Discover your own love of wisdom and earn your bachelor's degree in Philosophy studying the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. The Department of Philosophy at Portland State University is dedicated to producing better students, better thinkers, and better members of our community through the exploration of questions about nature, mind, self, identity, and society.

Our online bachelor’s degree in philosophy combines abstract theory with applied analysis. You’ll learn how to think critically, formulate rigorous arguments, apply logic, and use evidence in all kinds of contexts, including real-world debates involving morals, ethics, politics, and law. As a student of philosophy at Portland State, you will develop your reasoning and critical thinking skills through studying the field’s foundational texts and historical figures. You will also explore the philosophy of language, mind, social/political philosophy, and various areas of applied ethics.

Portland State’s fully online philosophy program gives you the opportunity to develop rigorous habits of mind and critical thinking skills that have value in nearly every profession. Our graduates find that their philosophy degree is highly marketable in high-wage professions. Recent research by PayScale discovered that ten years after graduation, philosophy degree holders have higher average earnings than people with degrees in business, accounting, nursing, and many other disciplines.

Whether you’re a community college transfer, first-time freshman, or working adult, PSU’s online philosophy bachelor’s degree provides a top-notch education in a flexible, customizable format.

As a Philosophy major, not only can you develop the essential skills for development, thinking, and changing the world, you can join us in our goal of bringing your love of philosophy to the greater Portland community. Our students’ final Capstone projects focus on educating children about philosophy, as well as the exciting Oregon High School Ethics Bowl, a philosophy tournament for high school students.

Portland is a hub for writers, thinkers, artists, and people from all backgrounds who have a passion for engaging with the topics you will study as an undergraduate. Through organizations like the Socratic Society, our department can present you with discussions led by philosophers from around the world.

Philosophy at Portland State provides you with:

High-quality instructors. Most of our online philosophy courses are taught by our top professors. You’ll learn primarily from the same expert faculty who teach in our classrooms, not part-timers or adjuncts.
High-touch online instruction. Unlike most online programs, our online philosophy degree encourages direct interaction between students and faculty. Our user-friendly digital platform supports real-time, face-to-face communication, enabling you to form relationships with instructors and classmates. You’ll belong to a real community while enjoying the flexibility and independence of online learning.
Personalized studies. Our online philosophy program includes a high degree of flexibility in course selection. You can focus your studies in the areas that best fit your personal interests and postgraduate objectives.

The courses you will have access to as a philosophy major range from the foundational to the contemporary and include:

Ancient philosophy
Early Modern philosophy
Elementary ethics
Formal logic
Science and pseudoscience
Business ethics
Environmental ethics
Philosophy of medicine
Philosophy of law
International human rights
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of language
Biomedical ethics