At just over 50 years old, UAB may be considered a young university. The Department of Philosophy however belongs in the oldest intellectual tradition of all disciplines of study in higher learning. Philosophy is the very first subject ever studied in an academic setting, and has always been a part of the pursuit of knowledge as humans continually seek to understand themselves and the world around them.

We are a small, undergraduate-focused department, with a dedicated faculty who cover a broad range of subjects and have high standards in the kind of education that we provide to students at UAB. While we do not offer professional or vocational degrees, we train students to acquire essential skills that are useful throughout their lives in whatever they do at work and in their leisure. Fulfilling this mission is the guiding purpose of the faculty and staff of the Department of Philosophy.

By opening up their minds to life’s deep questions and engaging with them, we help philosophy students develop highly transferable skills, such as critical thinking, analytical writing, and moral reasoning. In evaluating arguments for opposing positions, students learn to critically examine their own views and charitably engage with the views of others, fostering tolerance and respect for diversity. As a result, students are prepared to use these skills in many areas of their personal and professional life. Alumni who graduated from UAB with a philosophy degree have gone on to pursue a variety of rewarding careers or further studies in fields such as medicine, law, politics, writing, business, management, and nonprofit work.

In addition to the courses that we offer to philosophy students each semester, the Department of Philosophy supports extracurricular activities that enrich the experience of our students, such as a thriving Philosophy Club and events with invited scholars. Our department also fields teams that debate contemporary moral controversies in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition which have been highly successful in representing UAB in national championships.