Why study philosophy?
With a bachelor of arts in philosophy from VCU, you'll hone your reasoning skills and be able to apply them as you explore carefully reasoned answers to deep questions about the human condition.
You'll also have many opportunities to sharpen your writing skills, increase your openness to rational criticism and learn to disagree about some of life's most important questions in a civil way. Finally, philosophy can equip you for any career that requires careful thinking and the ability to clearly express ideas.
News
Jan. 22, 2026
VCU helps make the Ethics Bowl a philosophy spotlight for high school students
Hosted by Collegiate School and bolstered by VCU’s Department of Philosophy, the annual event facilitates reasoning and civil discourse.
Jan. 21, 2026
cRam Session: Philosophy of Games
3 questions, 2 minutes, 1 lesson with James Fritz, whose course poses an advanced question at the basic level: Do you even know what a game is?
Philosophy Spotlight
Meet a Student: Stephen Ingram
When Stephen Ingram took his first philosophy class, he felt like he was stepping into a deeper world, one where he was equipped to uncover the things that matter most in life. Read more about Stephen's favorite classes, favorite professors and how his major is allowing him to become a more developed thinker.
Alum Success Story: Carlos Carrion ('12)
Having received his law degree in 2020, Carrion serves as legal counsel for the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He previously served in the Navy Reserve and as an investment advisor at Merrill Lynch.
Alum Success Story: Melat Kassa ('18)
Kassa, a quantitative market research consultant, says her philosophy degree has helped her ask better questions and clearly advocate for why her point of view is the right course of action to take.
Alum Success Story: Thomas Mick ('11)
Mick credits the Department of Philosophy's approach to applied logic and argument building for helping him quickly pick up on the computing languages he had to learn in his role as lead software engineer for TechCampus learning at Capital One.
Alum Success Story: Regan Price ('20)
Price is a public administration intern at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government. Read more about how she feels the study of ethics has been helpful in her career.