Studying philosophy not only involves asking the big questions, it teaches important skills. Philosophy at Deakin asks questions about the nature of reality, truth and knowledge, meaning, the existence of God, personal identity, the good in ethical and political life, and the value and power of art. At the same time, it fosters the development of skills in critical and creative thinking, argumentation, communication, problem-solving and research.
An undergraduate degree is generally completed between two to four years, depending on the pattern of study and any recognition of prior learning you may have. Associate degrees, bachelor and bachelor with honours are all undergraduate degrees.
Research degrees are research based master’s or PhD programs that focus on a single area of expertise. They provide students the opportunity to carry out highly specialised research under expert supervision.
Philosophy at Deakin will equip you with a broad range of specialised and general skills, like critical reasoning. You’ll find these skills useful for any job or field that requires decision-making abilities or considered thought, including:
Our teaching and research philosophers have diverse expertise and interests, and work within all of the major philosophical traditions: analytic, continental European, Eastern and American pragmatism. We nurture a culture of cross-disciplinary learning.
Study overseas to immerse yourself in a different culture, pick up a new language and build a global network.
A higher degree by research in philosophy at Deakin covers a wide range of topics – from personal identity to existentialism. Deakin philosophers form the nucleus of the Philosophy and the History of Ideas research group (in the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation), which is one of the largest centres of its kind in Victoria.
Online interactions with the dead
Patrick Stokes is working on a project that considers the ethical implications of increasingly common practices of online memorialisation and commemoration.
Reinventions of philosophy as a way of life
Matthew Sharpe’s project involves a monograph and an edited book series on modern thinkers who have tried to reanimate the classical idea of philosophy as a way of life.
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Dr Sean Bowden, introduces you to studying Philosophy.
Our philosophy blog showcases some of the great work our philosophers at Deakin are doing including recent research.
You may be surprised at some of the leading figures in politics, business, the arts and entertainment who studied philosophy:
