Discourse and Argumentation Studies: University of Amsterdam

Course Description

The Master's programme in Discourse and Argumentation Studies aims to provide students with a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for understanding the way language is used for informative and argumentative purposes.

The programme presents an overview of recent descriptive and normative research in language use covering a broad range of topics, including conversational analysis, style, classical and modern rhetoric, informal logic, fallacies and juridical and conversational argument.

Career prospects

The Master's programme in Discourse and Argumentation Studies equips students with the skills and insights necessary for any career involving the critical analysis, evaluation and production of argumentative discourse. This includes evaluating and commenting on texts (for example, as an MP's or lawyer's assistant), writing persuasive texts and policy documents and rewriting texts for presentation. This programme offers an excellent opportunity for students interested in pursuing a PhD in this field.

Admission requirments

Specific entry requirements

Applicants for the Master's programme should have at least a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent in linguistics, communication or philosophy or another relevant field. The level of the Bachelor's degree must be comparable to that of a Dutch Bachelor's degree.

The admissions committee will assess each applicant's academic qualifications on a case-by-case basis.

General entry requirements

Applicants must also fulfil the general entry requirements of the Graduate School for Humanities regarding academic background, grade average and English language proficiency. For more information, see this link.