BA Philosophy at BYU: Fees 2026 Dates & Requirements

From its inception in ancient Greece down to the present, philosophy has sought to understand the world and the place of human beings within it. As it frames ideas and theories with which to clarify and explain experience, philosophy discloses its faith in the ability of reason to discover and communicate truth. While data generated by the physical and social sciences often informs philosophical analysis, philosophy remains committed to answering those metaphysical, ontological, ethical, epistemic, and aesthetic questions which are either fundamental to an understanding of life or inaccessible to empirical methods of investigation.

Philosophy's respect for the authority of logic and rational argument fosters an intellectual environment wherein open dialogue is essential and conflicting opinions are respected, but in which beliefs must be scrutinized, claims must be validated, and a love of truth, goodness, and wisdom must guide one's every action.

Philosophy offers excellent preparation for a variety of career paths, especially law, medicine, and business. The value of a major in philosophy resides in the intellectual development it promotes and the transferrable skills it nourishes. Philosophy majors perennially top the charts in standardized exams like the GRE, LSAT, and MCAT, especially on the verbal aptitude and analytic thinking sections. They also enjoy extremely high rates of acceptance to graduate programs and professional schools, whatever the discipline. In part, this is because philosophy students master the logic, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that such tests and programs require. But philosophy can prepare a student for any type of work that requires highly developed abilities in analytical reasoning and effective communication.