Philosophy
Philosophy (B.A.)
Discover the fascinating world of philosophy! During this degree program, you will investigate questions about human life and coexistence that have been asked for millennia. Explore the diversity of philosophical texts and experience the tension between historical depth and modern debates. At the Erlangen Institute of Philosophy, you’ll develop intellectual flexibility, ethical awareness, and analytical acuity.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 6
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 150-250
- Subject group
- Language and Cultural Studies
- Special ways to study
- 2-subject Bachelor, Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Keywords
- Society, Philosophy
What is the degree program about?
“What should I do?”, “What makes a good life?”, “What is justice?”, “What do we owe to future generations?”, “What is beauty?”, “What exists?”, “Does God exist?”, “What can I know?”, “What is science?”, “What is a good argument?”, “What is the relationship between language, thought and reality?”, “Are we free?”
Philosophy has always asked questions that deal with the existential conditions of human life and coexistence. In the philosophy degree program, you will address these and similar questions through the intensive study of philosophical texts.
Philosophy can look back on a 2500-year history. At the same time, it is a modern academic discipline with a large number of subject-oriented debates. At the Institute of Philosophy in Erlangen, you will familiarize yourself with the historical breadth of the subject from antiquity to the present day. At the same time, you will deal with current philosophical theories using argumentative skills.
You will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills during the course of the Bachelor’s degree program in Philosophy. These include insights into intellectual history, a heightened awareness of ethical problems, structured thinking, analytical skills, reasoning skills and advanced interpretation and writing skills.
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The degree program is split into four phases.
- In the first phase of the degree program that lasts one semester, students attend the preparatory course and acquire basic knowledge of the content, methods and working techniques of philosophy in general and of argumentation theory and logic in particular.
- The second phase (first to third semester) serves as a historical and systematic introduction to the most important sub-disciplines of philosophy and also provides an overview of the history of philosophy.
- In the third phase (third to fifth semester), students expand their basic knowledge in selected sub-disciplines of theoretical and practical philosophy.
- The fourth phase (fifth and sixth semesters) serves to provide students with the skills they need to conduct independent academic work (specialization modules).
Students must take a preliminary examination (“Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung”) by the end of the second semester. They must complete at least 20 ECTS credits, 5 of which in logic.
Key qualifications
Students must acquire 20 ECTS credits in key qualifications to complete the degree program. We recommend that students take modules to expand their knowledge of Greek or Latin or modules offered by the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculties of Sciences and Engineering in key qualifications.
Bachelor’s thesis
Students complete their Bachelor’s thesis in the first subject. It should be a maximum of 40 pages in length and is allocated 10 ECTS credits.
Philosophy can be taken as the first subject in the modular two-subject Bachelor’s degree program (90 ECTS credits, 36 SWS, 12 modules including the Bachelor’s thesis) or as a second subject (70 ECTS, 32 SWS, 10 modules).
To reduce the risk of timetable clashes, we recommend that students combine Philosophy with Political Science, Sociology, Theater and Media Studies, Education, Art History, English and American Studies or German Language and Literature.
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- A love of reading
- A good sense for logical connections in arguments
- Persistent intellectual curiosity, which does not fade even with more demanding and abstract content (no fear of difficult texts!)
- A passion for clear, careful, (self) critical and open ways of thinking
- An interest in writing your own academic texts
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A wide range of opportunities on the current job market are open to graduates of philosophy, largely because academic training in philosophy is not geared towards a particular career. The skills conveyed can be used in an extremely wide variety of fields.
As is the case in several degree programs, there is not one single profession tailored towards a degree in philosophy. Experience shows that graduates of philosophy typically find positions in the following areas:
- Media (broadcasting, online media, television)
- Publishing
- Business and political consulting
- Public relations
- Knowledge management and foundations,
- Software (in some cases)
An academic career is also possible in principle, although it should be noted that, as in all university subjects, only a few alumni are permanently employed at university.
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Possible combinations without overlaps
- Archaeological Sciences
- Art History
- Book Studies
- Chinese Studies
- Cultural History of Christianity
- Education
- English and American Studies
- French Studies
- German studies
- Greek Philology
- Hispanic Studies
- Islamic Religious Studies
- Italian Studies
- Latin Philology
- Medieval Latin and Neo-Latin
- Oriental Studies
- Political Science
- Scandinavian Studies (BA)
- Sociology
- Theater and Media Studies
With these subject combinations, there are generally no overlaps in the timetable.
Possible overlaps in the timetable
- Business and Economics
- Computational Linguistics
- Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
- Geography: Cultural Geography as a two subject Bachelor's degree program
- History
- Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Studies
- Japanese Studies
If you combine these subjects, individual courses may overlap in your timetable. For this reason, you can only combine the following subjects with your chosen subject after a consultation. Students are responsible for ensuring that the combination can be studied and that the deadlines set out in Section 11 of the ABMStPOPhil are met. When enrolling, proof of a corresponding consultation with the Central Student Advisory Service or the Student Service Center (Faculty of Humanities, Social Studies, and Theology) must be submitted.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Application deadline winter semester
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30.09.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 (written 2 / oral 1) or equivalent
- Details and notes
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The application deadline for the winter semester for international applicants is July 15th.
In addition to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur), there are other access options for studying at FAU.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.