You often need a defensible answer to a philosophical question before finding a defensible solution to a practical problem facing today's world. What is a just response to climate change? Should science deniers have a significant voice in democratic decision-making? How should resources be divided between the old and the young as the world ages? The Philosophy in Practice master's programme is designed to equip graduates with the skills to address the philosophical questions that lie at the root of the challenges of our age. It trains students in the argumentation, analytic, and communication skills required to tackle these questions. It prepares students to apply these skills at the PhD level and in the organisations currently confronting these challenges.
The curriculum works to this effect by first preparing incoming students, then training them in philosophy in application to challenges facing the world today, and then requiring them to apply their training in both an internship and their research project.
I use philosophy daily in my work as a women's rights advocate and content editor at Feministeerium. It helps me navigate legal texts and argue persuasively with the public and policymakers. The master's programme trained me to work efficiently with complex texts and grasp underlying arguments. It also provided concepts like epistemic injustice and incommensurability to describe and address societal issues.
PREPARATION We seek candidates from diverse disciplinary backgrounds - this significantly broadens the range of viewpoints each student in the programme is exposed to and the skillset they can draw upon in class. However, this diversity makes it especially important to build a common base-set of knowledge, skills and values in each group of students. The Start Module ensures that everyone who enters the master's programme finishes their first semester having received significant feedback on their writing, oral argumentation and communication skills, and having acquired a solid overview of three broad areas of philosophy: ethics and epistemology, mind and language, and selected topics in the history of philosophy. These courses start basic but quickly advance to material that will be new even to students who have graduated from a bachelor's programme in philosophy.
TRAINING Once you've finished the first semester, you'll be well-prepared to begin courses from the Philosophy in Application Module and the Diversification Module.
The Philosophy in Application Module contains courses that have been specifically designed to teach philosophy in application to challenges facing the world today: they have been designed to make it easier for students to see why and how philosophy needs to be done in order to address those challenges, and thus easier for students to identify potential internship placements and research project opportunities. Examples of the challenges addressed in these courses include:
Further info is available in the "Courses" section of this website.
The Diversification Module allows you to diversify your studies by:
In this module, you choose the balance of philosophy and non-philosophy courses that best serves your plans after graduation.
APPLICATION In the final stages of the curriculum, you will apply what you've learnt from your philosophy and other courses in both:
You can choose whether to conduct the lion's share of your research project in your third or fourth semester: this allows those students who want to apply to graduate school to use their research project in their graduate school applications (which are usually due at the end of the third semester).
Before joining the master's programme at the University of Tartu, I was a computer engineer. Now, as a PhD philosophy student, I'm combining the knowledge and skills gained at the University of Tartu with my engineering background to research the philosophy of AI and deep learning. This specialisation will give me an edge when applying for academic roles and open doors to non-academic positions in think tanks or tech companies.
Principles of Selection: This module is obligatory. To complete the module, (full-time) students must complete all 3 courses of the module in their first semester. These courses are prerequisites for courses in the Philosophy in Application module.
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to ensure that all students’ skills in philosophical writing and knowledge of key philosophical debates are of a sufficiently high standard that they can productively engage with each other in later parts of the degree. This process is important given that the degree is open to a wide range of academic backgrounds.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the module, the student:
Courses:
Principles of Selection: This module is obligatory. It contains 9 courses that are taught every other year: 4 in one year, 5 in the next, and so on. Students must complete 6 of these 9 courses in order to complete this module. If a student chooses, it is possible for them to take the remaining 3 courses as part of the Diversification module.
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to endow students with knowledge of multiple problem-areas in philosophy (sufficient to enable the student to engage productively with experts in those problem-areas) and an understanding of where and how this knowledge is needed to address real-world challenges.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the module, the student:
Courses:
Principles of Selection: This module is obligatory. To complete it, students must select 30 ECTS from four sub-modules:
The Estonian Language sub-module is compulsory for students without any Estonian language competence.
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to give students the space to diversify their knowledge in four ways (depending on their preferences and circumstances): by widening the range of philosophical problem-areas on which students can engage productively with experts in those philosophical problem-areas; by developing non-philosophical knowledge and skills that help students apply philosophy in addressing the challenges of our age; by developing the ability to communicate in Estonian in simple everyday situations; and by doing some or all of the above whilst studying abroad.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the module, the student has, depending on the aims of the student:
and/or
and/or
Principles of Selection: Students choose between 0 and 21 ECTS by selecting (a) from the 3 courses of the Philosophy in Application module that they didn’t take as part of the Philosophy in Application module and/or (b) the Research Ethics in Humanities and Social Sciences course (NB: the Research Ethics course is open to students studying on a wide range of curricula, so the student body in this course will be strongly multidisciplinary).
