Department of
Philosophy of Science
Documentation and Academic Structure of the Department
The Department of Philosophy of Science examines what makes a claim scientific, what a scientific theory actually explains, and how the Institute’s own emerging empirical fields — from Symbolic Formation Science to the Relational Human Formation research programme — can be held to the standards genuine scientific inquiry requires.
Where the Department of Epistemology studies justified belief in general, the Department of Philosophy of Science studies the specific, demanding form of justification that empirical science claims for itself: what distinguishes a testable hypothesis from an unfalsifiable one, and what gives a research programme, including the Institute’s own, the right to call its findings scientific.
This document establishes the Department’s complete academic and institutional documentation architecture across seven structural layers.
Foundational Framework
Governing Field. Human Formation, examined through the discipline of Philosophy of Science — the systematic study of scientific method, explanation, theory-construction, and the standards by which an empirical claim earns the status of scientific knowledge.
Central Premise. Calling a claim scientific is itself a philosophical act, not merely an empirical one, since it requires standards — falsifiability, replicability, theoretical coherence — that no single experiment can supply on its own. The Department studies those standards directly, and applies them, without exception, to the Institute’s own newly forming research fields.
Foundational Theoretical Anchor. The Department operates under the Principle of Charitable and Honest Argument established by the Department of Philosophy, and coordinates closely with the Department of Epistemology (justification in general) and the Department of Research Methodology (Faculty IX), applying its standards specifically to Symbolic Formation Science and the empirical ambitions of the Relational Human Formation research programme.
Programme List
The Department offers a complete academic ladder from foundational study through doctoral research.
Delivery Framework
The Department is delivered online-first, using structured cohort-based study supported by Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs for every unit, consistent with the Institute’s established production standard.
Curriculum
The BA (Honours) Philosophy of Science curriculum proceeds across four levels, numbered PS101 through PS111, following the Institute’s core pedagogical standard: scaffolded progression from structured instruction toward fully independent evaluation of scientific claims.
| Level | Focus | Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Foundations of Philosophy of Science; the falsifiability–unfalsifiability distinction; introduction to theory-construction | PS101–PS104 |
| Level 5 | Explanation and causation; the demarcation problem; philosophy of the social and human sciences | PS105–PS107 |
| Level 6 | Independent evaluation research; capstone applied critique of an emerging research field; specialization electives | PS108–PS109 |
| Level 7 (MA) | Advanced philosophy of science; standards for Human Formation research specifically; research methods; dissertation | PS110–PS111 |
Key Pedagogical Standard. Every module moves the learner from structured instruction toward the independent capacity to evaluate whether a research claim, including one produced within the Institute itself, actually meets the standards it claims to meet — no learner exits the programme accepting the label “scientific” without examining what earned it.
Research Fields and Centres
The Department maintains the following primary research fields:
Centre for Philosophy of Science
The Department’s standing research centre, coordinating cross-domain research with the Department of Epistemology, the Department of Research Methodology (Faculty IX), and the CYTOG Centre for Symbolic Formation Science.
Assessment and Ethics
Assessment in the Department evaluates a learner’s capacity to apply philosophical standards of science rigorously and even-handedly — including to research produced within the Institute itself — never a reward for defending the Institute’s own emerging fields uncritically as a display of loyalty.
Because this Department is uniquely positioned to evaluate the scientific status of the Institute’s own newest research claims, it applies a dedicated integrity principle protecting that evaluative independence.
Award Titles
Public-Facing Department Page
The Department of Philosophy of Science is where the Institute studies what makes a claim genuinely scientific — and holds its own emerging research fields to that standard without exception. As a sibling Department of Faculty II, it is the discipline that keeps the Institute’s scientific ambitions honest.
Learners join a structured academic pathway from Certificate through PhD, moving from guided foundational study toward independent evaluation of research claims, supported at every level by the Institute’s full documentation standard: Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs.
