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Undergraduate Philosophy Programs 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 which also 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 also 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 either philosophy or religion to supplement work in other areas. We also offer an B.A. Program combining Philosophy and Religious Studies. (Details on this unique program can be found here. Degree Requirements are here.) Prospective students: you can even apply to the University of Mississippi electronically. Find out more about undergraduate life at the University of Mississippi. What Are the Department's Majors Doing Now?One meaningful measure of our program's effectiveness
is the successful placement of our graduates in both professional and
Ph.D. programs. 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?A major in philosophy for the BA degree is available
in two options:
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.
. (NOTE: Religion courses that are not cross-listed with philosophy courses do not count toward a major with an emphasis in philosophy. ) A MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY consists of 18 hours of philosophy courses. Religion courses do not count toward a philosophy minor. Requirements for
a PHILOSOPHY MAJOR with an Emphasis in PHILOSOPHY and RELIGION. A MINOR IN RELIGION consists of 18 hours of religion courses. Philosophy courses do not count toward a religion minor. [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:
What you can do with philosophy is a result of what
philosophy can do with you. The study of philosophy will strengthen
your skills in logic and analytical thinking, enhancing your ability
to solve problems, to present or defend your conclusions, and to see
the implications of ideas. In your seminars, you will learn how to interpret,
analyze, and critique texts. Your speaking skills will be developed
through in-class and out-of-class debates, discussions, and formal presentations.
By studying the history of philosophy, you will be exposed to the entire
spectrum of human thought on fundamental issues. Finally, in ethics
courses you will grapple with the issues underlying the moral dilemmas
that appear in today's newspaper headlines.
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 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 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.)
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. |
