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brandeis philosophy department

Brandeis Philosophy Dept. Greets the New Cohort; New Faculty!

And here we all are!

Katie Elliott

We Welcome Our Newest Member of the Department!

Katrina "Katie" Elliott is joining our Department as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and we are thrilled to welcome her aboard.

students conferring

New Combined BA/MA Degree Program!

Introducing a new Dual Degree BA/MA program for Philosophy Majors. Students can now get both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Philosophy in 5 years.

Daniel Tigard

Where are our MA Alums now? Daniel Tigard

Daniel Tigard, MA '12, got his PhD at Tulane in 2018 and is now doing a post-doc at the Institute for History & Ethics of Medicine at the Technical University of Munich.

Kevin Lande

Where are our MA Alums now? Kevin Lande

Kevin Lande is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at York University, and a member of the Centre for Vision Research and a Core Member of Vision: Science to Applications. And by the way, MC Hammer is a fan of his work -- You can't touch that!

Learning to Think About the World Around Us

The discipline of philosophy explores ideas and concepts that we commonly use without much reflection — ideas related to justice and morality, knowledge and truth, and the nature of consciousness.

In the course of our daily lives, we rarely have the opportunity to consider puzzles about the nature of freedom, time, language and our own identity. Philosophy asks questions that are fundamental to human existence itself. It is the systematic study of ideas fundamental to all the other disciplines taught at the university — the sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts.

Our Programs

The department offers programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Arts in Philosophy. The undergraduate program has an optional honors component. Both programs are taught by our outstanding faculty who are recognized scholars in their field.

Why Study Philosophy?

The skills you'll develop studying philosophy — critical thinking, sound reasoning, imaginative problem-solving and the capacity to analyze complex issues — are invaluable in the study of any subject or the pursuit of any profession. Philosophy majors are among the top-earning graduates in the humanities — competitive with those in business, healthcare and even the sciences. In addition, philosophy students have one of the highest acceptance rates to medical school.

“My work right now is unrelated to philosophy, but one doesn't need to work in the field to use the knowledge gained from such a degree. Learning how to think critically and deeply is important no matter what job you take or what field you're in. That’s why a degree in philosophy is so valuable.”

Emily Breitbart '13