Brandeis Philosophy Dept. Welcomes Fall 2023!
Our UDRs, our GDRs, our new MA cohort and our faculty enjoy the relativity of time before classes start.
Featured Content Slideshow
Our brand new cohort!
Meet Boris, the Philosopher of Love.
The Real New Cohort
David Nejezchleba, Ian Withy-Berry, Olivia Zhang, and Carolyn Daitch launch into the MA program with both feet on the ground and eyes wide open. Good Luck!
MA student, Jake Burley, collaborates on a Policy Paper
"While working on my bachelor's degree at UMass Boston, I received a grant from The Applied Ethics Center (AEC) to research issues related to the future of work and political replacement...
Where are our MA Alums now? Michael Dale
Michael Dale, MA '16 writes, "I received my Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022."
Where are our MA Alums now? Joshua Brown
Joshua Brown received his M.A. in Philosophy from Brandeis University in 2021. Specializing in Philosophy of Race, his master’s project was titled “Iris Murdoch, Race, and the Challenges of Moral Perception”.
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