Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Through the study of different philosophical doctrines and the debate around these doctrines, Philosophy students at UFSC are well prepared to engage in academic and intellectual work centered on providing answers to the philosophical inquiries into the human condition.

The core courses in the program are of two types: there are four courses in the History of Philosophy, which introduce the knowledge of philosophical doctrines from Antiquity to the present day, and twelve systematic courses on the various fields of Philosophy: Logic I and II, Theory of Knowledge, Ontology I and II, Ethics I and II, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy I and II and Philosophy of Language. In addition to these required courses, students should also take elective courses in philosophy and other academic subjects.

The program offers two degree options: a research-focused degree, which requires the writing of a final thesis (TCC) about a chosen philosophical issue, and a teaching degree, which gives graduates a teaching license for upper secondary school education. To obtain this degree, students must take pedagogical courses and a teaching internship. Both degree options allow students to pursue graduate studies.

However, earning a degree alone does not make one a philosophy scholar or an original philosopher. To be considered as such, a philosophy practitioner must publish the results of their investigations and reflections in the form of articles and books, as well as participate in conferences.

Several research groups within the Department of Philosophy encourage students in this direction, such as the Epistemology and Logic Center (NEL), dedicated to studies on human reasoning and the fundamentals of sciences; the Ethics and Political Philosophy Center (NEFIPO), which seeks to justify moral and political decisions; the Ancient Philosophy and Medieval Studies Center, which promotes knowledge of the medieval and classical Greco-Roman thought, encouraging Greek and Latin language learning; the Metaphysical Investigations Center (NIM), concerned with transcendental issues; and the Center for Philosophical Studies and Activities in Secondary School, which gives support to secondary school philosophy teachers.

Because of the experience in these and other research activities, Philosophy graduates can also work for publishing houses and other cultural institutions, as well as translate philosophical works.