On behalf of the staff and students, I welcome you to the Department of Philosophy, University of Ibadan. As a Department, we pride ourselves in the rigorous training we give our students, which equip them to address existential challenges in real life. Our vision is to be a world class academic Department that will serve as a referent for all other academic Departments in every University where Philosophy is taught. Our programmes are designed to bridge the gap between Philosophy and other disciplines by training and equipping students with certain skills that would not only allow for inter-disciplinary approaches to issues, but also enhance their productivity in related work places and make them relevant to the larger society. These skills include the capacities for:
a. Conceptual elucidation
b. Critical and reflective thinking
c. Drawing inferences
d. Application of general ideas or principles to particular human problems or situations.  

This way, we aim to produce graduates, worthy in learning and character, who will serve as custodian of society’s salutary values. This is in line with the vision of the University of Ibadan, which is to be a world-class institution for academic excellence geared towards meeting societal needs. Pursuant of the above philosophy, our programmes seek to achieve the following:             

1. To provide a solid foundation in Philosophy for those who want to become Professional or academic philosophers, by developing their capacities for clear thinking, logical articulation of ideas and sound decision making, as well as enhancing their understanding of those political and moral principles that play crucial roles in the development of a good sense of judgement in public affairs.
2. To create the link between academic philosophy and social practice by de-emphasising abstractions and systems-building in the programme and instead emphasising the practical relevance of contents to Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
3. To broaden the sensibilities of students by emphasising the distinctly African contribution to global philosophy, and introducing them also to the existence of other philosophies such as oriental philosophy.

The Department of Philosophy, one of the youngest Departments in the Faculty of Arts, was established in the 1974/75 academic session. It began with the late Prof. P.O. Bodunrin (then Dr. P.O. Bodunrin) as the first Head of Department. The Department started with a set of sixteen students (10 single honours and 6 combined honours). Despite the fact that the Department was established at a time when philosophy as an academic discipline was relatively new in the country, it has grown to become one of the largest Departments in the Faculty of Arts. The number of academic staff has been increasing since the Department came into existence in 1974. Now, there are 15 academic staff in the Department (8 Professors, 3 Senior Lecturers, 2 Lecturers II and 2 Assistant Lecturers).

The Department offers courses leading to the award of the B.A. (Single Honours) in Philosophy. The single honours programme is designed for specialists who may or may not wish to embark upon graduate studies in Philosophy. The B.A. degree programme in Philosophy is designed to provide a well-grounded foundation for comprehensive instruction and training in the core and traditional areas of philosophy, such as Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic and Ethics. The programme is also designed to train and equip students with knowledge in the second-order areas or branches of philosophy, such as Socio-Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of Law, Aesthetics and Comparative Philosophy, which bears direct relevance on social practice within the larger society, all in an attempt to bridge the gap between Town and Gown.

The Department also runs combined degree programmes with the following Departments: Classics, English, Communication and Language Arts, Linguistics, Mathematics, Political Science and Religious Studies, leading to the award of the B.A. degree in Philosophy/Classics; Philosophy/English; Philosophy/Communication and Language Arts; Philosophy/Linguistics; Philosophy/Mathematics; Philosophy/Political Science; Philosophy/Religious Studies. Approval for the combined honours programme is given at the beginning of 200 level of study.   The Department also offers postgraduate courses leading to the award of the following degrees in philosophy: Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Professional Ethics (MPE), Master of Philosophy (M.Phil), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). The three semesters M.A. degree programme in philosophy is designed to enable students do more intensive work in the principal areas of philosophy than is possible at the undergraduate level. It is also designed to familiarize students with and train them in more contemporary areas and methods of philosophy. The department started the post-graduate programme in 1978 and has since graduated several students at the Master and Doctoral levels.

The Department has affiliations with the Following institutions:

1. Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija, Ibadan, Nigeria.
2. Dominican Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Samonda, Ibadan, Nigeria.
3. Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria.

Admission Requirements UTME (4-Year Programme)  
To be eligible for admission into the 4 years B.A. Degree programme in Philosophy, candidates must obtain five (5) O’Level credits at one sitting or at least six (6) credits at two sittings in the GCE/SSCE/NECO examinations. Such credits must include English Language and at least one Arts subject. In addition, candidates must satisfy the general minimum admission requirements for degree programmes in the University of Ibadan.

Direct Entry (3-Year Programme) For admission into the 3 year direct entry programme in B.A. Philosophy, candidates must obtain A level passes of not less than a ‘C’ grade in at least one Arts subject and any other relevant Social Science/Science subject. Relevant degree holders with at least second class lower division from recognized institutions are also qualified to apply into the 3 year direct entry programme in B.A. Philosophy. In addition, candidates must satisfy the general minimum admission requirements for degree programmes in the University of Ibadan.