A Message from the Chair

An ivy-league education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis?

You don't have to go to the East or West Coast to take classes from professors educated at some of the world's outstanding universities.

Philosophers at UM-St. Louis have earned degrees from the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the University of Massachusetts, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of London, Cambridge University, and the London School of Economics. Most also held teaching positions at these universities, and the same high-caliber instruction they provided to students there, they offer to students at UM-St. Louis.

The faculty's research reputation is international. They have published more than 20 books and 300 articles. They serve on editorial boards of professional journals, executive committees of professional organizations, reviewing panels for federal agencies, and boards overseeing the ethics of medical research. They have won research grants from national, university, and campus organizations. They review books for publication and serve as referees for professional journals and academic book publishers. All are actively engaged in professional activities and present their work at refereed national and international conferences. They have held invited research positions at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Australian National University, Harvard University, and Oregon State University.

The Department offers B.A. and M.A. degrees. The M.A. is rated by an independent agency, on the basis of faculty quality, as among the top eight programs in the nation. The agency points out that a highly rated M.A. program is likely to be superior to many Ph.D. programs. Many M.A. graduates have been admitted to highly ranked Ph.D. programs.

The high rating of the M.A. program guarantees that an undergraduate program will be of the highest quality. Some students study philosophy to explore ideas and gain a better understanding of basic concepts and modes of thought, while others prize the exceptional training it provides in reasoning, argument, and analysis. It's no accident that philosophy majors score higher on the Law School Admission Test than other groups: They have learned how to think and write.

You may major or minor in philosophy or double major in philosophy and another discipline. Or you may simply take a few courses in areas that interest you. Whatever path you choose, philosophy offers you the opportunity to get an Ivy-League education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

We invite you to come to class.