A Unique Environment

Since 1979, when the Philosophy Department at Bowling Green State University began teaching its MA in Applied Philosophy, its graduate program has occupied a unique place in North American philosophy. This uniqueness was augmented in 1990 by the addition of a PhD program, also in Applied Philosophy, which remains the only one of its kind. To find out more about our program, click here or on the Noteworthy Features link. This is not to say that only Applied Philosophy is taught here. A graduate student at Bowling Green will receive a well-rounded education in all of the traditional areas of philosophy as well.

Department Facilities

The Departmental offices are located in the center of the campus and occupy the third floor of the recently renovated Shatzel Hall.  In addition to faculty and graduate student offices, the Department houses the Richard Lineback Applied Philosophy Library. To assist research all graduate student offices are furnished with computers with network and internet access.

The University

One of the major public teaching and research institutions in the state of Ohio, Bowling Green State University was founded in 1910 (click here for the Timeline).  Today the University has 750 full-time faculty and 18,000 students, including 2300 graduate students.  It offers more than 170 undergraduate degree programs, thirteen masters degrees in sixty-nine fields and Ph.D. programs in fourteen fields.  Located in northwest Ohio, the University is easily reached from many metropolitan areas including Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, and Chicago.

Prerequisites for Graduate Work

The preferred foundation for graduate work is a major or minor in philosophy. However, applicants with less than this level of preparation who have a strong interest in philosophy are encouraged to apply. Remedial work may be required for those students judged to have deficiencies in their preparation.

Career Objectives

Courses of study may be designed to meet any of the following objectives:

• An academic career in philosophy
• An academic career in applied philosophy in related fields including business ethics in business programs and medical ethics in medical programs
• A non-academic career in public policy, business, medicine, or environmental areas.

Graduate Student Handbook

All of the Department's regulations and requirements concerning its Graduate Programs can be found here in the Graduate Student Handbook. Paper copies can also be obtained from the Graduate Secretary.

Department of Philosophy
305 Shatzel Hall,
Bowling Green State University,
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0216.

Phone: 419-372-2117
Fax: 419-372-8191
Email: mdeluca@bgnet.bgsu.edu