Permanent Department Documentation Order
The permanent documentation order of the Department, restated for reference:
Delivery Framework Detail
Programme Specification I — Certificate in Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification II — Diploma in Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification III — BA Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification IV — BA (Honours) Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification V — Postgraduate Certificate in Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification VI — Postgraduate Diploma in Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification VII — MA Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification VIII — Specialized Master’s in Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification IX — MRes Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification X — MPhil Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification XI — PhD Philosophy of Science
Programme Specification XII — Professional Practice Certificate in Scientific Standards Advisory for Emerging Research Fields
Summary Programme Table
A consolidated summary of all twelve programmes offered by the Department.
| Award | Abbreviation | Duration | Credits | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Philosophy of Science | CertPoS | 6–12 months | 60 credits | ₦450,000 |
| Diploma in Philosophy of Science | DipPoS | 1 year | 120 credits | ₦850,000 |
| BA Philosophy of Science | BA PoS | 3 years | 360 credits | ₦2,400,000 |
| BA (Honours) Philosophy of Science | BA(Hons) PoS | 4 years | 480 credits | ₦3,100,000 |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Philosophy of Science | PGCert PoS | 6 months | 60 credits | ₦900,000 |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Philosophy of Science | PGDip PoS | 9 months | 120 credits | ₦1,600,000 |
| MA Philosophy of Science | MA PoS | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦2,900,000 |
| Specialized Master’s in Philosophy of Science | MA PoS (Spec.) | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,200,000 |
| MRes Philosophy of Science | MRes PoS | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,400,000 |
| MPhil Philosophy of Science | MPhil PoS | 2 years (FT) / 3 years (PT) | 240 credits | ₦5,600,000 |
| PhD Philosophy of Science | PhD PoS | 3–4 years (FT) / 5–6 years (PT) | 360 credits | ₦9,100,000+ |
| Professional Practice Certificate in Scientific Standards Advisory for Emerging Research Fields | PPC SSAERF | 6–9 months | 60 credits (practice-based) | ₦1,100,000 |
Credit Framework
The Department applies the Institute’s standard credit framework: one credit represents approximately 10 notional learning hours, inclusive of guided instruction, independent study, scientific standards advisory practicum where applicable, and assessment.
| Level | Credits (Full Level) | Notional Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 (Certificate/Year 1) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 5 (Diploma/Year 2) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 6 (BA Year 3 / Honours Year) | 120–240 | 1,200–2,400 |
| Level 7 (Postgraduate/MA) | 180 | 1,800 |
| Level 8 (MPhil/PhD, research credit) | 240–360 | 2,400–3,600 |
Scientific Integrity Ethics Principle
Because this Department is uniquely positioned to certify or withhold the label “scientific” from the Institute’s own research, its ethical commitments govern every module, advisory engagement, and research activity it authorizes.
This principle governs curriculum design, scientific standards advisory practicum, assessment design, and all research conducted across the Department, and stands alongside the Principle of Charitable and Honest Argument (Department of Philosophy), the Principle of Ethical Coherence (Department of Ethics), the Principle of Non-Weaponized Reasoning (Department of Logic), the Principle of Proportioned Confidence (Department of Epistemology), the Principle of Earned Authority (Department of Wisdom Studies), and the Principle of Conceptual Honesty (Department of Philosophy of Mind) as the seventh founding ethics principle of Faculty II.
Tuition Principle
Tuition for every programme is published in full above, with no undisclosed fees. Where a learner’s circumstances warrant it, the Department may offer needs-based tuition adjustment, cohort scholarships, or staged payment plans, at the discretion of the Institute’s admissions and finance offices.
Tuition figures reflect the Institute’s standard credit-based tuition model and are reviewed annually.
Final Delivery and Access Declaration
The Department of Philosophy of Science is delivered online-first to maximize access for learners regardless of geographic location, with structured cohort support, complete documentation for every module, and a clear pathway from Certificate through PhD. No learner shall be required to relocate to access any taught programme offered by this Department.
Final Structural Declaration
The Department of Philosophy of Science stands as a founding Department of Faculty II, holding the standards of scientific inquiry that any research programme, including the Institute’s own, must meet to claim the name of science. Every award, module, and research activity documented above proceeds through the Department’s permanent structural chain:
This chain governs the Department of Philosophy of Science now and permanently, coordinated with, and answerable to, the Principle of Charitable and Honest Argument held by the Department of Philosophy.