First semester: Interdisciplinary introduction and disciplinary foundations

In the first semester, you will be introduced to interdisciplinary topics and methods at the intersection of philosophy and economics, and will acquire foundational knowledge and skills in philosophy and in economics which prepare you for advanced MA-level courses in subsequent semesters.

You will attend two introductory interdisciplinary seminars: One seminar focuses on developing close reading skills, based on a text at the intersection of philosophy and economics. The other seminar gives an overview of topics in Philosophy and Economics, and trains you in specific research skills that you will need for subsequent classes. Throughout, you will reflect on methods, possibilities and challenges of interdisciplinary research in Philosophy and Economics.

You then follow compensatory classes to complement your previous education. The selection of classes is determined individually for each student, in consultation with the course director. As a general rule: 

• All students attend a class on foundations of theoretical philosophy, with a special focus on general philosophy of science, unless you have covered this topic extensively in your previous studies. This class is an indispensable foundation for in-depth study of philosophy of economics in subsequent semesters.
• If you haven't studied moral philosophy in any detail, you will also attend a class on foundations of moral philosophy.
• Students without a suitably advanced undergraduate-level training in microeconomics and econometrics will attend foundational classes to acquire the skills and knowledge needed for following advanced economics classes.

You can then use any remaining credits to follow courses from a wide selection of philosophy classes. If you have the requisite prior training, you can also follow advanced microeconomics or econometrics.

At the end of this semester, you will have a grasp of the key themes in philosophy and economics, methods and challenges of interdisciplinary work, and the foundational knowledge and skills in both disciplines that allow you to attend advanced MA-level classes in subsequent semesters.