About

However, it is most well-known for its focus on African American philosophy. Philosophy degree students can choose from courses such as “Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.” and “Africana Philosophy and Film”. One course from this area of study, “History of Africana Philosophy,” is even a required core course. Another major aspect of our department is research. Faculty members are consistently involved in the university’s research efforts, and research is viewed as part of the department’s responsibility to the university and the community. The Department of Philosophy at Howard University offers students the opportunity to learn and refine the skills that are requisite for excellent performance on graduate school admissions tests, in graduate programs in various disciplines, especially law school, and for developing a critical perspective and problem-solving skills that will serve students well over the course of their lives and careers. Philosophy majors routinely outperform other humanities majors on the Graduate Records Exam (GRE), Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and other graduate admission exams.

Mission Statement

Philosophy studies the nature of the world in its most universal modalities along with the fundamental character of our reasoning about the world. It thus prepares our students in a most exemplary fashion to confidently embark on any course of professional study, especially in the fields of law and politics.

The Department of Philosophy at Howard University offers a comprehensive and diverse approach to the study of philosophy. In addition to the traditional areas of the Western Philosophical Canon, we also make it possible for our students to study the Africana philosophic tradition in great depth. Indeed, only at Howard University can a student study African Philosophy, African American Philosophy and Afro-Caribbean Philosophy comprehensively and in a department of philosophy.

The program has several required courses for our majors, of which one of the most prominent is a course entitled, “History of Africana Thought”. We offer our students “an educational experience of exceptional quality” that is not only unique but also prepares them most adequately to creatively tackle the problems of an ever-changing world.