Why Study Philosophy?

"Why should I major in philosophy at UMM? What will I do while I'm studying philosophy at UMM? And what will I do with a philosophy degree after I graduate?"

The UMM Philosophy Discipline

If you major in philosophy at UMM, you'll investigate fundamental areas of human inquiry, such as as metaphysics (what is the ultimate nature of reality?, epistemology (what can we know?), and ethics (what actions are moral and immoral?). You'll also study the works of major figures in the history of philosophy, and develop the ability to think, speak, and write critically and effectively. We think that the subject matter alone should be exciting enough to make you want to major in philosophy. But there are additional reasons to major in philosophy at UMM...

UMM Philosophy Distinctions

*The UMM Philosophy Discipline was the original home to one of the 20th Century’s most important journals in analytic philosophy: Midwest Studies in Philosophy.

*Every year the UMM Philosophy Discipline hosts the Midwest Philosophy Colloquium, a lecture series in which distinguished speakers visit our campus.

*Philosophy majors have created a UMM Philosophy Club, regularly present papers at the Minnesota Philosophical Society, and often attend national philosophy conferences with our faculty members.

VIEW PROFILES OF PAST MAJORS

Popular Employment Opportunities

"OK, OK, so majoring in philosophy would be interesting and fun. But what am I going to do with a major in philosophy?"

Philosophical skills provide invaluable training for almost any field. Philosophy provides excellent preparation for law school, and many companies prize the skills that are sharpened and honed by our major. As a group, philosophy majors do better on graduate admission tests like the LSAT, GRE, and GMAT than almost any other major. UMM students have gone on to a wide variety of careers, including a legislative assistant to Senator Tom Daschle, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a researcher in Artificial Intelligence at Northwestern University.

PHILOSOPHY AND THE LSAT/GRE/GMAT

"I THINK, THEREFORE I EARN"

THE BROOKS BLOG: "EMPLOYERS WANT PHILOSOPHERS"

Popular Graduate School Destinations

Our students have gone to Law School at Cornell, Stanford, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, among other fine institutions. They have also entered graduate schools in Philosophy at leading programs like Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Nebraska, the University of Iowa, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne.