Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy

Philosophy is among the oldest of intellectual disciplines. Courses often consider questions like:

“What is knowledge?”

“What is truth?”

“Does God exist?”

Philosophy courses at Western explore traditional areas of focus, such as ethics, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy. Through a collaborative study of these topics, the department faculty helps students develop valuable skills, such as critical thinking, critical reading, analytic writing, and effective speaking. Studies consistently show that philosophy majors do better than anyone else when it comes to verbal reasoning and analytic skills (as revealed by scores on the Graduate Record Exam).

Western’s Philosophy Department includes winners of the Peter J. Elich Excellence in Teaching Award (our University’s top award for teaching), and the Paul J. Olscamp Research Award (our University’s top award for scholarship). The Department was also recognized as one of the top eight undergraduate programs in the country by The Philosophical Gourmet Report.

Undergraduate studies in Philosophy fit well into many pre-professional programs, including law school. Emphasizing careful, deep, and critical analysis of concepts and problems, Philosophy is an excellent major for students seeking business and government careers which require a liberal arts background.