Philosophy

Department of Philosophy

Western Michigan University's philosophy program is considered one of the best in the nation—its graduate program is consistently ranked as one of the top-10 M.A. programs in the world. Its strength is in three particular areas:

Epistemology and the philosophy of science
Metaphysics and the philosophy of the mind
Theoretical and applied ethics

As a philosophy student at WMU, you will acquire skills for public speaking, debate, critical evaluation and logical reasoning. You will also learn how to develop and present your own theories and arguments. The program is flexible, allowing for independent study as well as coursework from other WMU departments.

Beyond the classroom

If you choose to major in philosophy at WMU, you will have a wide range of extracurricular opportunities available to you, from our award-winning Ethics Bowl Team to competitive Undergraduate Research Awards that provide the opportunity to do intensive research with an accomplished professor.

WMU also supports a Center for the Study of Ethics in Society that encourages and supports research, teaching and service to the University and community in areas of applied and professional ethics. These areas include, but are not restricted to: business, education, engineering, government, health and human services, law, media, medicine, science and technology.

After you graduate

Recent WMU graduates with degrees in philosophy are working as:

Counselors
Lawyers
Public service officials
Business administrators
Hospital administrators

Among the organizations they work for are:

Hospitals
Advertising agencies
State and federal government agencies
Colleges and universities
Consulting firms

Career Outcomes

Where is the program offered?

Kalamazoo

Other programs of interest

Academics

Philosophy