AI IN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY TRACK
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 an 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, the Science, Technology and Sustainability track, and the 4TU.Ethics Ethics and Technology track are mutually exclusive. However, it is possible to include an internship (10 EC) and a shortened thesis (20 EC) in this track, which is not the case for 4TU.Ethics Ethics and Technology track.
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) - this course will be redesigned for 2025-2026 (called Technologies and Sustainable Use).
- Technologies and Discourse - 5 EC (elective, choose one) - this course will be redesigned for 2025-2026 (called Sustainability and Decolonisation).
Block 1B (Q2) courses:
- Rethinking Science-Technology Relations - 5 EC (obligatory)
- Ethics and Epistemology of AI and Robotics - 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 (or 20 EC in the case of combining the track with a shortened thesis and 10 EC internship)
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 the elective course by choosing a suitable 5 EC course from other MSc programmes. The obligatory courses and MasterLab cannot be replaced. The replacement course 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
The track has no special admission requirements.
However, students who want to participate in the track must register by emailing the track coordinator, Dr. Koray Karaca (with CC to the PSTS study adviser), before 21 June 2025. The registration allows us to plan ahead, for instance, to anticipate the number of thesis supervisors needed