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  • The bachelor’s degree in philosophy (academic)

    There are many good reasons for studying philosophy at Bielefeld University within our bachelor’s degree program. Click on the arrows to learn about some of them!

    Students seated in front of Bielefeld University's building X.
    © Universität Bielefeld

Five good reasons to study Philosophy in our B.A. programmes

We make starting out easy for you: You will learn about central concepts and theories in dedicated courses. That way, you’ll get a good overview of the subject.

In our department, you are more than a student number: everyone knows and supports each other; we pride ourselves on the familiar atmosphere within the department. You can choose the contents of the main modules – that way specialisation begins within the bachelor’s degree.

In our department, you are more than a student number: everyone knows and supports each other; we pride ourselves on the familiar atmosphere within the department. You can choose the contents of the main modules – that way specialisation begins within the bachelor’s degree.

Bielefeld University’s philosophy department enjoys a great reputation; Our teaching staff stands for internationally recognized, well-funded research in the analytic tradition of philosophy. We are well networked both inland and out of the country and are happy to aid you with planning a stay abroad or contacting researchers from other universities.

We greatly value an intellectually inspiring environment in which you can work well without feeling excluded – regardless of origin, gender, family situation, or physical handicaps.

Study program

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Orientation Talk

The Orientation Talk is a compulsory element of the major and minor study profiles. Towards the end of your second semester, please make an appointment with a lecturer of your choice to conduct it. You can find all information relating to the Orientation Talk here:

Examination regulations and regulatory framework

Here you will find information on the structures of the different study profiles within the academic philosophy bachelor's. In the expandable sections below the structure of the different profiles is displayed graphically, with a short description.

A short overview of the different main modules can be found in the document list below. Detailled information is available in the module handbook.

Study profiles

BA major (academic)

Structure of the philosophy degree as a major.

The study of philosophy as a major comprises 120 of 180 credit points (CPs) and therefore two thirds of an entire bachelor’s degree. Of these 120 CPs, 90 are covered by philosophy courses and 30 by the individual supplementary area.

The Orientation Talk is compulsory. Towards the end of your second semester, please make an appointment with a lecturer of your choice to conduct it. You should be equipped with the Orientation Talk Attestation, which you can find in the sidebar on the right.

BA minor (academic)

Structure of the philosophy degree as a minor.

The study of philosophy as a minor comprises 60 of 180 credit points (CPs) and therefore one third of an entire bachelor’s degree. The other two thirds are comprised of your major and the individual supplementary area.

Small minor (academic)

Structure of the philosophy degree as a small minor.

The study of philosophy as a small minor comprises 30 of 180 credit points (CPs) and therefore one sixth of an entire bachelor’s degree. The rest is comprised comprised of your major, your other small minor and the individual supplementary area. We offer three small minors: Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Science. All three have the same structure.

General information for all profiles

Each main module may only be studied once. For example, if you have completed the main module Applied Ethics, you may not use that module towards your degree again.

Detailled information can also be found in our study guide.

Specific information for the small minors

Here you will find the different module lists for the small minors Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Science.

Activities

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Looking for something specific?

All forms, documents and information sheets on exams, theses, and every other topic concerning you studies can be found on the page "Examination office and documents".

Click here to reach the page "Examination office and documents".

Courses

Every semester the Department of Philosophy offers a broad variety of courses covering all areas of philosophy. This includes both seminars and lectures, which are either part of the general philosophy curriculum or of specific study profiles.

Further events

All year round, the Department of Philosophy organises various events, including guest talks, colloquia, conferences etc. Within our All you can think program you can find a collection of extracurricular events that is explicitely aimed at students.

Application and Admission

Here you can find information on the processes of application and enrolment. Specific conditions apply to applicants with foreign educational certificates as well as to persons with vocational qualifications.

Dates and deadlines for applications, enrolment, the starting of courses and more can be found here.

Since philosophy must always be studied with a one or two other subjects, please make sure to check whether any of your other subjects have admission restrictions, so as not to miss any potential application deadlines.

Any questions?

Then feel free to contact the Department of Philosophy's BA-representative, Prof. Dr. Michaela Rehm, or the student advisor.

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