Philosophy

Philosophy

Be bold. Follow your passion for philosophy. The sky’s the limit. 

Do you think life’s great mysteries are beyond our understanding? Well, philosophy has been answering them for at least two millennia! What is the meaning of life? What is justice? Truth? Beauty? How should we see humanity and its relationship to nature, animals, technology, history, or knowledge? Our programs let you discover the great traditions and contemporary trends in both Western and Asian philosophy. You’ll explore key figures in the history of philosophy and take part in some contemporary society’s most heated debates.

The uOttawa Advantage

At the University of Ottawa, every year, the department of philosophy offers to its community a series of lectures given by local and guests scholars. Additionally, you can take part in one of our renown reading groups on topics such as Buddhist Philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy or Early Modern Philosophy

Explore even more program options and expand your expertise:

  • Honours B.A. in Ethics and Political philosophy
  • Honours B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science

The University of Ottawa is one of Canada’s top 10 research universities, with research spending totalling close to $350 million annually.

We rank seventh among Canadian universities in graduate employability.

You can choose to study in English, French or both at the world’s largest bilingual English-French university.

To discover more, keep scrolling!

Studying philosophy means:

  • Developing systematic and analytical thinking skills.
  • Learning to organize your ideas logically and to express them convincingly.
  • Organizing information, summarizing and assessing complex data and applying these skills practically.
  • Communicating clearly in both official languages, both in speech and in writing.
  • Understanding individual’s and communities’ realities from historical, social, political, and psychological points of view.
  • Adopting collaborative, flexible, work practices that ease your integration into the workforce, through group projects.
  • Studying theoretical problems, developing your creativity, and applying it to your work, your art, your life.

Issues in philosophy:

  • Humanity, robotics, artificial intelligence
  • Gender, sexuality, identity
  • Environment, health, business
  • Knowledge, consciousness, science
  • Culture, religion, racism
  • History, time, eternity
  • Truth, language, logic
  • Life, existence, freedom
  • Art, aesthetics, values
  • Law, justice, politics

Choose your program

4 years120 units
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Honours BA in Philosophy

This program offers a thorough education in philosophy focused on three profiles: History of Philosophy, Ethics and Political philosophy, Metaphysics and Epistemology. We prepare you to face a tough, changing labour market as well as for graduate studies in philosophy or other fields, including law.

Program Structure

Course sequence

4 years120 units
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Joint Honours BA in Philosophy and Political Science

This program offers a solid basic education in moral and political philosophy, complemented by education on the practical aspects of our political and social realities.

Program Structure

Course Sequence

42 units
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Major in Philosophy

The major gives you comprehensive knowledge of philosophical methodology and of leading philosophical theories. Choose from two profiles: Ethics and Political philosophy, or Metaphysics and Epistemology.

Program structure 

Course sequence

30 units
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Minor in Philosophy

The minor gives you a grounding in philosophical methodology and introduces you to some of the leading theories in the subject.

Program Structure

Course Sequence

Honours program, major, minor?

Discover our program structures

More information

  • Philosophy + Political Science
  • Philosophy + History
  • Philosophy + Religious Studies
  • Philosophy + Economics
  • Philosophy + gender and sexualities

The uOttawa advantage

  • Excellent representation of both Western and Asian philosophical traditions
  • Strong presence of various philosophical approaches: historical, continental, analytic
  • Offering of all courses in both French and English
  • B.A. in Ethics and Political Philosophy
  • Joint Honours in Philosophy and Political Science
  • A variety of M.A. programs, including a short duration M.A., and a collaborative M.A. with Medieval and Renaissance Studies or with Feminist and Gender Studies
  • Close to the Parliament of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada

Scholarships and Bursaries

Our scholarship program is one of the most generous in the country. It rewards not only your pre-university academic achievements, but also your achievements every term of full-time study at University. A scholarship is awarded for academic achievements while a bursary is awarded based on financial need.
Discover our Schorlarships and Bursaries and learn how to apply.
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The Department of Philosophy

Philosophy is the oldest academic discipline, having given birth over two millennia to logic, ethics, physics, psychology, and computer science.
Learn more about the department.
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