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Undergraduate Programs

One major, three tracks, four minors and a certificate – build the critical thinking, argumentation and ethical reasoning that law schools, med schools and employers prize.

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Learn How to Think

Choose the BA – general or Bioethics, with a pre-med option – or add a minor or the Certificate in Ethics to any major. No application; just declare.
19th Century European Philosophy class held at Bingham Humanities.
Philosophy, BA

Philosophy, BA

Think critically, argue persuasively and engage the fundamental questions of knowledge, ethics, mind and society – a rigorous liberal arts foundation for law, business, policy, medicine and beyond.
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Philosophy Minor

Philosophy Minor

Stronger critical thinking, ethical reasoning and argument for students in any major – ethics, logic and the history and problems of philosophy, without committing to a full major.
Professor gives a philosophy lecture
Philosophy, Politics and Economics Minor

Philosophy, Politics and Economics Minor

Philosophical analysis, political theory and economic reasoning together – how societies decide and distribute – for students headed toward law, policy, politics or social change.
Student walks into the library.
Disability Studies Minor

Disability Studies Minor

Disability as a social, cultural, political and ethical phenomenon – access, identity, advocacy and justice – for future health professionals, social workers, educators and lawyers.
Law students standing in the courtyard of Brandeis School of Law having a socially distanced conversation.
Legal Studies Minor

Legal Studies Minor

The foundations of law, legal reasoning and the relationship between law, ethics and society – early exposure to legal argument for pre-law students.
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Certificate in Ethics

Certificate in Ethics

Focused training in ethical theory and applied ethics for students and professionals in any field – in person or online, and the online option fits working schedules.

Student life & opportunities

Philosophy at Louisville is a community that thinks together. The Philosophy Club meets for open discussion, film screenings and reading groups; high-achieving majors join Phi Sigma Tau; and every spring the Steven Humphrey Undergraduate Philosophy Colloquium brings student presenters from across North America to campus. Add honors theses, faculty research collaborations and internships with partners like the Envirome Institute and Louisville Metro Public Health – and there is no separate admission process for any of it. Meet your advisor, declare the major, minor or certificate, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will help you map the rest.

Explore the Student Experience
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Transform Your Philosophical Thinking Into Your Career

Ready to turn your commitment to rigorous reasoning and ethical clarity into professional impact? Explore Philosophy at the University of Louisville — where applied inquiry meets real-world problem-solving in healthcare, technology, law and community.

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