Major & Minor in Philosophy

Philosophy majors routinely do better than their peers on standardized tests used for admission to law schools, business schools, and other graduate programs. Four years of instruction in logic and reasoning make philosophy majors good at critical thinking and clear communication. Those skills make students who study philosophy attractive to graduate schools but also to corporate employers. Employers frequently say that they want to hire employees who are broad thinkers and strategic problem solvers, as opposed to recent graduates who may have been trained in a very narrow discipline.



Recent philosophy majors at Richmond have pursued careers in law, medicine, business, sports, physics, religion, psychology, architecture, literary criticism, the military, and, of course, philosophy itself.

Philosophy Courses

Through a combination of critical discussion and Socratic questioning, philosophy faculty strive to get students to develop their capacity to thoughtfully examine the key concepts, presuppositions, and implications from across the entire range of human inquiry and articulate and defend their positions clearly, cogently, and effectively.

Students begin the major by taking classes in ancient Greek philosophy or modern Western philosophy or various other 200-level electives. From this foundation, students move on to upper-level courses covering a wide range of topics. Classes incorporate rich readings and opportunities for extensive exploration through writing. Professors approach philosophy courses from a range of perspectives based on their own academic disciplines and interests. As a result, students are introduced to a wide variety of subject areas beyond philosophy, including everything from psychology, sociology, and art to physics, history, and rhetoric.