Philosophy - B.A.

Within the philosophy major, a student may choose to complete a concentration in a particular area. These concentrations are:

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

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

Career Opportunities:

As a result of their keen critical thinking skills, profound analytical reading powers, and their capacity to communicate complex ideas clearly and logically, philosophy majors find success in a variety of careers. In a recent survey of employers, philosophy was ranked as one of the most sought-after majors. This fact is testified to by the high employment rate of philosophy majors after graduation. In addition to their employability, philosophy majors enjoy one of the highest mid-career median salaries and the highest median mid-career salary growth rate of any undergraduate major.

Common fields in which philosophy majors are employed after graduation are:

Law
Banking
Finance
Management
Entertainment

Education
Political and Public Service
Religions Ministry

Major Requirements

Required Courses:

A minimum of thirty (30) semester hours in philosophy.

No more than four (4) courses at the 100 level count toward the major.

At least nine (9) semester hours at the 300 level or above.

A minimum of six (6) courses in the major field must be completed at Dominican University.

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 nine (9) semester 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 nine (9) credit hours from among the following courses to complete the concentration. Beyond those nine (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.

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

Ethics

The Ethics concentration focuses on how we can create and live in a world in which everyone flourishes. 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 to today’s employers.

DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY