Philosophy

The Philosophy Department at Mount Saint Mary’s University seeks to reflect the everywhere nature of philosophy: Whatever we do, wherever we are, whenever we think, we are in one way or another engaging with philosophy.  

We are a tightly focused department and we welcome students who are interested in looking deeper, investigating further and exploring the foundation of the world that we experience. We offer small class sizes taught by a team of dedicated professors (not teaching assistants) who love to work with students. And our course offerings openly champion the diversity and differences of experience our students bring to the Mount. We offer a program for understanding the world, self-discovery and a solid foundation for your future. 

Our department will help you develop the skills and techniques to logically think through problems and to critically assess whatever situation that comes your way — and that’s a soft skill highly sought after by employers. Committed to the larger liberal arts experience, we also welcome students majoring in other disciplines to create a strong and valuable Philosophy double-major. 

Students hanging out at the patio

Philosophy club

Get involved

The Philosophy Department sponsors the Philosophy Club for Mount Saint Mary’s University students, regardless of major.  

Getting together with others in the Philosophy Club offers an intellectually stimulating atmosphere without worrying about deadlines or grades. It's a chance to make friends, get a sense of our Mount community, develop leadership and support intellectual independence. 

The Philosophy Club has sponsored outings, such as recent excursions to Claremont Colleges to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, to the California Science Center for the Body Worlds exhibit, to the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo and to the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A. near the Mount’s Chalon Campus.  

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President Ann and professor smiling with a graduate

A degree in Philosophy is a degree in a master skill.

Opportunities and Outcomes

Philosophy helps us become better thinkers and writers. Philosophy majors have entered academia in Philosophy and STEM, law, law enforcement, government, advocacy, social justice. You can apply the analytical thinking skills, the critical self-awareness of our intellectual heritage and the deep reading of texts to any discipline.

Career paths with a philosophy degree: 

  • College or university teaching 
  • Bioethicist in hospital or consulting business ethics 
  • Corporate consulting writing, publishing, editing 
  • Law professor, attorney, paralegal 
  • Medicine and scientific research 
  • Computer programming and systems analysis 
  • Business administration 
  • Scriptwriting, film editor 
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What kind of benefits does a degree in philosophy provide? 

Philosophy builds analytical skills. 

This is especially good for advanced work in the field of philosophy, for applied areas like bioethics and business ethics, and for fields like education, law, public policy, medicine, biology, logic, computer-related fields, the publishing industry and business administration. 

Philosophy encourages us to be more reflective. 

This is especially good for work in theology, study for the ministry, world religions and spirituality, comparative religion and mythology, social work, lay ministry and more.  

Philosophy gives us the tools to examine our communities and society.  

This is especially good for advanced work in media studies, popular culture, women's studies, ethnic studies, American studies, and social ethics and policy.