Why APhil?
The master's degree in Analytic Philosophy is intended for students who want to pursue advanced research in theoretical and practical philosophy from an analytic perspective, and offers graduate courses in Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Logic, Metaethics, Philosophy of Action, Modern Political Philosophy, and Theories of Justice.
Led by a group of professors and international colleagues, the program includes seminars, workshops and talks given by prestigious visiting philosophers, and discussion and reading groups that study and evaluate recent work in analytic philosophy. The quality of the lecturers at APhil was assessed as excellent by the accreditation agency of the Catalan government, AQU. The group of four Catalan universities that offer the master's degree has been very active in research in recent years, due in part to the ICREA and Ramón y Cajal programmes, which have made it possible to attract leading thinkers from international universities. BIAP, the Barcelona Institute of Analytic Philosophy, which includes most of APhil’s professors as researchers, was awarded the prestigious María de Maeztu prize in 2022, consisting of €2M for a 5 year research programme, which includes PhD fellowships.
Former invited professors include Tyler Burge, David Chalmers, Fabrice Correia, Josh Dever, Julien Dutant, Stacie Friend, Kathrin Glüer-Pagin, Herman Cappelen, Michael Martin, Alex Oliver, Christopher Peacocke, Duncan Pritchard, Susanna Schellenberg, Susanna Siegel, Kathleen Stock, Peter Sullivan, Michael Tye, Timothy Williamson.
Courses are taught in English, and students must have at least a B1 level. Thanks to an emphasis on clarity of argumentation, perspicuity of thought, and penetrating criticism of philosophical theories, the programme helps students to develop valuable transferable skills, such as identifying and expressing the central issues of a debate in an articulate way, accuracy of thought and expression in the analysis of complex problems, and the detection of gaps and fallacies in arguments. For this reason, students who do not wish to pursue an academic career in Philosophy will still find many opportunities to apply the skills acquired on the course in public administration, law, journalism, or in any other field that requires clear analytical thinking.
As our placement record and testimony from former students shows, many of our students go on to pursue funded PhD degrees, and many pursue successful academic careers.
Graduate students have the possibility of direct participation and individualised attention in an environment that is fully integrated in the world of international research.
The programme is open to students who have not gained sufficient familiarity with the assumptions and methods of analytic philosophy. It is also open to students who have not completed undergraduate degrees in philosophy, who will be asked to complete background courses worth up to 30 credits, selected in agreement with their tutor.
Our one-year programme offers a fast-track access to doctoral programmes in Spain or abroad, including doctoral programmes in Barcelona, such as the PhD in Analytic Philosophy at the University of Barcelona (shared with the philosophy branch of CCiL). Students may also consider applying to the PhD in Political Philosophy at University Pompeu Fabra.
Official recognized master’s degree, accredited by the AQU– the Catalan agency for Universities and Research.
APhil offers a unique opportunity to study at an institution with a world-class faculty and colleagues while enjoying the cultural, social and recreational amenities of one of the world's most exciting cities. Barcelona provides a metropolitan, international environment, located on the shores the Mediterranean Sea. Come and take part in city traditions of delicious food and local music, enjoy getting around with easy public transportation systems, and during summer bask in the sun at the city's top destination: the beach.
Find out more about what Barcelona has to offer here below:
The origins of analytic philosophy go back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the works of authors like Frege, Russell, Moore and Wittgenstein, who wrote on logic, language, ontology, epistemology and ethics. Today, the analytic tradition informs the predominant approach of most universities across the English-speaking world. The group of four Catalan universities that offers the master's degree (which uses English as the language of instruction) has been very active in research in recent years, due in part to the ICREA and Ramón y Cajal programmes, which have made it possible to attract leading thinkers from international universities. Most of our teaching faculty are researchers in BIAP, the Barcelona Institute of Analytic Philosophy, which was recently awarded a €2M María de Maeztu prize by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The first pre-registration period for the academic year 2023-2024 is open between March 1st and June 15th, 2023. Candidates are welcomed to send expressions of interest to the APhil administrator at master.aphil@ub.edu.