Master of Arts (M.A) in Philosophy

Contrary to a common misapprehension that philosophers debate unanswerable questions without results, there has been a great deal of progress in the subjects history. This is most evident in honing rigorous thinking skills. Critical thinking got off to a good start, as in the methods of careful reasoning used by Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece. Training in it has since made significant strides, for example, in refinements and revolutions in logic. There has also been progress in creative philosophy, which has come a long way since it was thought that the basic stuff of the universe is fire, air, earth and water or that it is right and just that some people should have slaves. Less obviously, but no less importantly, advances in other disciplines often owe a debt to philosophy. Significant developments in physics, mathematics, biology, economics and psychology started as philosophical hypotheses.

After graduating from college, philosophers pursue various careers - in law, public service, journalism, business, computer science, medicine, religion, and the arts. Even students who minor in the subject or just take a few courses benefit from the opportunity to investigate the assumptions, concepts, and methods of their major discipline of study.