BSU College of Arts and Sciences
Boise State University
1910 University Dr.
Boise, ID 83725-1550Ph.: (208) 426-3304
Fax: (208) 426-4332
For the money, of course!
(Okay, maybe not. But read on.)
In order to do philosophy well, one must have a high level of reading comprehension, clarity of thought, and good communications skills (both oral and written). Put simply, then, philosophy teaches one how to read, think, speak, and write well. This might sound like a rather modest set of outcomes, but even a little reflection reveals that these skills are fundamental to all intellectual endeavors. It's no coincidence that some of history's greatest scientists, theologians, and artists were also philosophers.
Here are some interesting facts1:
LSAT scores for philosophy majors rank third among the twenty-two undergraduate majors represented by examinees. Only mathematics and economics majors score higher, on average.
GMAT scores for philosophy majors rank second among the nineteen undergraduate majors represented by examinees. Only mathematics majors score higher, on average.
GRE/Verbal scores for philosophy majors are the highest among the twenty-four undergraduate majors represented by examinees. (Mathematics majors rank fourteenth.)
GRE/Quantitative scores for philosophy majors are ninth among the same twenty-four majors, ranking higher than business majors, all majors in the social sciences, and all other majors in the humanities. And consider the majors that rank higher than philosophy: physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, chemistry, other sciences, economics and biology. These majors include extensive training in quantitative thinking, philosophy relatively little.
If we consider these four tests cumulatively by summing the respective rankings by major, philosophy majors come out on top (15), followed by math majors (18). Examinees majoring in chemistry (26), economics (30), and engineering (30) round out the top five; no other major is even close.
Conclusion: if you want to develop a broad range of skills that prepare you for a wide variety of intellectual challenges, you should seriously consider becoming a philosophy major.
1 Based on standardized test performance by undergraduate major between the years of 1977 and 1982, where rankings were calculated by average mean differential. The data were reported in Clifford Adelman's The Standardized Test Scores of College Graduates. Despite the fact that such a detailed compilation of recent data is for the most part unavailable, all evidence suggests that current performance is practically identical to that of Adelman's study.
Why major in Philosophy at BSU?
One might think that a department as small as ours would fall short in the area of student service. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's precisely because we are so small that we are accustomed to intimate, personalized attention. The proof is in the pudding: the Philosophy Department has produced seven Top Ten Scholars since 1993 -- a record that far exceeds any other department's on campus.
When asked to explain their success, many Philosophy majors cite faculty contact as playing a leading role. Our instructors are enthusiastic about the discipline and are committed to student success. The Philosophy Club provides an exciting and fun way to get to know other students, to engage in one-on-one conversation with professors, and to participate in events that contribute to the improvement of BSU and the wider community.
What's required for the major?
Major Requirements [30 hrs.]
To receive a BA with a major in Philosophy, a student must have 30 hours of Philosophy Credit. Twenty-one [21] of those hours consists of required courses: PHIL 101, 201, 211, 305, 309, 413, and either 433 or 435. The remaining 9 hours must be electives within Philosophy. Philosophy majors should bear in mind that the University requires the completeion of a total of 40 hours of upper division credit by all graduating seniors.
Minor Requirements [18 hrs.]
To receive a minor in Philosophy, a student must have 18 hours of Philosophy Credit. Nine [9] of those hours consiste of required courses: PHIL 101, 201, 211. The remaining 9 hours must be electives within Philosophy [with the exception of PHIL 489].
Wondering what to take your first semester? Here's a list of recommended courses.
Course Offerings (* Click the course title for a course description.)
Course Title Semester Offered PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy S&F [SU] every year PHIL 201 Introduction to Logic S&F [SU] every year PHIL 211 Ethics S&F every year PHIL 221 Asian Philosophy S only even years PHIL 231 Philosophy of Religion F only odd years PHIL 304 Symbolic Logic S only even years PHIL 305 Ancient Greek Philosophy F only every year PHIL 307 Medieval Philosophy S only odd years PHIL 309 Modern Philosophy F only odd years PHIL 315 Phenomenology and Existentialism S only odd years PHIL 337 Aesthetics F only even years PHIL 406 Philosophy of Science S only upon demand PHIL 410 Philosophy of Mind S&F upon demand PHIL 413 Analytic Philosophy S only even years PHIL 433 Metaphysics F only odd years PHIL 435 Epistemology F only even years PHIL 441 Classsical Political Thought F only altern. years PHIL 442 Modern Political Thought S only altern. years PHIL 443 Contemporary Political Thought S&F every year PHIL 489 Senior Tutorial F only every year
You can now declare Philosophy as your major (or minor) online! Log on to your BroncoWeb account and click on the 'Students' link. On the right-hand side of that page you'll see the 'Academics' link -- click on it. On the right-hand side of the Academics page is a link labeled 'View/Change My Major/Minor Plans.' Once you've clicked on that, it's self-explanatory.
Most importantly, you will need to select one of the Department's regular faculty members (Schoedinger, Cortens, Roark, or Crowley) as your academic advisor. Go to the department office and tell the department administrative assistant, Beth Collier, that you've declared Philosophy as your major (or minor). She'll help you with your advisor assignment. Meet with your advisor at the earliest opportunity and discuss with him your academic plans. He will help you understand the requirements for obtaining the degree and will assist you in registering for the appropriate courses.
You can visit the University's Academic Support Services webpage to learn more about advising and other valuable services available to you as a BSU student.
