Philosophy - Neurosciences - AI

PNKI has a distinctly interdisciplinary focus and covers a range of methodologies - from philosophical writing and formal logic, to mathematical and statistical methods and fundamental psychological research, up to the implementation of intelligent systems. The programme is structured around four core components, in which you will earn a total of 180 credit points (CP):

• Your foundation: The Philosophy Module (65 ECTS) covers the fundamentals of philosophy and analytical tools, as well as the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of AI.
• Your empirical basis: The Introductory Module to Neuroscience and AI (35 ECTS) comprises foundational courses in neurophysiology and psychology, as well as in computer science, statistics and cognitive systems.
• Your specialisation: The Elective Specialisation Module (30 ECTS). From the 3rd semester onwards, you will specialise in one of the two fields: neuroscience (NS) or artificial intelligence (AI).
• Your options: The Optional Module, the Internship and the Bachelor’s Thesis (50 ECTS). This module offers scope for acquiring non-subject-specific skills, career guidance and the preparation of your final academic thesis.

The bachelor programme of Philosophy-Neuroscience-AI (PNKI) programme explores the foundations of the human mind, cognitive processes and intelligent systems from a genuinely interdisciplinary perspective. PNKI thus combines a comprehensive philosophical education with up-to-date subject-specific knowledge and methodological expertise from the empirical neurosciences, cognitive sciences and artificial intelligence (AI).

The overarching aim of the programme is to understand how cognitive functions and mental processes fundamentally operate in biological and artificial systems – from both philosophical and empirical perspectives. This involves, for example, understanding neurophysiological systems, human behaviour and phenomenal experience, as well as the development and analysis of artificial neural networks and machine learning methods. Empirical and technical findings are examined through the lens of philosophy and the philosophy of science. You will learn to critically analyse complex problems in the philosophy of mind and to evaluate them in the light of modern neurobiological and computational research.

From the third semester onwards, you will choose one of two specialisation tracks to build upfurther in-depth, subject-specific expertise alongside your philosophical knowledge.

• Neuroscience specialisation (NS): This specialisation focuses on the biological and psychological foundations of the human brain and mind. Modules in biological, clinical and general psychology, as well as neuropsychology, provide you with in-depth insights into the neural basis of cognitive functions and potential disorders affecting them. You will also learn
  the methodological principles underlying the relationship between the structure and function of the brain and mental processes.
• AI specialisation (AI): This specialisation focuses 0n the mathematical and computational modelling of cognitive functions and mental processes in artificial and biological cognitive systems. Modules in the fundamentals of mathematics, knowledge representation, machine learning and neural networks provide you with in-depth insights into the information technology foundations of intelligent systems and the structure of artificial network architectures. You will also learn the methodological principles of symbolic and neural
  artificial intelligence, as well as computational neuroscience.
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As a PNKI graduate, your broad methodological and interdisciplinary knowledge makes you extremely versatile, and you possess comprehensive expertise in a variety of fields. Typical career paths include:

• Academia & Research: The ideal foundation for further master’s programmes in philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, data science or AI.
• IT sector & AI development: Working in data analysis, the development of cognitive systems, or consultancy on AI ethics and governance.
• Clinical und Research Laboratories: Practising in psychological or neuroscientific research institutions.
• Interdisciplinary Professions: Science communication, journalism, or strategic corporate or policy consultancy and alike

The PNKI programme does not require any particular specialist knowledge, but you should have a keen interest in interdisciplinary work and cross-disciplinary issues at the intersection of mind, brain and machine. An interest in and willingness to engage with both intensive textual analysis and logical argumentation, as well as empirical and technical methods, are also essential.

Accordingly, a commitment to independent thinking and researching, a willingness to read extensively (including specialist literature in English), and an enthusiasm for arguing anddebating are recommended. A fundamental openness to mathematics, statistics and coding (esp. for the AI specialisation) as well as to biological and medical contexts (esp. for the NS specialisation) is expected.

Overall, a broad general education, solid basic mathematical knowledge and very good English language skills are highly recommended.

Would you like more information, do you have specific questions about the contents of the programme, or would you like to know whether the programme’s profile is really suited to you? Use our counselling services:

• Study Programme Counselling: For specific questions regarding the curriculum, please contact our subject advisor, PD Dr. Alexander Staudacher.
• Student Council: For questions regarding everyday life as a PNKI student in Magdeburg, please contact our student representatives directly.
• Student Advisory Service

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