Philosophy Major

Description: A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines. Is Philosophy the right major for you?
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Philosophy Major

What Kinds of Students Major in Philosophy?

Students in this field appreciate and have thoughtful attitudes toward life and the world. They reflect critically on such problems as the nature of our individual and social lives, the nature of the world in which we live, and the nature of our consciousness of and response to that world. Enjoying the debating of various issues with colleagues, this kind of person is always seeing and contemplating the moral and social issues that surround us. Excellent writing skills are important.

Is Philosophy the right major for you?
Take the MyMajors Quiz and find out if it is one of your top recommended majors!

What Courses Do Philosophy Majors Take?

The required and elective courses you would take for Philosophy majors vary considerably among institutions. Courses are listed here that are illustrative of the breadth of topics you are likely to experience were you to major in this field.

  • Ancient Philosophy
  • Contemporary Analytic Philosophy
  • Formal State
  • Great Philosophers
  • Mind and Matter
  • Philosophies of the Environment
  • Philosophy
  • Philosophy and the Computer
  • Racism and Sexism
  • School and Society
  • The Individual and Community