Objectives: The sub-module’s purpose is to give students space to diversify their knowledge by widening the range of philosophical problem-areas on which they can engage productively with experts in philosophical problem-areas.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the sub-module, the student has expanded the range of problem-areas on which they can engage productively with problem-area experts.
Courses:
Philosophy in Practice Module courses
Supplementary Course
Principles of Selection: Students choose between 0 and 30 ECTS from the courses listed. Students can take courses (inclusive of courses taught in Estonian) not listed, if the module lead agrees that the preferred courses serve the objectives of the sub-module.
Objectives: The sub-module’s purpose is to give students the space to diversify their knowledge by taking courses from other disciplines that help students apply philosophy in addressing the challenges of our age.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the sub-module, the student has acquired skills and knowledge from outside of philosophy that improve the student’s capacity to productively integrate philosophical theory into real-world settings.
Courses:
Data Analysis: quantitative
Data Analysis: qualitative
Environment
Media and Society
Mind
Power
Programming
Social Memory
Principles of selection: A student who has no prior Estonian language competence must complete the course in this sub-module (FLLC.09.001) or an equivalent course.
Objectives: The sub-module’s purpose is to give students the space to diversify their knowledge by developing the ability to communicate in Estonian in simple everyday situations.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the sub-module, the student has developed the ability to communicate in Estonian in simple everyday situations.
Courses:
Principles of selection: Students can take courses from a foreign university (whilst studying abroad) and thereby fulfil some or all of the objectives of the Diversification module. Students choose courses of at least 15 ECTS when securing a period of study abroad at a particular university. The courses chosen must serve the objectives of the Diversification module. These courses may be philosophy courses that serve the objectives of the More Philosophy sub-module (0-30 ECTS), cross-disciplinary courses that serve the objectives of the Cross-disciplinary sub-module (0-30 ECTS), or Estonian language courses (0-6 ECTS). NB: the maximum number of credit points that a student studying abroad may collect for fulfilling the objectives of the More Philosophy sub-module or the Cross-Disciplinary sub-module are set at the full size of the Diversification module (30 ECTS). We have done this in order to give students studying abroad the freedom to fully exploit the course opportunities available to them there.
Objectives: The purpose of this sub-module is to give students the space to diversify their knowledge in the ways characterized in the objectives of the Diversification module whilst simultaneously undergoing the experience of making their way in a new cultural and social environment abroad.
Learning outcomes: The learning outcomes of this sub-module correspond to the learning outcomes of the sub-modules of the Diversification module, which the student has chosen to fulfil by studying abroad.
Principles of Selection: This module is obligatory. Students can choose to either take all 6 ECTS from the Practice Placement (Philosophy in Practice) (or Practice Placement (Philosophy in Practice) Abroad) course or take 3 ECTS from Practice and 3 ECTS from a chosen entrepreneurship course as listed below. Students cannot take all 6 ECTS from entrepreneurship courses. NB: included within the 3 or 6 ECTS for Practice Placement is a Support Seminar, which supports students in their search for practice placements. Students can take more than 6 ECTS as practice placement if they wish (please speak to the Practice tutor to explore this possibility).
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to provide students with the experience of themselves applying and/or developing their philosophical knowledge and skills in an internship, traineeship or work environment: this could be an academic or a non-academic setting.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the module, the student:
Courses:
Principles of Selection: This module is obligatory. Both courses within it are obligatory.
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to develop students’ ability to carry out original research in philosophy to a high standard and to communicate this research to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the module, the student has:
Courses:
Principles of selection: Students choose 6 ECTS from any courses available in the University of Tartu course catalogue (inclusive of the courses listed in the Cross-Disciplinary sub-module).
Objectives: The module’s purpose is to give students the space to pursue their intellectual curiosity.
Learning outcomes: After having successfully completed the sub-module, the student has fulfilled the learning outcomes of the chosen courses.
Our staff are deeply committed to the success of students in the Department of Philosophy and work hard to help them broaden their knowledge and develop their skills throughout the programme. You can find information about our current faculty members here.
The department embraces a pluralist approach, spanning analytical philosophy (including empirical research within the philosophy of science), applied ethics, continental philosophy, the history of ideas, and the history of philosophy. Our lecturers publish regularly in leading philosophy journals and with esteemed academic publishers. We aim to inspire the same high standard in our students, equipping them with the skills needed to meet these expectations.
