Philosophy (BA)

What is A Philosophy (BA) Degree?

According to the Greek roots of the word “philosophy” people in the field have a love of wisdom.  They want to know and understand the world.  This search began in ancient times when people probably looked up at the sky and wondered how they got here and what the universe was all about.  They progressed to wanting to know how our minds work and what the connection was between humanness and the universe. So, philosophers study and think about knowledge, reality, and existence.  Pretty heady stuff, isn’t it?!  They try to answer basic questions—like what’s the meaning of life–believing that the thought process that is needed to find the answers is as important as the answers themselves.

You can break down this huge field in different ways—according to the region of the world being studied, like eastern or western, according to the period of time in history when that philosophy was prevalent, and according to individual philosophers like Plato, Socrates, Kant, Sartre, Confucius, Machiavelli, and Steven Hawking in more modern times.  To complete a BA degree in Philosophy, in addition to general education, you’ll take courses in things like the history of ancient and modern philosophy, the theory of knowledge, the history of ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of the mind. You may have the opportunity to take a “topics” class more than once to dig into different topics of study. With a BA in Philosophy you’ll be ready to take on leadership roles in many fields that you may pursue—fields like business, law, politics, medicine or education. You’ll be well qualified to do graduate work in many fields.

The video below discusses a “typical” program, so it should help regardless of which school you are considering.