About this Program

• Find a home within Syracuse’s Department of Philosophy, among faculty from a range of backgrounds with expertise in fields like ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of race and the history of philosophy.
• Learn from visiting scholars who address such topics as human cloning, the ethics of war, the relevance of evolutionary biology to morality, and the deep connections between philosophy and diverse fields like psychology, economics, computer science and political science.
• Conduct research and submit your work to undergraduate journals and conferences.
• Join the Philosophy Club, a student-led group that meets for informal discussion, guest lectures and movie nights.
• Compete for the Peterfreund Prize, a $1,000 award recognizing juniors and seniors for their exceptional philosophical achievements.
• Prepare for a career in a variety of fields, including law, business, journalism, nonprofit work and government.
• Philosophy is ideal preparation for law school and has been shown to help students perform well on standardized tests like the LSAT, GMAT and GRE.

Undergraduate Studies

Philosophy is the systematic study of ideas and arguments, a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for a comprehensive understanding of the world, a study of principles of conduct, and much more.

In your philosophy classes, you will learn how to read with a critical eye, how to spot bad reasoning, how to defend a claim by argument, how to write clear, well-organized prose and how to participate in constructive debate. You will also discuss important and difficult questions: What am I? What is justice and how can we achieve it? Am I free? What is knowledge? How are scientific claims justified? What is real?

Philosophy majors develop analytical and communicative skills applicable to concrete problems in the real world, which is why philosophy majors succeed in a variety of fields, including business, journalism, non-profit work, and government. A Philosophy major is an ideal choice for students heading to law school. Based on test scores, a Philosophy major also provides excellent preparation for post-graduate education in many other areas.