Several of our lecturers have ongoing applied philosophy research projects. These include the Estonian Research Council-funded Metacontexts project (read more here) and the EU-funded projects Beyond Bad Apples (read more here) and Trust in Science? Inspiring and Anchoring Trust in Science, Research and Innovation (read more here).
The Department of Philosophy is part of the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics. Within the institute, you will also find:
Our department is truly international. In recent years, we have welcomed philosophers from Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and the USA to teach our students. Our permanent staff are regularly joined by visiting scholars, who spend a semester working closely with our team.
My time at the University of Tartu was invaluable. The professors equipped me with essential research skills that helped me secure my current position. My MA thesis on bird emotions laid the foundation for my current work on fish welfare and insect ethics. Additionally, one of my ethics papers became my first academic publication. I also formed meaningful connections, including marrying a fellow student from the programme. Attending the master's programme at the University of Tartu was one of the best decisions I've made!
Explore Tartu, the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics, and the student dormitories through the university's virtual tour here.
The master’s programme in Philosophy in Practice equips students with strong analytical, argumentative, and communication skills, as well as a thorough understanding of contemporary philosophical ideas and debates on a wide range of topics. Each of these topics is relevant to issues of practical significance, and the programme delivers this training to an exceptionally high standard. On average, 50% of our graduates secure funded doctoral positions at institutions worldwide.
The programme is structured to support two primary career pathways:
As a master's student, I had the chance to discuss and present my work regularly to peers and at academic conferences. This experience was essential for me as I am now a books editor with Springer, and attending conferences and presenting to academics forms a large part of the role. The flexible curriculum also allowed me to take language and theology courses, which deepened my understanding of the world. The opportunities at the University of Tartu are invaluable, whether you continue in academia or not.
Litman Huang (graduate of the MA programme) joined Pipedrive as an intern and now works as a junior software engineer. Litman showed an impressive ability to adapt and excel in software development. He also demonstrated how the industry's core skills are truly interdisciplinary: logic, problem-solving, analytical thinking, communication and collaboration. Together with his immense enthusiasm for software engineering, it was a pleasure to work with Litman during the internship as his manager, and I am happy to see that his journey continued here at Pipedrive.
bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification (the degree must be obtained by the end of July) – please see our country-specific document requirements
English language proficiency – please see our acceptable tests and exempt categories
NB! The restrictions for the citizens of the Russian Federation are specified here.
the score of the motivation letter (yields 30% of the final score)
the score of the writing sample (yields 40% of the final score)
the admission interview (yields 30% of the final score)
The motivation letter must be submitted with your online application by 15 March at the latest. The motivation letter must be written in English and be 400-650 words long. We advise you to familiarise yourself with the details of the master’s programme before writing the letter.
The motivation letter is used to evaluate the applicant's motivation to study in the Philosophy in Practice master’s programme. With this in mind, please address the following questions in the letter:
The motivation letter will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Maximum score for the motivation letter is 100 points and minimum positive score is 51 points. The applicant needs to receive at least 51 points for the motivation letter, in order to have the writing sample assessed.
The writing sample must be submitted with your online application by 15 March at the latest. Please add the writing sample as a separate file to the "Documents" section of the online application.
The writing sample should be a self-contained text which showcases the properties against which it will be evaluated (see below). This means it should, ideally, be an argumentative text, which provides a compelling defence of a claim. It need not be a paper from a philosophy course — though such papers fall into the genre we expect of the writing sample. It may be drawn from another area of study or work. But, again, if you want to receive a good score for your writing sample, it should exhibit the properties against which it will be evaluated. The limit for the word count is 2000-3000 words. The first page of the essay must include the following information: your name, date of completion of the writing sample, and a word count. NB! The admissions committee will not read any essay that turns out to be longer than 3000 words.
The evaluation criteria for the writing sample are:
Maximum score for the writing sample is 100 points and minimum positive score is 51 points.
The interview is designed to determine the applicant's readiness for continuous learning, professional development, and aptitude to study in the master’s programme.
The applicant will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
The duration of the interview is 20 min and it is conducted in English online. The interviews will be scheduled in cooperation with qualifying candidates in April when the motivation letters and essays have been evaluated. The interviews will take place on April 7-17, 2025.
Maximum score for the interview is 100 points and minimum positive score is 51 points.
General information regarding the online admission interview
The University of Tartu uses different video communication programmes to conduct an online interview (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Big Blue Button). The admissions committee will notify you, which software programme will be used and when does the interview take place.
