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Use the search tool below to discover degree and certificate programs offered by CU Denver. If you are unable to find a program that is right for you, please contact Admissions or a school or college for more information.

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  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

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Program Overview
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Program Overview

Examines philosophy as the systematic, imaginative, and critical discussion of fundamental issues as students tackle age-old and modern questions about morality, religion, reality, truth, justice, and science. Academically rigorous, it provides critical reading, speaking, analysis, and argumentation skills that prepare students for law, medicine, business, public service, education, media, and more.

photo of Mark B. Tanzer

Mark Tanzer

Professor, PhD • Undergraduate Advisor • 4 + 1 Advisor

Email:

mark.tanzer@ucdenver.edu

Philosophy provides arguably the most intense, critical, and universally applicable education available for an undergraduate. An undergraduate degree in philosophy is academically rigorous. It is excellent preparation for law and medicine, as well as a variety of positions in business, public service and more.

Why is our CU Denver philosophy degree so broadly applicable? By investigating general ideas valuable to every other field – knowledge, health, justice, ethics, science, religion, art, and politics, to name just a few – studying philosophy with us helps students master skills indispensable for the rest of their life:

  • how to think clearly
  • how to reason and speak logically and convincingly
  • how to write concisely and imaginatively
  • how to ask questions that no one else is asking.

What does philosophy study? What is its “content”? Philosophy is typically concerned with the most general concepts important for human life – happiness, justice, truth, beauty, technology, health, and environment. While these may seem vague, it’s crucial to understand that philosophy always discusses these ideas in relevant ways -- in contexts which students find relevant and significant for their personal and professional careers. Thus, philosophy engages students in reading, writing, and conversation that sparks dialogue about questions timeless and timely.

  • Some of philosophy's questions concern reality: Is there an external world? What is the relationship between the physical and the mental? Does God exist?
  • Others concern human nature as rational, purposive, and social beings: Do we act freely? Where do our moral obligations come from? How do we construct justice in political forms? How or why do we punish?
  • Philosophy questions the nature and extent of knowledge and truth: How is knowledge different from belief or opinion? What does it mean to "prove" something? What is proof of knowledge based upon? Sensory experience? Abstract rules or principles? Are faith and reason compatible? What is the role of religion in a world seemingly run by science and technology?
  • Many questions concern the foundations and implications of other disciplines: What is a scientific explanation? What sort of knowledge of the world does science provide? Are we masters or slaves to technology? What is the purpose of an economic system? What makes an object a work of art? Are aesthetic value judgments objective?

Our department is intensely student-focused. We listen to students, read their writings carefully, and seek to learn from them. Mutual understanding and dialogue is the mission of University of Colorado Denver Philosophy.

Why the Bachelor of Arts to Master of Arts in Sociology (4+1) program at CU Denver?

 

Learning

Develop understanding of the social world in a vibrant, urban setting that provides ample opportunity for community-engaged learning.

Research

Build skills by participating in research with faculty, for pay, credit, or as a volunteer.

Build Skills

Use acquired research skills, theory, and substantive knowledge to conduct research, communicate knowledge, shape policy, and inform programs that address pressing social issues.

Program Description

Philosophy provides arguably the most intense, critical, and universally applicable education available for an undergraduate. An undergraduate degree in philosophy is academically rigorous. It is excellent preparation for law and medicine, as well as a variety of positions in business, public service and more.

Why is our CU Denver philosophy degree so broadly applicable? By investigating general ideas valuable to every other field – knowledge, health, justice, ethics, science, religion, art, and politics, to name just a few – studying philosophy with us helps students master skills indispensable for the rest of their life:

  • how to think clearly
  • how to reason and speak logically and convincingly
  • how to write concisely and imaginatively
  • how to ask questions that no one else is asking.

What does philosophy study? What is its “content”? Philosophy is typically concerned with the most general concepts important for human life – happiness, justice, truth, beauty, technology, health, and environment. While these may seem vague, it’s crucial to understand that philosophy always discusses these ideas in relevant ways -- in contexts which students find relevant and significant for their personal and professional careers. Thus, philosophy engages students in reading, writing, and conversation that sparks dialogue about questions timeless and timely.

  • Some of philosophy's questions concern reality: Is there an external world? What is the relationship between the physical and the mental? Does God exist?
  • Others concern human nature as rational, purposive, and social beings: Do we act freely? Where do our moral obligations come from? How do we construct justice in political forms? How or why do we punish?
  • Philosophy questions the nature and extent of knowledge and truth: How is knowledge different from belief or opinion? What does it mean to "prove" something? What is proof of knowledge based upon? Sensory experience? Abstract rules or principles? Are faith and reason compatible? What is the role of religion in a world seemingly run by science and technology?
  • Many questions concern the foundations and implications of other disciplines: What is a scientific explanation? What sort of knowledge of the world does science provide? Are we masters or slaves to technology? What is the purpose of an economic system? What makes an object a work of art? Are aesthetic value judgments objective?

Our department is intensely student-focused. We listen to students, read their writings carefully, and seek to learn from them. Mutual understanding and dialogue is the mission of University of Colorado Denver Philosophy.

Why the Bachelor of Arts to Master of Arts in Sociology (4+1) program at CU Denver?

 

Learning

Develop understanding of the social world in a vibrant, urban setting that provides ample opportunity for community-engaged learning.

Research

Build skills by participating in research with faculty, for pay, credit, or as a volunteer.

Build Skills

Use acquired research skills, theory, and substantive knowledge to conduct research, communicate knowledge, shape policy, and inform programs that address pressing social issues.

Student Testimonials

In my experience, the philosophy program at CU Denver is well suited to anyone interested in the project of intellectual curiosity. With my focus on contemporary social/political philosophy, I have learned to engage in thoughtful critique and partner with my conviction to turn my education into meaningful action. My professors have facilitated the development of a variety of invaluable skills: analytical and expressive writing, understanding the mechanics of ideology, and the articulation of my own original ideas. Unlike any other formal education in my past, I have been deeply challenged and changed by the reflective insight of my instructors and peers. As a woman in philosophy, I have had the pleasure of being taught by brilliant, honest, and capable female professors, all of whom invest tremendous effort into effective pedagogy. My education has been adaptable, compassionate, and unquestionably relevant. I transferred to CU Denver my junior year, and my only sadness is that I do not have more time!

Michaela Hunt

(December 2022)

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CU Denver

CU Denver

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1201 Larimer Street

Denver, CO 80204


(303) 315-5969

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