Marquette Department of Philosophy

Philosophy invites us to explore the fundamental questions of human life, such as; How should we live? What does a just society look like? What gives our lives meaning and purpose? What should we believe, and how can we be confident that our beliefs are true?

These questions have arisen in all cultures and during all eras of human history. Philosophy is and always has been a global practice. The Philosophy Department at Marquette celebrates the plurality and diversity of philosophical approaches and embraces philosophy’s ability to speak to who we are as human beings in all contexts, including culture, religion, race, and gender.

Students who choose to study with us will explore philosophy’s fundamental questions through the lens of a wide array of philosophical traditions from Ancient Greece, Europe and the Middle East, to Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, in a rigorous and exciting program that will challenge them to become critical thinkers who interrogate inherited assumptions and illuminate new ways of being, thinking, and doing in the world.

Learn more about our faculty

Areas of research:

- Philosophical Traditions
- Ethics, Values, and Society
- Science and Mind

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Undergraduate programs

Our BA in Philosophy gives students the option to concentrate their philosophical studies in one of three areas: Philosophy and the Health Professions, Philosophy and the Legal Professions, and Ethics, Values, and Society. For details, please see our Undergraduate Program Overview. It is also deeply integrated with the Marquette Core Curriculum, making the pursuit of Philosophy as a second major an accessible and attractive option.  

Graduate programs

For graduate students, we offer a PhD that allows for specialization in all areas of the history of philosophy as well as many systematic areas. We also offer two MAs. One specializes in the History of Philosophy; the other in Social and Applied Philosophy. For more details, please see our Graduate Program Overview.