The applicant needs the following for the online interview:
At the online interview:
For each assignment, the maximum score is 100 points and minimum positive score 51 points. The applicant needs to receive at least 51 points for the motivation letter, in order to have the writing sample assessed. Only the candidates who receive at least 51 points from both written assignments, will be invited to the interview. After the interview, the final admission score is calculated. Only those applicants who score 66 points or higher (out of 100) as a combined score from both written assignments and the interview, will be considered for admission.
For further information on assessing candidates´ academic performance and calculating admissions´ score see here.
The following information applies to international students and Estonian students who graduated abroad:
The application system opens on 2 January and closes on 15 March. The following documents must be submitted electronically via DreamApply by 15 March:
Submitted applications can not be edited. It is only possible to upload new documents (e.g. graduation certificates). Applicants will receive feedback and notifications through the DreamApply system to their e-mail. Incomplete applications or those submitted by e-mail will not be considered for admission.
Guide to submitting an electronic application on DreamApply.
NB: The University of Tartu has no official partnerships with agents or educational representatives. We strongly recommend applying directly to the university without the help of unauthorised third-party entities. Should you use such a service, please ensure that your application's contact information is your personal details (your e-mail, phone number, etc.).
The evaluation of applications will be made based on the electronic copies added to DreamApply. A general ranking list will be formed based on the electronically submitted applications and admission results (including offers) will be announced to all applicants personally via DreamApply by April 30 at the latest. Admitted candidates are expected to accept or decline the offer in DreamApply in 7 days. If the decision is not communicated to UT via DreamApply by the stipulated deadline, UT reserves the right to withdraw the admission offer.
NB! It is not possible to postpone the beginning of studies to the next academic year.
Terms and conditions of the admission offer
Admission offers are conditional. This means that there are conditions in the offer which the applicant needs to fulfil in order to be admitted (e.g. sending application documents by post; obtaining the required level of education). If the conditions are not met, UT has the right to withdraw the offer. Also, UT reserves the right to withdraw or amend any offer or revoke the matriculation of a student, if it becomes evident that the application contains fraudulent information, the qualification does not provide access to the chosen study programme or the student is found to have omitted key information from the application. Should such circumstances occur, UT will not be liable for any material or immaterial loss which the student may suffer as a result.
Once the admission results have been announced, all admitted students are required to send the application documents by post to: Student Admissions, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18-133, Tartu 50090, ESTONIA.
The documents are expected to be mailed only by those receiving the admission offer (unless instructed otherwise by the admissions staff). The documents must reach the university within 3 weeks from the announcement of the offer. If the application documents do not reach us by the deadline, the university has the right to withdraw the admission offer. Applicants will be informed when their documents have arrived.
Requirements for educational documents
All copies of educational documents (diplomas and Diploma Supplements/transcripts) must be officially certified. By certified we mean that the copies should bear an original signature and seal of the authority certifying that these are true copies of the original document(s). The copies can be certified either 1) by an authorised official of the issuing institution, or 2) by a notary, or 3) with an Apostille attached. NB! Country-specific requirements may also specify the way documents from certain countries must be certified.
Please note that UT does not accept simple copies made on the basis of already certified copies (primary copies are needed).
All admitted students are required to present their original qualification certificates upon arrival (unless these were sent directly from the issuing institution).
Paying the tuition fee (applicable to those receiving a fee-based study place offer)
The official admission letter will be sent to admitted students electronically via DreamApply only after the admissions office has received and reviewed hard copies of the application documents, and received the tuition fee pre-payment (if a pre-payment was required, please see Step 3 for more details).
NB! The electronic admission letter is also sufficient for non-EU students for applying for visa/residence permit at an Estonian embassy.
Once the admission letter is issued, accepted students may proceed further with arranging their arrival. All non-EU students should first consult information on the process of visa and temporary residence permit application to be sure, as where and when the relevant documents need to be applied. Note that housing at the UT dormitories can be applied during a limited period of time, unless specified otherwise on the website.
NB! Admitted students who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland need to make sure they obtain the Estonian long-term visa on time in order to be able to participate in the orientation programme for international students held in the last week of August. They are also required to visit the Admissions Office in person to complete their arrival registration by September 1, 2025, at the latest. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their admission decision and visa.
For housing alternatives please find further information on Tartu Welcome Centre website.
Travel information can be found here.
Based upon common queries, the most important information has been summarised into a pre-arrival information website UT Getting Started.
Estonian applicants should apply via National Admission Information Systems (SAIS). Further information in Estonian is available here.
Ask about the admission requirements and application process
Fill in the Student Admissions enquiry form
Ask about the programme (content, courses, career opportunities, study environment)
Francesco Orsi, Programme Director, tartuphilosophy@ut.ee