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Whether you take one course or several, the philosophy program at the University of Mississippi offers the chance for a rewarding personal and intellectual experience that prepares you for advanced work in philosophy or in a number of professions. Philosophy students enjoy a sense of community through participation in the regular Philosophy and Religion Forum and in many of their small, advanced core classes.

Our department offers a major in philosophy which culminates in a B.A. degree.

Philosophy is an excellent choice for those who wish to pursue a double major. A few examples of the majors that our students have combined with their philosophy major are: English, Psychology, History, Classics, Modern Languages, Political Science, Premedical studies, and Mathematics. We also offer a minor in philosophy to supplement work in other areas.

Prospective students: you can even apply to the University of Mississippi electronically.

What Are the Department's Majors Doing Now?

In the past few years, both our undergraduate majors and our graduate students have been accepted to Ph.D. programs in philosophy at schools such as Oxford University, Washington University, University of Massachusetts, Columbia, Indiana, Tulane, Marquette, Colorado, Connecticut, Arkansas, Georgia, Syracuse, Florida State, Kansas, Nebraska, Rice, Utah, Purdue, Kentucky, University of California-San Diego, the University of Paris-Sorbonne, Kentucky, Baylor, and Bowling Green State University. Other graduates of our department have gone on to law school at such distinguished schools as Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Columbia, Texas, and Virginia. Some majors have gone on to study theology or prepare for the ministry at denominational seminaries or schools such as Harvard Divinity School. Several of our graduates have made use of their verbal and analytical skills in business careers. Our philosophy majors have found successful careers in the software industry, architecture, and one is even a published novelist. Finally, several students have combined their philosophy major with courses in science and have been admitted to medical school.

What Are the Requirements for a Philosophy Major?

All courses applied toward a major in philosophy must receive a C or better. Furthermore, in addition to your major, you will need to fulfill the University and College of Liberal Arts core requirements for a BA degree.

Requirements for a PHILOSOPHY MAJOR with an Emphasis in PHILOSOPHY.
The Philosophy Major This track consists of 30 semester hours (10 courses) of philosophy which must include:

For any student enrolled as of Fall 2008	For students who enrolled prior to Fall of 2008
Philosophy 301: History of Philosophy I Philosophy 302: History of Philosophy II Philosophy 319: Symbolic Logic Philosophy 321: Ethics Philosophy 324: Philosophical Analysis Philosophy 497: Capstone Seminar Any other 12 hours in Philosophy	Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy Philosophy 103: Logic: Critical Thinking Philosophy 301: History of Philosophy I Philosophy 302: History of Philosophy II Philosophy 321: Ethics Philosophy 497: Capstone Seminar Any other 12 hours in Philosophy
Philosophy 101 and Philosophy 103 may be used to satisfy elective hours in philosophy but are not required.	Philosophy 319 and Philosophy 324 are not required, but are strongly recommended for students governed by an older catalog.

 

. (NOTE: Religion courses that are not cross-listed with philosophy courses do not count toward a major with an emphasis in philosophy. )

[Major and Minor requirements are current as of August 2008 and reflect the 2008 University Catalog.]

Why Study Philosophy?

Some people choose to study philosophy. Some people study philosophy because they cannot imagine studying anything else. Philosophy as a body of knowledge connects us to the roots of human culture. Philosophy as an academic discipline is about training you to think about questions and problems in ways that others might not. The study of Philosophy is the most rigorous intellectual training available. The more direct question: "Why study Philosophy?" has been addressed by almost every philosophy department ever created. Here are some of their answers:

• The philosophy advisor at University of North Texas explains "Major employers of university graduates are finding that philosophy majors have finely honed analytic skills and problem solving abilities that make them extremely effective in a variety of professional careers." See what else they say.
  
  
• At Central Michigan, they also emphasize the fact that top employers like students of philosophy. See why!
  
  
• At York University one professor explains that "Philosophers work in industry, government, and education. They become lawyers, doctors, administrators, teachers, diplomats, consultants, stockbrokers, bankers, and managers. They are accepted and respected in all professional schools and welcomed into management training programs." Read more.
  
  
• Philosophers at Lewis and Clark College start with a quote from Aristotle:
  
  Aristotle: "If you ought to philosophize you ought to philosophize; and if you ought not to philosophize you ought to philosophize: therefore, in any case you ought to philosophize. For if philosophy exists, we certainly ought to philosophize, since it exists; and if it does not exist, in that case too we ought to inquire why philosophy does not exist -- and by inquiring we philosophize; for inquiry is the cause of philosophy."
  
  See more from Lewis and Clark.
  
  
• Recent reports from the New York Times and the British newspaper The Guardian both reflect the growing demand for and pupularity of an undergraduate philosophy major. <Read>
  
  
• At Oxford University (the "other" Oxford) they offer a really nice analysis of the Pro's and Con's of studying philosophy.

  Careers for Philosophy Majors?

The type of thinking developed in a philosophy major helps prepare a student for a wide variety of careers. According to national statistics, philosophy majors as a group do consistently better than almost any other major on the Law School Admissions Test, the Graduate Record Exam, and the Graduate Management Admissions Test. Far from being an ivory tower discipline, philosophy prepares students for careers in college teaching, law, theology, medicine, government, and business. [Here is a great resource developed by the University of Florida about careers for philosophy students.]

Philosophy and the GRE.

Philosophy is excellent preparation for Graduate study in almost any area. Whether you decide to go on in philosophy or not, a Philosophy Major is a good way to prepare for almost any type of post graduate educational program. With our emphasis on analytical reasoning, and written and verbal communication skills, Philosophy Majors consistently outperform their peers on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) -- a standardized test like the ACT or SAT that almost all graduate schools require. (See the data.) (Here is another useful comparison.)

Philosophy as a Pre-Law Major.

Philosophy is an excellent choice as a pre-law major or as a second major to enhance your preparation for law school.. There is no official pre-law program at the University of Mississippi, but many students find that a Philosophy major offers excellent preparation for the rigors of law school. Our course of study emphasizing the history of ideas, textual analysis, the evaluation of arguments, and logical reasoning is the perfect preparation for a future Lawyer. Even if you have been told that a future lawyer must study English, History,or Political Science, you should seriously consider philosophy, because Philosophy Majors consistently outscore all other Humanities majors on the LSAT. (See the data.) (Here is another useful comparison.)

A Pre-Law Philosophy Program might look like this:

Basic Philosophy Requirements (18 Hours):

• Philosophy 301: History of Philosophy I
• Philosophy 302: History of Philosophy II
• Philosophy 319: Symbolic Logic
• Philosophy 321: Ethics
• Philosophy 324: Philosophical Analysis
• Philosophy 497: Capstone Seminar

Suggested Possible Pre-Law Electives (Choose from 12 or more Semester Hours) :

• Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy
• Philosophy 103: Logic: Critical Thinking
• Philosophy 322: Epistemology
• Philosophy 328: Biomedical Ethics
• Philosophy 331: Political Philosophy
• Philosophy 345: Environmental Ethics
• Philosophy 350: Philosophy of Law
• Philosophy 519: Philosophy of Language

We cannot promise you that a BA in Philosophy will get you into the Law School or Graduate School of your choice. But, the evidence is clear that a Philosophy Major, by itself or combined with another course of study, is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for the GRE or LSAT.