dutch-Flamish Accreditation Organization (NVAO) and has received the following grades:
| realized quality | sufficient |
|---|---|
| program cohesion | sufficient |
| required study effort | sufficient |
| staff quality | good |
| staff size | sufficient |
| sufficient | |
| study guidance | sufficient |
number of students
| 27 | students follow this program |
| 37% | of which is female |
| 16 | freshmen started in 2012 |
| 38% | of which is female |
| 8920 | students at the Universiteit Twente |
| 34% | of which is female |
