Philosophy wakes us up. It asks us to think about ourselves and the world without preconceptions. It asks us not just how we do live, but how we ought to live. It asks where we fit into the natural world and how we should treat each other. It commits us to critical reflection, not just for a season, but for everything a life can encompass.  

Philosophy majors, not coincidentally, are successful: They ace admissions tests for law school, graduate school, business school, and medical school. Their acceptance rates for medical and law school are outstanding, and IU Philosophy majors rank fourth among 48 USB College of Arts and Science majors in starting salary.

What is philosophy? Why study philosophy?

We offer a B.A. in Philosophy, two interdepartmental M.A.s, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Philosophy and Political Science, a general minor in Philosophy, a minor in Ethics, a minor in Philosophy of the Arts, and a minor in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition. We have many double majors and Philosophy minors are a popular addition to majors in other disciplines. Our graduate program admits students for the Ph.D. in Philosophy and offers a coursework only M.A. that is restricted to students who have already been admitted to a graduate program at Indiana University.   

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Our department emphasizes developing the ability for rigorous, original, and creative thought.  We challenge our students from the start to think for themselves about the deepest philosophical problems. The Philosophy Club runs an undergraduate journal for research and an active schedule of discussions of philosophical issues. Many of our majors undertake independent research on an honors thesis with a member of the faculty. 

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