Communication and Information Studies: Discourse and Argumentation Studies

University of Amsterdam

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Program description

Discourse & 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 professional Master's programme Discourse and Argumentation Studies presents an overview of recent descriptive and normative research in language, and covers a broad range of topics, including conversational analysis, style, classical and modern rhetoric, informal logic, fallacies, and juridical and conversational argument. Upon completion of the programme, students will have acquired an adequate knowledge of and insight into the main normative and descriptive theoretical approaches to the study of argumentation. This includes: pragma-dialectics and the main theoretical approaches to the study of discourse, including speech act theory and conversation analysis. In addition, students gain the skills necessary for: - analysing and evaluating argumentative discourse; - for reading, analysing, evaluating and conducting independent research; - and for producing both written and oral reports on research findings. The programme also offers students the possibility to put theory into practice in a specially selected internship, in which communicative and argumentative skills play a central role.

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Admission requirements

Previous education

The Professional Master’s in Discourse and Argumentation Studies is open to all students with a Bachelor’s diploma from the UvA, or a recognised equivalent from another accredited university in:
- Language and Communication;
- Dutch Language and Culture (only if a student’s Bachelor thesis focuses on Speech Communication);
- Philosophy (only if a student has followed a Minor in Argumentation worth 30 ECTS credits).
The level of the Bachelor’s diploma from a foreign higher education institution must be equal to three years of Dutch university education (to be judged by the Examinations Board).
Prospective students with Bachelor’s degrees (university) other than those mentioned above can nonetheless apply for admission to the programme. The Examinations Board will in such cases take a look at the content of the prospective student’s Bachelor programme, his/her study results and general motivation.

Grade average

Grade average:
If you wish to complete a Master's or Professional Master's programme successfully we recommend that you have an overall grade point average (GPA) of
- B/3.0 (American system),
- 2.1 (an upper second class degree in the British system),
- C (ECTS-system), or 7.0 (Dutch system).

Grade average

7

Written request

Motivaition letter:
State in about 300 words why you wish to attend this specific programme.
In addition:
A sample of your best academic written work in English of ten to twenty pages maximum. This may be (an extract of) a paper or thesis written by you in English or an English summary of a paper/thesis written by you in another language.

Written request

Students can apply for the selection procedure for this master from 1 December until 1 April by filling out the digital application form and uploading the necessary documents via the website of the Graduate School of Humanities

Language test

IELTS: average score 7
TOEFL: score 100
Cambridge Advanced English: score A2
Cambridge Proficiency in English: score B1

Language requirements

CAE: A2, CPE: B1, IELTS overall band: 7, IELTS listening: 7, IELTS reading: 7, IELTS writing: 7, IELTS speaking: 7, TOEFL internet based: 100

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