Philosophy - B.A.

Within the philosophy major, a student may choose to complete a concentration. Possible concentrations are:

Global Perspectives in Philosophy
Ethics
Politics, Law, and Social Justice

Students with graduate philosophy ambitions are strongly advised to declare a major in philosophy and discuss their graduate study intentions with the chair before the second semester registration period of their freshman year. Transfer students are advised to do this immediately upon admission to Dominican University.

Career Opportunities

In a recent survey, we asked our graduates why they majored in philosophy. They told us it was because they wanted the intellectual challenge and because it helped them search for meaning and truth and helped them to think about things differently. They also like the logical and critical-thinking skills that come with it. Almost all graduates said they would take philosophy as their major again.

Philosophy graduates find work in many fields. These include:

law
banking
management
religious ministry
education
public administration
social service
health services
library and information science

Major Requirements

Required Courses:

A minimum of 31 semester hours in philosophy.

No more than 2 courses at the 100 level count toward the major.

At least 9 semester hours at the 300 level or above (not including PHIL410)

PHIL 410 - Capstone: Integrating Knowledge

A minimum of six courses in the major field must be completed at Dominican.

Optional Concentrations

In addition to completing the requirements outlined above, students may choose to complete one of the concentrations listed below by completing at least 9 credit hours drawn from the indicated courses.

Global Perspectives in Philosophy

The global perspectives in philosophy concentration offers a well-rounded education on philosophy with an emphasis on examining traditions of philosophy from around the world. Students who pursue the global perspectives concentration are offered the opportunity to study philosophical perspectives with an eye toward inter and cross cultural understanding. This concentration is especially valuable for students intending to pursue careers in international law, banking, management, international relations, as well as healthcare and social service.

Students must take no less than 9 credit hours from among the following courses to complete the concentration. Beyond those 9 credit hours, students should work with their advisor to choose appropriate 300-level courses in order to round out the concentration.

Politics, Law, and Social Justice

The politics, law, and social justice concentration is especially valuable for students who wish to study philosophy with an eye toward social justice, public service, and the law. Grounded in a comprehensive study of philosophy, this concentration attends to the public side of philosophy and explores questions related to justice within society. This concentration is especially valuable for students intending to pursue careers in public service, community organizing, law, criminology, healthcare administration, social services, and social work.

Ethics

The Ethics concentration focuses on how we can create and live in a world of flourishing for all. Students will not only develop skills of ethical thinking that apply to the specifics of a course, but also how to utilize this type of reasoning in all areas of life. Developing an ethical perspective with respect to career aspirations is especially valuable for any and all career goals.

DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY

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