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Philosophy (BA)
Experience and Career Guide

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you and learning about the many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world. There are so many opportunities to learn, lead, and embrace new opportunities all while having an exceptional student experience.

In this Guide

Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.

Year-to-Year Academic Experience Co-Curricular Opportunities Knowledge and Skills Career Options and Graduate Outcomes

Your Year-to-Year Experience

Enhance your academic experience by learning about the opportunities available in your program.

Explore Co-Curricular Experiences

Participate in co-curricular experiences to complement your Laurier
academic journey and gain meaningful learning opportunities.

As a Philosophy student, you can:

Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in. 

Design Your Degree

These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
  • Community Engagement option
  • Legal Studies option

Philosophy can be completed as a single Honours major or in combination with another BA program such as Political Science, English & Film Studies, History, Global Studies or Women & Gender Studies.

You can also apply to the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Arts program, where you earn an Honours Arts degree from Laurier and a law degree from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom in six years.

Develop Your Knowledge and Skills

As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Competency Framework

Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include: 

  • Adaptability and Resiliency
  • Collaboration and Teamwork
  • Communication
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Digital Literacy
  • Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
  • Functional Knowledge
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving
  • Professional Attributes
  • Self-Awareness

Functional Knowledge

  • Identify a philosophical problem and analyze key argumentative elements such as premises, conclusions, presuppositions, and empirical versus a priori reasoning.
  • Identify and understand the characteristics of a well-structured and well-supported argument.
  • Read philosophical and other theoretical works closely, charitably and actively, and be able to generate clear and accurate expository accounts of other peoples' work/arguments.
  • Develop and display a sensitivity to the historical, social, political and cultural forces that may shape and influence philosophical problems and perspectives.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with the central problems, debates and movements within three primary areas of Philosophy: Metaphysics and Epistemology, Values and Ethics (broadly construed to include, e.g., social, legal, and political philosophy) and History of Philosophy.

Discover Career Options

All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
%
Pursuing Further Education
%
Employed

13 respondents from the 2022 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation.

Alumni Career and Pathways

Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation

  • JD - Law
  • Master’s Degree - Philosophy, Applied Politics, Divinity, Social Work
  • Bachelor - Education

Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation

  • data analyst
  • financial advisor
  • law clerk
  • sales representative
  • underwriting assistant

Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation

  • development and communications coordinator
  • employment specialist
  • full stack web developer
  • lawyer
  • learning facilitator
  • physician
  • senior policy advisor
  • technical facilitator

Career Options and Resources

Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you. 

Career and Industry Options

  • business/corporate development
  • communications/public relations
  • counselling/social work
  • cultural heritage/tourism
  • diplomacy/international relations
  • education/teaching
  • ethics
  • government
  • journalism/media
  • law/legal field
  • library/archives/museum
  • medicine
  • non-profit/advocacy
  • politics
  • public policy
  • research/market analysis
  • technology/artificial intelligence
  • writing/publishing

Career Resources

Your Experiences Tell Your Story

Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!



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