AI IN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY Track
From 2024-2025 onward, students in the PSTS programme can choose to enter a special one-year AI in Science and Society track at the end of their first year. This is a one-year track consisting of 25 EC of advanced courses in the specific domain and a MSc thesis supervised by a staff member with research expertise in AI. Students taking the AI in Science and Society track graduate as regular PSTS students but with the distinction of having taken the track. Note that the AI in Science and Society track and the 4TU.Ethics Ethics and Technology track are mutually exclusive.
AI-related job opportunities (both academic and non-academic) now abound due to the increasingly significant role of AI-based technologies in societal domains such as healthcare, finance, education, and governance. As a result, both private and non-private organizations are now hiring for AI-related positions, such as AI ethics consultants and AI policymakers, in addition to technical AI experts. Academic job opportunities, especially at the level of PhD positions in both Philosophy and STS, are also increasing due to the increasing allocation of grant funding to AI-related projects, especially in the Netherlands.
Curriculum
1st semester
Block 1A (Q1) courses:
- Transformation of Knowledge in a Digital Age - 5 EC (obligatory)
- Good Technology for Users and Society - 5 EC (obligatory)
- Technologies in Use - 5 EC (elective, choose one)
- Technologies and Discourse - 5 EC (elective, choose one)
Block 1B (Q2) courses:
- Rethinking Science-Technology Relations - 5 EC (obligatory)
- Ethics and Epistemology of AI: Machines, Minds and Society - 5 EC (obligatory)
- Anticipation and Evaluation of Emerging Technologies - 5 EC (elective, choose one)
- Minds, Bodies and Technologies - 5 EC (elective, choose one)
2nd semester
Block 2A (Q3) + Block 2B (Q4)
- Master’s Thesis related to AI - 30 EC
Throughout the entire 2nd year:
- MasterLab - 5 EC (obligatory)
The track thus consists of four 5 EC obligatory courses and one 5 EC elective course. Students admitted to the track may replace up to two courses by choosing suitable 5 EC courses from PSTS or other MSc programmes. MasterLab and the PSTS Skills Portfolio cannot be replaced. The replacement courses must be approved by the programme director as well as the track coordinator.
If a course provides a specific AI in Science and Society track assignment, students in this track must take that particular assignment.
Admission criteria
Students can apply for admission to the AI in Science and Society track at the end of the first year of the PSTS programme. Admission decisions are taken by the track coordinator. The track has the following admission requirements:
- At the start of the track, students should have completed at least 55 EC from the first year of PSTS, including the courses Ethics and Technology I, Ethics and Technology II, and Philosophy of Science in Practice.
- An average grade of ≥7.5 for the three courses Ethics and Technology I, Ethics and Technology II, and Philosophy of Science in Practice, plus an average grade of ≥7.5 for all completed PSTS courses.
Furthermore, the applicant must submit a letter of motivation that states: (1) why the applicant aims to pursue the AI in Science and Society track as a continuation of education in the PSTS programme, and (2) why their profile is appropriate for studying in this track. The requirement concerning minimum grade average is based on the consideration that the above courses provide an academic background (both in terms of knowledge and skill) necessary to study AI-related specialized subjects.
Students can apply for admission by sending an email before 1 July to the track coordinator, Dr. Koray Karaca (with CC to the PSTS study adviser), by which they request to be admitted to the track. This email should include an official Study Progress Review from PSTS that lists all completed courses and grades received.